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| Home > Complication & Medications > Precipitate Labor
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| | Precipitate Labor
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Short, Fast Labor (Precipitate Labor)
A precipitate labor is normally very short, lasting less than three hours. A precipitate labor has its own special problems and challenges. The duration of the labor may appeal to you, but you may not notice the signs of the labor in the latent phase thereby missing the early signs of labor. Sud-denly, you will be thrown into active, hard labor without time to prepare psychologically. The first noticeable contractions can be long and crushingly intense, and accompanied by feel-ings of panic and confusion.
If a hospital birth is planned, you will get no time to prepare yourself and will have to leave home in a hurry while trying to cope with strong, late labor contractions. You may think you are in early labor, since you have not noticed the first signs, while your labor is progressing rapidly with very painful contractions. You may question your ability to handle labor, be dejected, unprepared and discouraged. The commotion in the hospital will unnerve you as also an unfamiliar doctor. Your anxiety may increase if your partner is unable to accompany you. You may feel lonely, lacking direction and panic stricken. In fact, you may feel like giving up and taking all the medication available to you to make the pain go away.
What You Can Do
Take deep, relaxing breaths and believe in yourself. Try each level of breathing, starting with slow breathing to reach the level that helps you cope. A vaginal exam is mandatory before taking any decision about anesthesia. You may be dilated to eight or ten centimeters. At this stage of labor, anesthesia may be unnecessary as it is too late to have an effect on you and birth will soon follow. What you need most is the encouragement that the labor is normal, though fast, and you can take it in your stride.
As the intensity of the contractions increases, you may have the urge to push before the hospital staff is ready. Delay the labor by not using a gravity-assisted position, rather lie on your side and pant or gently bear down when the second stage begins. Your birth canal and perineum will get more time to stretch, thereby decreasing the likelihood of tearing, and thus protecting your baby`s head from being pressed through the vagina too rapidly.
You will probably thank your stars that you could make it to the hospital and that you and the baby are safe after the birth. You may need to review what happened. Talk with the staff and your partner to release your tension and share the experience you have gone through. You may be disheartened that your labor passed so quickly that you could not use all the breathing and relaxation techniques you had so painstakingly picked up, or share it with your partner as you had planned.
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