Is a Precipitous Birth (3 Hours or Less) Really the Dream?

“Oh man, that sounds awesome, I’m so jealous”

“How lucky! My labor was 24 hours”

These are some responses I frequently hear when I mention precipitous birth, which is when the baby is born within less than 3 hours of labor.

It might sound like “living the dream” to not be in labor very long, but a lot of people who have experienced this type of birth often wished their labor would have been just a little longer! Why?

1. Emotionally - it can be very shocking and jarring to be standing in the kitchen making a sandwich one minute, and pushing out a baby the next. Having clearly defined stages of labor which gradually build upon each other, helps you mentally prepare for giving birth. After all, actually having the baby has kind of been an abstract concept for the past 9 months…

2. Physically - a “textbook” labor builds intensity gradually over time. This helps you with endurance, as you produce more and more endorphins to help you cope with the contractions. When your uterus must build up the power to eject a baby within a much shorter period of time, the intensity of the contractions is much greater. It’s like all the sensations of a 12 hour labor being boiled down and concentrated into an hour.

3. Timing and location - a precipitous birth can cause alarm and disorientation when you were planning to deliver at a hospital or birth center, or you were planning a home birth and your midwife didn’t make it in time.

I actually previously published this post on my Instagram, and received many DMs from moms who experienced a precipitous birth and ended up with pelvic floor issues, worse tearing, etc.

So what should you do if this happens?

You and your support person should try to stay calm. If you feel the urge to push, don’t worry about your prior plans to labor at home for a while first. Don’t worry about the 4-1-1 rule where your contractions must be steady for at least one hour. If you feel like you have to push, it’s time to go! Head toward the birthing location, but also call 911 in case they need to meet you in the middle. Don’t drive crazy. Either you will get to the hospital, or first responders will get to you. (All of us would rather have you just deliver in the car, than be in a car accident. ) And you will have a wild story to tell for the rest of your life! 😃