Labor & Such

Updated on September 10, 2010
H.V. asks from Akron, OH
45 answers

So I've been talking to a lot of moms lately and I seem to be seeing a trend. So I figured I'd see what you ladies had to say.

How many of you ladies went into labor at night instead of the middle of the day?

Obviously scheduled c-sections and such don't really count for this question. Not that there is anything wrong with them. I'm just curious if it is really more common to go into labor at night as opposed to the middle of the day.

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Featured Answers

M.L.

answers from Houston on

first was 12 midnight when my water broker broke... second was induced so that doesn't count

this is why I always took showers before bedtime and had clothes and stuff laid out, b/c I just knew it would happen at night!

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E.W.

answers from Cleveland on

I have had only one labor where I went on my own and it was at night. My water broke at midnight and my daughter was born at 3 am.

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A.G.

answers from South Bend on

My first........my water broke at 4pm and labor started soon after that. He was born the next morning at 8:40am.

My second.......I woke at about 4:30am with my alarm for work and realized that I was in early labor. She was born at 1:07pm.

My third.........I started having contractions at 4pm on a Friday (hard Braxton Hicks, every 5 minutes exactly......they called it prodromal (sp?) labor) and then my water broke at 3am on Sunday (yes, Sunday) morning and she was born 12:50pm.

My forth........still waiting ;)

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L.K.

answers from Austin on

I have three children and I went into labor with all three in the middle of the night. This is very common and there is a physiological reason for this. The body will wait to go into labor until everything is quiet. It is unusual to go into labor when there is a lot going on around the woman. The majority of mammals go into labor and or give birth at night. Also, as mammals the body wants it to stay quiet during labor. Many times if a lot of activity picks up the labor will slow down or stall. This is why women who give birth at the hospital when they arrive at the hospital they will note that their contractions have spaced out or they are not as intense. This is a protective mechanism. Once the body feels safe again labor will pick back up. Unfortunately doctors do not understand this and will often start pitocin because they think labor has stopped. Mammals in the wild can actually stop their labor if they feel danger is lurking near by.

Lisa

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T.S.

answers from Eugene on

All three of them began at night--at least the initial stuff. And yes, there IS something wrong with scheduled c-sections, unless there is a good medical reason, backed up by current scientific knowledge, why the baby should not be born vaginally.

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Woke up at 2 am with contractions and was at the hospital by 7am. Looking back, I had "symptoms" all the day before, just wanted to sleep, intestinal issues, etc. My body was preparing. But it work me up at 2am.

S.O.

answers from Lansing on

Went into labor at night

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J.K.

answers from Columbus on

In hindsight, I started contractions late afternoon (although at the time didn't realize it). Finally went to the hospital around 8:30 p.m. and was only dialated 1 cm so they had me walk for an hour and near the end of the hour, my water broke - probably around 10 p.m. Our beautiful son was born 14+ hours later!

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C.E.

answers from Columbus on

Although I didn't realize it at the time, I was in pre-labor all day. I thought I was just having a bad day! :-) Then at 1:00am I woke up with contractions. 2:00am my water broke. Daughter was born at 6:50am. (My first was induced.)

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M.I.

answers from Albuquerque on

With my first it was in the morning, water broke at 9:45 and he was born at 11:15. My second one my water broke around midnight and she was born at 9:15 in the morning. With my third my water broke at around 11p.m. and she was born at 1:15 in the morning.

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M.!.

answers from Columbus on

Well I went into labor at noon with both my kids and my son (my first) was born 3:30 AM and my daughter (my second) 5:30 PM.

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B.M.

answers from Chicago on

night - about 8 or so. I was eating dinner.

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M.P.

answers from Cleveland on

Just an FYI. I have always had to have a c section ,not by choice but by have to. Two of my scheduled csections were moved to the date that the baby decided was their birthday. One of them I was in the hosipital and supposed to deliver the next day. Went into labor and second son picked his own bday. My third child was scheduled c section and was born 10 days early so even with schedules babies have a mind and will of their own.

