Labour - How Much Time???

H4L

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Im wondering (worrying) how much time im going to have to get to my wife. Ive mentioned before im a nightshift lorry driver and travel from near Glasgow to Liverpool and back each night. The other night one of my tyres blew out on the motorway leaving me stranded at roadside overnight and then all the next day away from home before coming up the road again the next night. Now thats unusual but normally im away between 5pm and 4am. You just know thats when the wee one is going to want to make her entrance to the world.

My work have said they will sort my leave out once we have the child so that im not booking any time off i dont need. They also said they would prefer other than me going on a shift and having to abort the mission that if my wife felt she was due then to not come in that night. That all sounds too easy lol so we know im going to be on route to Liverpool when it happens.

So how much time have i realistically got. The class i attended with the midwife made it sound like ive got ages through the labour period and should be ok for time. Im looking for how long you ladies have been in Labour for and do you know when to call your men? Her mum will be with her for the last week as shes getting near when im on nightshift and my mum and brother are just round the corner. Obviously i dont want to miss potentially my only child being born or supporting my wife but ive just got this feeling that ill be away and that will mean years of.........

Mrs H4L: "what do you care, you couldnt even be there for the birth"

Baby H4L: "screw you Dad you werent even there for me when i was born"


:lol: lighthearted but you get where im coming from.
 
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I was induced usually they play out ages but I was only 7h from first contractions.

I laboured alone until my waters went at 2.30, OH was called at 3am there for 3.30 and I had J at 4.26am.

PS I am from Glasgow :) well, Clydebank now.

xxxx
 
I had 4.5 hours between first contraction and birth. Looking back there were lots of signs I was about to go into labour the previous days, so I think I'll have a bit more idea this time round, but it's not really possible to guess exactly when it will all kick off. Could you arrange to take a few days off as ordinary leave on short notice once your wife starts getting the initial signs?
 
I was induced usually they play out ages but I was only 7h from first contractions.

I laboured alone until my waters went at 2.30, OH was called at 3am there for 3.30 and I had J at 4.26am.

PS I am from Glasgow :) well, Clydebank now.

xxxx

Weve to get from Bothwell to the Royal but its actually as quick as going to Wishaw. If my wife starts feeling it she needs to tell me asap i think so i can get up the road.
 
I had 4.5 hours between first contraction and birth. Looking back there were lots of signs I was about to go into labour the previous days, so I think I'll have a bit more idea this time round, but it's not really possible to guess exactly when it will all kick off. Could you arrange to take a few days off as ordinary leave on short notice once your wife starts getting the initial signs?



Hopefully that will work. Im off 6/7/8 of May and the wee one is due on the 7th. Work will be fine me taking really short notice days off but its the going away and then race against time back up the road. Dont think its anything a dad wants to miss.
 
Hi H4L,
I'm counting on my mum being able to drive Aberdeen - Glasgow too when I go into labour. I need someone to watch DS and he doesn't settle well with many people. I was induced 1st pregnancy but had already started contracting before I went in so was a speedy one. Start to pushing stage was still a good 9hrs.
Had a false alarm this weekend and managed to get mum here in plenty time (though they do say 2nd babies come quicker so I hope we are as lucky when it happens for real..)
May see you in the Royal as we're due on the 2nd..
Best of luck to you x
 
Hi H4L,
I'm counting on my mum being able to drive Aberdeen - Glasgow too when I go into labour. I need someone to watch DS and he doesn't settle well with many people. I was induced 1st pregnancy but had already started contracting before I went in so was a speedy one. Start to pushing stage was still a good 9hrs.
Had a false alarm this weekend and managed to get mum here in plenty time (though they do say 2nd babies come quicker so I hope we are as lucky when it happens for real..)
May see you in the Royal as we're due on the 2nd..
Best of luck to you x


Hopefully everything goes as you wish. My wife keeps telling me that she will be after her due date. I keep telling her to just make sure she encourages her to make her move on the 6th so im off. :dance:
 
Mine was quite quick. 6 1/2 hours start to finish. That was at 37 weeks. My husband worked early mornings but i went into labour at 1am, so he was at home. He spent a large proportion of my labour on the phone trying to get through to a manager, to get someone else to open up as he was the key holder. And then they had the cheek to ring him up to find out where the light switch was! My first sign I was in labour was my waters going, followed by constant pain for about 10 mins, but I'd been at work that day, and apparently I had been breathing heavily all day. I just thought that was just because I was nearing the end!
 
Mine was quick.... had my first proper contraction at 10:30pm and had my son at 2am... To be fair there were signs all day that something was going on - but as it was my first, I just distracted myself as I wasn't sure. I had asked my hubby to stay home when I woke up that morning as I felt a bit funny, but sent him off to work late morning as everything had stopped... So I guess if he'd been in your position I wouldn't have let him drive that night. I'm sure if your wife is tuned into her body you'll get some kind of warning signs :D although false alarms are just as likely!
 
I was 12 hours in total but my friends were 35 mins and 2 hours from their first contractions, everyone's labours are different can't really tell how long or little it could take
 
I was 12 hours in total but my friends were 35 mins and 2 hours from their first contractions, everyone's labours are different can't really tell how long or little it could take



Just noticed your wee pic at the bottom. My late father was 6th December. St Nicholas day.
 
good day to be born then :) are you Scottish or Irish? Just wondering because you said wee lol
 
We were told as it was my first labour I would go over and be in labour for a while... She came three weeks early and I had her 5 hours after my first contraction!
 
I got niggles at about 4pm, nothing really to suggest labour but I "just knew". I started getting mild contractions at 9pm, at 1am they were bad enough for me to go to hospital, she came at 230pm that day so I had ages
 
I was 2 hours 30 mins from going into the delivery suite. Every woman and birth is different.
 

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