THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT28 | April 2020 |motherandbaby.co.uk
WHAT’S ‘NORMAL’?
First of all, we can only talk about averages
her e, because women are all different and
unique. The ‘average’ labour, for a first-time
mum, will last between six and 12 hours,
with subsequent babies often coming a little
more quickly. This timing refers to so-
called ‘established labour’, meaning your
contractions are strong and regular and
take up all of your focus – as Chummy
from Call the Midwife puts it, ‘When labour
re ally gets its boots on.’
Many labours will take this pathway,
starting, building, gradually progressing and
then reaching the climax of birth itself in
about eight hours. It’s really important to
know that the main factor that keeps labour
progressing forwards is the hormone oxytocin.
Oxytocin, known as ‘the love hormone’ or‘the
shy hormone’, is so vital to giving birth thatif
you don’t produce enough of it yourself,you
will be given a synthetic version via a dripto
help get your labour moving. And to produce
this essential hormone, you need to feel safe,
calm, supported, undisturbed, warm andcosy!
The environment you give birth in, and how
safe and loved you feel during your labour,
both have a vital influence on how smoothly
your birth story unfolds.
WHY CAN IT TAKE LONGER?
It’s also important to bear in mind that so
much can vary from woman to woman, and
weactuallyunderstandverylittleabouthow
MEETTHE
EXPERTMilli Hill is founder
of the Positive Birth
Movement, author
of Give Birth Like a
Feminist (£14.99, HQ
HarperCollins), and
a mum of threeour bodies work and what makes labour
progress quickly or slowly. There has been
some research to suggest that today’s woman is
taking longer to labour than her grandmother,
but very little attention has been given to why
this might be. Hospital births, inductions and
fear of birth may all play a role here, as may
our modern habit of working right up to our
due dates, potentially meaning we begin
labour with more adrenaline in our bodies,
which may inhibit our oxytocin production.
There is a lot we don’t yet understand, and we
have also been taught that our labour progress
should be fast and linear – just like it is in
both the movies and according to the graph
that hangs on the hospital wall to chart our
‘progress’. But real birth is not a scene from
a soap opera, and women are not robots
who all perform the same under any
circumstances. Part of being in
labour involves surrendering and
trusting the process – but this
doesn’t mean you can’t
prepare yourself in
advance for either a
long or a short
labour.During
pregnancy,
havea read of
spinningbabies.
com, andlearn
more about
the different
positions your
baby can find
herself in, and
how you can
take action.TipShort laboursVery short labours are known as
‘precipitous’birthsandare defined
assuchif yougofromzeroto hero in
three hours or less. This kind of labour
is rare – it happens in only about 3 per
cent of births – and it’s both more likely,
and easier to predict, for second
or subsequent babies. If your first
baby came quickly, it’s likely (but not
guaranteed) that your others will too,
but there really is no other way of
knowing that your labour will be fast.
There may be a genetic element,
so it’s worth asking your mother and
grandma if they had very fast or very
long labours, but unfortunately, this still
won’t give you a definitive answer.
Getting labour over as quickly as
possible may sound ideal, but it can
actually be quite a shock to the system.
If your labour is very short it can make
getting to the hospital in time a
challenge, so it might be worth
thinkingthroughin advancewhat
youwilldoif yourbirthgoesthis
way. Here are a few ideas:
● Make a plan with your partner
about what you will do if your labour
is fast. How far do you live from the
hospital or birth centre? Will you still
try to get there, or will you stay at
home and call a midwife or ambulance?
● Get your partner to prepare
themselves for a quick labour by
reading up about what happens at a
birth so that they know what to expect.
Make sure they know your wishes too.
● No matter where you are hoping to
give birth, keep a basic ‘home-birth kit’
on hand – for example, some towels, a
water bottle, and a phone or camera,
just in case things progress quickly.
● If you have other children, make sure
you have made arrangements withsomeone who can take care of them
quickly and easily.
● Be aware that paramedics are not
midwives and may not be as up-to-
speed on current best practice, for
example active birth, delayed cord
clamping or skin-to-skin. You’re
perfectly entitled to speak up –
for example, if they ask you to
get into a birth position you don’t
feel comfortable in.
● Remember, you don’t have to transfer
to hospital after an unplanned home
birth unless there are concerns about
the wellbeing of you or your baby.