E.S.

answers from Dayton on

W/ my 1st I realized I something was up around 10am. By noon I knew I was is labor. Labor steadily progressed all day. She was born just after midnight.

W/ my 2nd I woke around 3:30am w/ cramping-thought it was something I ate-realized about 7am I was in labor. Didn't start to really progress until 11pm. He was born an hour after midnight.

HTH! GL!

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

I went into labor with my first at 2am....i was at a party...dancing!! Wahoo...water broke, off I go. I "thought" I was in labor a week before that at about 1pm and went off to the doctor. When I called my mom at 2am she said that I "must" be in labor, that middle of the night makes more sense to her. lol...she is the mother of 5!
My second I was induced.
L.

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G.T.

answers from San Francisco on

First one: water broke at 1am, entered hospital at 6:30 am, son born at 12:45pm
Second: mild labor during the afternoon, entered hospital at 9pm, daughter born at 1am

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A.B.

answers from New York on

Water broke at 9:30 a.m, no contractions so induced at 8pm, had baby next day 1:39 pm

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K.M.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Middle of the night with my 2 older ones. First was at 2 in the morning the 2nd was around 4 am. Had them both before noon that same day. Currently gearing up for number 3 due any minute! Will let you know if that is a nighttime labor or not!

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

I have one child. I started having noticable contractions (not Braxton-Hicks) around 8:30 pm, my water broke around 9 pm (in the parking lot at Walmart!!). I called my doc and we got to the hospital around 11 pm and baby was born at 2:47 am. My labor and delivery went very fast, most new moms have a little more time than that. I'm just glad we went to the hospital when we did.

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A.S.

answers from Lansing on

I'm pretty sure my labor started in my back around 10a.m. with my first, but I didn't realize that's what it was at the time. My water broke around 7 p.m. that evening and that's when I went to the hospital. It took me 14 hrs to deliver. I went into labor with my 2nd child around 6 a.m. and she took 10 hours to deliver. I went into labor with my 3rd child around 7 a.m. and he took 8 hours to deliver. I went into labor with my 4th child around 4 a.m. and she took 4 hours to deliver. So most of the time I went into labor early in the morning and each one was quicker and quicker. Oh, and they were each approx a week early. LOL. Best of luck to you!

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E.S.

answers from Cleveland on

My first- i started having contractions at 6pm and gave birth @ 8 am the next morning. My second- i was induced at 6 am and gave birth by 10am. Both were morning babies.

E.A.

answers from Erie on

#1 doesn't count, I was induced (cervical gel) at 43 weeks
#2 started labor at 3am
#3 started labor early morning, I think 6am?
#4 started labor at 9pm

J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Water broke at 2:30am, started having contractions after that. =)

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

Your body releases a chemical while at sleep that tends to get labor started.

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D.F.

answers from New York on

Not really in the middle of the night, but I woke up at 4am with labor pains. My son wasnt born until 4:30pm that day but the labor started at 4am

B.*.

answers from Saginaw on

I did with both of mine. Went into labor between 5-7pm, got to the hospital between 12:30am-1am and had them between 5:30am-6am. My daughters are 2 years apart. They were always more active at night, maybe that was a sign.

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K.N.

answers from Cleveland on

My mom actually insisted I wasn't in labor because my water broke at like 8 am. (she figured i was young and stupid and simply pee'd myself), my son was born at 1130 am. my second I went into labor in the very early hours of the morning, like 6ish and my third i was induced so she doesn't count in this one. But it does seem people generally go into labor at night.

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M.B.

answers from Dayton on

Night two times. (one was self induced with castor oil though). Looking back on the second really though I was laboring all day it just wasn't until night that I went into hard labor.

