When does labor start?

Question

When women tell their birth story they’ll say, “I labored for x hours and pushed for x hours”... when exactly do you start counting laboring?

Answer

I honestly think it’s whatever you think it is. For me it was when my contractions were painful and timeable and then the bloody show. I was having steady contractions for about 8 hours before I went to the hospital, my water broke when I got there and I was about 5cm. But I went from 0-5 somewhere in those 8 hours. My advice, labor at home for as long as you feel comfortable. It was nice pacing around my own home and showering or taking a bath whenever I felt like it was the out being hooked up to machines or having IVs in.

Answer

FTM here for comments and I’m so nervous I don’t want to get cut so doc say we have to wait until she wants to come 🤷🏾‍♀️

Answer

Most consider labor to have started when you reach 4cm.

Answer

I count when I start having real contractions.
If I wasn't in labor, I wouldn't be up at 2 in the morning unable to sleep and in significant pain from contractions.
Medically, they consider it from 4 cm as active labor I think.

Answer

They called it true labor / active labor when I reached 4cm with my first. She was born 20 minutes after I had reached 4 cm, with only about 15 minutes of pushing (4 pushes). Nurses tried to tell me it would be a long time before I was dilated enough to push, but I went from a 4 to a 10 in the space of 5 minutes. She was an emergency induction though ( couldn't do a Csection due to severe pre-eclampsia and low platelet levels). I think it took about half a day with Cytotek and then pitocin before I got to 4cm.

Answer

I count from when the contractions started. That's early labor. When you have to breathe through contractions, that's midlabor. Pushing is later.

Answer

I think it’s when you decide. I began it from when I went in to the hospital, but I guess I could have started from when my water broke the first time. It really just depends

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For me it "started" when I woke up in pain from a contraction. I was sleeping and started around 2 a.m. and it was and entire 38 hours until my daughter arrived. I only pushed for 15 minutes though.

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I count it when I’m actually in active labor, for most that would be dilated to a point but I was in active labor and not dilating for 20 some hours... the last 7 I actually dialated and then pushed for 3... you will know when things get serious and you can count it as labor

Answer

My water broke so I’m not sure if that counts. Active labor is not till 6cm.

When does labor start?

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