Moms share what it's like to have precipitous, or rapid, labor: 'It felt like a huge wrecking ball was pushing its way out of my butt'

For many expectant moms, labor usually lasts anywhere from six to 18 hours. But for some, their babies come in less than three hours, often catching parents-to-be by surprise.

It's a phenomenon called precipitous labor, and data show it happens in about 3% of pregnancies. A precipitous labor is when a woman gives birth in her car on the way to the hospital, at home before she had a chance to make it to a birthing center or within minutes of arriving at the hospital.

Mom of two Sarah Henderson experienced a precipitous labor with her first daughter in July 2020. "My labor progressed quickly," she tells Yahoo Life, noting that she and her husband quickly realized they needed to get to the hospital ASAP after her contractions started. Henderson said her husband was "frantically getting the suitcases into the car while I waddled from the bed to the toilet" to go to the bathroom before leaving, when she had multiple contractions back to back.

"My husband came back to get me off the toilet," she says. "When I stood up, I had the urge to bear down. I declared, 'I think I need to push,' to which my husband kind of freaked out but kept it together enough to call the hospital. They swiftly told us to hang up and call an ambulance."

Henderson says her body started "involuntarily pushing" at that point and she began laboring on the floor. Medical personnel arrived 12 minutes after her husband called 911, finding Henderson lying on the floor, half in the bathroom and half in the hallway and "yelling through the contractions."

"One of the paramedics told me to stop and breathe," Henderson says. "I knew he was right and tried to compose myself and focus the energy into breathing baby down." Her daughter was born soon after. "There was no panic in the room — just relief and elation," she says. Henderson and her daughter were taken in the ambulance to the hospital, where her placenta was delivered. "The midwives had a thorough look over the baby, who was absolutely fine," she says. "Now, my daughter is as fiery and intense just like her labor and birth was."

Aghogho Boccardi, founder of the parenting site Hope Like A Mother, also had a speedy labor with her second child, who was born in December 2022. Boccardi tells Yahoo Life that she was scheduled to be induced due to cholestasis of pregnancy, a liver condition that can occur late in pregnancy that causes itchiness. However, her baby had other plans.

"At 3:35 a.m., I started feeling cramping," she says. "After 10 minutes, I went to the living room couch to sleep in hopes of getting more comfortable, but the pain got worse. It felt like a huge wrecking ball was pushing its way out of my butt."

Boccardi says she "started screaming for my husband to call the hospital and do something." He had to stay home with the couple's toddler until family could arrive, so he called an Uber for her and told the driver to drive as fast as possible to the hospital. "The whole way there, I was screaming and crying," Boccardi recalls.

Boccardi arrived at the hospital at 5 a.m., only to learn that she was already 9.5 centimeters dilated (10 centimeters is considered fully dilated and, at that point, it's typically time for moms to push). "By the time they put in an IV and an epidural, I was already pushing," she says. Her baby was born 45 minutes after she first arrived at the hospital.

"The experience was so empowering and terrifying at the same time," she says. "I laugh about the whole scenario now. It’s an experience I’ll never forget."

But why does precipitous labor happen?

"It's oftentimes just one of those things," Dr. Jonathan Schaffir, an OB_GYN at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life. Precipitous labor (also known as rapid labor) is more common in women who have given birth before, he says.

"In someone who has had multiple children before, the muscles may have less resistance to a baby coming through again," he explains. But precipitous labor can technically happen to any expectant mom, Schaffir says.

Having a small baby, efficient contractions and strong uterine muscles also raise the risk of a speedy labor, women's health expert Jennifer Wider tells Yahoo Life. But, ultimately, it can be hard to predict if this will happen to any given person. And if it does happen, the recommended response depends on the situation.

"If you suddenly have an urge to push, there's not much more you can do than stay put and call 911," Schaffir says, noting that a laboring woman trying to get to a hospital when she feels like she needs to push will likely end up giving birth along the way. "I have seen and heard of patients who deliver in the parking lot and their car," he points out.

If a mom-to-be feels like she can't make it to the hospital or her birthing center in time, the best bet is to "get towels ready," Dr. Christine Greves, a board-certified OB-GYN at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, tells Yahoo Life. She also recommends putting a pillow down under the woman's lower half, especially if she's alone. "Babies are slippery when they come out," she says. "You want baby to land somewhere soft."

Experts say calling 911 is important — the operator can help talk women and/or their partners through what to do until help arrives.

If someone has experienced a precipitous labor in the past, they're more likely to have one again, Schaffir says. In the event of another pregnancy, Schaffir recommends talking to the doctor about that previous experience and planning ahead. "It's usually a good idea to schedule an induction for the next labor, so you don't risk having to rush in at the last minute," he says.

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