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L.M.

answers from Terre Haute on

My first was the only one I went into labor on my own, but it was 3am when I woke and noticed tightening but no pain, then exactly 5 minutes later again clear up until aroung 7ish when they stopped being every 5 minutes but were more painful, so I called into to work. Had contractions all day all over the place. so figured it was false labor, but I was already dialated to a 3 at the appt the day before. Around 4 that afternoon we were starved so went out to eat, and while there they became regular so we got my desert to go, and called the hospital. They were going to send me home because I had not progressed more than I was the day before. But they made me walk the halls for an hour and checked me again and I was progressing, so they admitted me around 7:30pm. Had my daughter at 8:27am.

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K.I.

answers from Muncie on

Water broke at 10 pm labor started at 3 am son was born at 7 am

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J.R.

answers from Toledo on

1:30 am with my third, three days before due date. Thought I had to poop (I didn't). Had baby at 2:30am.

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L.H.

answers from Cincinnati on

With my oldest I went into labor in the middle of the afternoon and gave birth to my daughter @ 9 pm. With my youngest, I went into labor around 9 pm (my water broke at a wedding reception where my husband was the best man, how nice is that :) - but didn't give birth to my daughter until 7 am.

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C.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

i always heard that you were more likely to go into labor at night, because your body is more relaxed at night, while sleeping, etc... With both of mine my water broke (a heavy leak) in the middle of the night. The first almost 2 weeks after my due date & the second 2 days after my due date.

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G.H.

answers from Cincinnati on

I went into labor at night with both of my sons. But I'm not counting the little contractions that start early on. You know, the ones that make you wonder earlier in the day if it might be the start of labor. But yes, by the time I knew I was really in labor, it was night time.

L.A.

answers from Austin on

My water broke at about 5:00pm, I did not feel contractions for many hours. I actually had our daughter the next day at 1:00pm..
Oh and it was a full moon the night my water broke.. The hospital was packed..

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hormone levels go up at night. That is why more women go into labor early in the morning (when left to nature and not induced because of a plethora of stupid non-medical reasons). That is also why you produce more milk over night and can feed the baby more during the morning than in the evening :)

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C.W.

answers from Austin on

I went into labor at 1:00 am, baby born at 9:45 pm... My mom went into labor between 4-9 for all 5 of us, and had deliveries within 1 hour. (I didn't even make it into the delivery room... born on a stretcher. lol)

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J.M.

answers from New York on

night both times with my two. first time, it probaly started like 2. i was sleeping and kept waking up and going to the bathroom. then everytime i went back to sleep, i had a contraction in my sleep that kinda woke me up, but i would think i just had to go pee again. i totally just thought i was having weird dreams for awhile until they started to be a little closer and a little stronger.

my second, it was just a little earlier at night, like midnight but this time i knew what the feeling was and wasnt half asleep.

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M.C.

answers from Nashville on

Middle of the night with BOTH my children. =0)

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I got up to use the bathroom at 3am, lost the mucus plug then went back to bed. At 5am I felt a first contraction. 36 hrs later my son was born vaginally a few min to 5pm. I took a really long time to dilate.

L.T.

answers from New York on

My water broke at 9:30pm, I started contractions at 11:30. You're more relaxed at night, when you're usually sleeping or winding down from the day, so your body releases more of the "relaxation" hormone that actually allows labor to start. That's why if you initially freak out about the contractions they sometimes stop, because your adrenaline prevents that hormone from being made. I want to say it's oxytocin (natural form of the pitocin they give to induce labor).

Of course this makes the hard work of labor even harder, because so many women are doing it on no sleep!

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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

Water broke at 8:30 p.m., while watching a movie, contractions began around 10ish. But my son wasn't born until 1:45 p.m. the following day.

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R.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

I was induced with the first 3, but my last one I went into labor naturally. It was about 10:30 in the evening, and delivered after 1 in the morning. I had early labor with my second and that started in the evening.
R.

A.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

1st one I was induced, so that doesn't count. 2nd time started in the early evening around 7pm??

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D.C.

answers from Washington DC on

started labor on my own about 12:30 am and delivered her at 3:19pm.

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