How different were your labours?

[WalkingBlind]

So far I'm coming to discover that pregnancy and labour with my two children are insanely different.

Don't you just wish you knew what was coming? I'm due Sunday but have begun signs of early labour now and been having intense BH for days which never happened with my first.

How different were your other labours compared to your first one?

[Runningupthathill82]

Couldn't have been more different for me.

First labour I went from nothing apart from a few Braxton Hicks to 24hrs of agony (back to back baby) ending in episiotomy and forceps. Was a hideous, very painful and traumatic experience which resulted in a long recovery for both me and DS.

Second time, my body "warmed up" with really strong BH for a fortnight. Actual labour was 4hrs start to finish. Had barely made it to hospital before a textbook delivery in the birthing pool.Just a bit of gas and air for the pain, which was completely manageable.

Second labour was an incredible experience, first was a nightmare! Hope your second labour is as easy as mine was, OP.

[Grittzio]

Very very different , with DS in excess of 37 hours with all pain relief on offer, with DD, I had a water birth and she came less than 2 hours after realising I was in labour, but I think I was much more relaxed with DD, I had done a hypnobirthing course and I was very aware of DS, I didn't want to scare him and I was trying to keep his day as normal as possible!

[winchester1]

More painful bh with dc2 but otherwise identical except dc2 everything happened twice as fast.

[Strokethefurrywall]

Both wonderful experiences, wouldn't change either for anything.

DS1 - hypnobirth, unsure I was in labor until my waters broke at 5cms, got to hospital, baby arrived in 4 hours from start to finish. Contractions weren't really painful until about 9cms.

DS2 - epidural and monitored birth, slow burner. Irregular contractions every 8 minutes, went to hospital, contractions very intense already at 4cm and coming every 2 minutes. Went to sleep, DS2 arrived 8 hours later. He was just not interested in rushing his way into the world.

Both early pregnancies very different, but from middle were pretty similar.

[KatyN]

Mine were pretty similar actually. Induced for both. Dropping heart rate and distressed baby both times. First time ventouse delivery, second was forcepts.

Don't think I'll bother again!!!

[mrsleomcgary]

Very similar though my second was back to back. Despite that though i had both my girls on paracetemol and gas and air.

Biggest difference was speed. DD1 I was in labour for 4 and a half hours,DD2 it was 74minutes!