3rd, 4th, 5th(!) babies do they come late or early?

[1dilemma]

OK dp and I are discussing

I know folklore is the third labour/birth is diferent from the others.

What about subsequent ones? I told dp I thought they reverted to the old pattern ie if first and second were late they usually are too, he thinks they get successively earlier

thanks

[frazzledoldbag]

This is probably no use but I've got 3 and my 3rd was 4 days late. The others had been on time and 2 days late. BUT he was by far the quickest and easiest labour. Over and done with in 4 hours - easy! (and he's the most chilled out, happy little baby too).
But I guess they are all different......I do know a couple of girls who have 4 and 5 kids - and they have been up to 2 wks late! But I guess some will be early too......

Good luck!

[1dilemma]

thanks frazzled
we value any answers!

dp has just said no one with 4 or 5 dcs has time to be on mumsnet!!


little does he know!

[sweetkitty]

As I am pregnant with no 4 am extremely interested in this thread

DD1 37+5, 4h 20m, 4.22am
DD2 41+5, 2h 30m, 4am
DD3 40+5, 1h 35m, 4.25am

that was all from waters breaking/first contraction to baby out, very fast but very painful

D(D)4 38 or 39+5, 35m , 4.10am

or is that wishful thinking???

[1dilemma]

Yeah I'm sure it will be around 4 am!

(the rest of your stats look good to me too)

[1dilemma]

on second thoughts how far is the hospital sweetkitty?

(we're just having panicky childcare thoughts for the others and wondering how many days we've got to come up with a solution!)

[stressedHEmum]

All mine were induced 2 or 3 weeks early so can't comment on that BUt easieat labour was with DD, 4th child, only lasted 11 hours from start to finish, was the only one without mammoth number of stitches and the only one that didn't need either pulled/sucked out or to have to cord cut away from her neck.

Worst was DS4 (5th child.) Labour more than a day and a half, midwife had to stick hand arm in up to the elbow to turn him round in transit because he was stuck sideways. After it was all over, I was told by the connsultant that 5th and subsequent children get progressively more difficult to carry and deliver because, basically, your muscles can't cope anymore and don't recover properly after pregnancy and birth. Needless to say, that help OH to decide to get snipped (sadly.)

[1dilemma]

thanks stressed

I'm crossing my legs now!

[aWitchForLifeNotJustHalloween]

i've got three dc, the third was nearly a month early easiest / most straightforward pg, labour and birth - well it would be as she was 2lb lighter than my first

[juuule]

T+13
T+8
T+11
T+7
T+6
T+10
T+8
T+2 (wow, so early!)
T+14

So make of that what you will

[stressedHEmum]

Glad to be of service

[bigcar]

just posted on your other thread! I'm not on mn really, just a figment of the imagination I'm with you stressed, my 5th pregnancy and birth, by FAR the hardest, the last midwife I saw recommended we don't have any more Oh and my third wasn't that much different from the second, I would say on the whole the births all got successively physically harder if emotionally easier.

[gorionine]

DD1 T + 7 days 5 hours from the moment I got to hospital

Ds2 2 days early 1 1/2 from the moment I got to hospital

Ds3 3 days early 3 hours from the moment I got to hospital

DD4 7 days early 10 mn from the moment I got to hospital

Of all pregnancies DD! was the hardest because I spent my days with my head in the toilet for 7 months. THe others were a piece of cake!

[stressedHEmum]

Bigcar - all the midwifes and consultants I saw commanded that I didn't have any more after no.5 for all the reasons above. I was really sad, but you have to be sensible, don't you. All my pgs were really difficult and by number 5, I had pregnancy cardiomyopathy as well as 9 month vomitting, permanent SPD which still hasn't fixed itself and more.

Nobody told me before the birth how much more difficult it would be. The previous ones had been bad enough, so maybe they didn't want to frighten me. But it does get harder each time, I think, because your muscles just can't react or recover in the same way. I would love to have had another child but, sadly, my poor old body just isn't up to it.

