O62: Abnormalities of forces of labour

O62.3: Precipitate labour

A precipitate labor proceeds unusually quickly and can take the woman by surprise. It only lasts for a few hours. However, with a precipitate labor, the child can also be born within a few minutes. The birth proceeding so quickly can mean that the child may not be able to adapt well to their new environment or get injured.

A precipitate labor can happen, for example, if you have already given birth to one or more children. This can result in the tissue in the birth canal and pelvic floor being softer than normal. The tissue being softer means that it stretches more quickly.