[tots2ten]

dd1 T+9
dd2 T+17
ds1 T+11
dd3 38 weeks (induced for low water)
ds2 39 weeks (induced for high blood pressure)

this time ?? currently 36 weeks

[elvislives]

DD1 on due date
DS1 11 days late
DS2 3 days early
DS3 8 days late

[KathH]

dd1 - 1 week late
dd2 - 1 week early
ds1 (who was due on dd1's bithday) - 9 days early
ds2 (due on dd2's birthday) - 4 weeks early

[DougalDoneGood]

DD1 3 weeks early
DD2 On time (2 days before due date)
DS1 Induced at Term + 15
DD3 1 week early

[bigcar]

stressed, sounds hard work, I just had gestational diabetes and spd, which is also still hanging around! Ds2 (dc5) was supposed to be a vbac but my previous scar ruptured, just my luck, hence the recommendation. I feel but on the other hand I'm very grateful for the dcs I do have, even if my body is totally knackered now Just wish there was a way to not feel so bloody broody.

[lljkk]

DC1: 1 week early.
Successively later until:
DC4: 11 days late.

Ooh! Friend is having her 4th by elective CS today at 38.5 weeks (previous 3 DC were emergency CS after many hours of labour). And they came:
DC1: 2 weeks late
DC2: 3 weeks early
DC3: 2 months early.

So no pattern there at all.

[LongStory]

No 1: 1/2hr before due day

No 2: 1 week early

No 3: 3 weeks early (spent most of time in homebirth labour arguing with consultant over phone that no it wasn't premature)

Nos 4 & 5: 4 weeks early, LBW, just on borderline for special care, needed some tube feeds.

Think it's safer to stop at this stage!

[hollyfort]

hi elvislives, couldn't help but notice that you have same family as myself, dd and then 3 ds's, just wonderin out of curiosity did you ever feel like going again for the chance of a sister for dd! I know there is always a 50 - 50 chance but sometimes i think it might be nice to go again for a possible sister and if it's a boy all fine and well too, but then i think she could have a sister and get on better with one of her brothers!!! the joys of parenthood!!

[stressedHEmum]

Bigcar - the one thing that I am thankful for is that I managed to avoid a section every time; but my older kids were born in the days when they left you pushing for hours and hours and with dc5 the consultant was reluctant to intervene becaue I had never had a section before. They were actually prepping me for theatre when the new shift midwife (v. experienced) managed to heave him out!

Can't imagine how horrendous it must be to rupture your scar. My friend has 3 kids and won't have any more because she has had 3 sections and is scared this happens to her.

Re the broodiness - it does get easier. DS4 is almost 7 now, and although I do hanker after another, I realise that it's really not to be (I'm pretty far the wrong side of 40 now, as well) and I wouldn't really want such a big age gap, anyway. So, I just coo over other people's babies and enjoy the kids I have. At the end of the day, it's not worth risking your life over and leaving the 5 we already have motherless, which was a close call last time, really.

[sobloodystupid]

My mother had nine children and her last was the worst, in terms of labour, pain and recovery she said. She said that people felt that the baby would slide out when he did anything but! Tbh that's all she's ever told me about childbirth, I'm expecting No 3 so am lurking with interest. My first was one week early, the second induced one week late, so on average I'm bang on time
Afterpains get worse after each child mwa ha ha

[elvislives]

hollyfort we do actually now have a dd2 (but she was a CS so I didn't include her on the stats )

She was born 15.5 years after her nearest brother (and 21 years after her sister)

[bigcar]

stressed, it's good to hear the broodiness gets easier! That's just the thing, going for a no 6, however nice just isn't worth the risk Scar rupture definitely wasn't pleasant, luckily I had a pretty clued up midwife who did something as soon as it was spotted, only half my scar had ruptured along with my bladder and bowel by the time they opened me up, I consider myself and my ds2 pretty lucky really.

sobloody, spot on about the afterpains, get strong pain killers before hand if you can.