Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

Find out all about large family cars, holidays and more right here.

1 2

Find out all about large family cars, holidays and more right here.

Larger families

4th births

28 replies

annie8417 · 08/02/2018 14:46

Hi I was wondering if anyone could tell me about their 4th births?
I'm currently 21wks pregnant with number 4 and I'm pretty nervous.
All my previous children were vaginal births and I had a 3rd degree tear with my first.
They were all quickish labours 7hrs, 6hrs and 2hrs.

What were your 4ths like?

OP posts:

Report

Afreshcuppateaplease · 10/02/2018 06:40

My fourth was 5 hours but back to back assume would have been faster if was right way around!

Justanotherzombie · 10/02/2018 06:49

Just had my 4th. I managed really well at home and arrived at hospital at 8cm. Then he was out within an hour. And for the first time no tears.

annie8417 · 10/02/2018 11:09

I'm really hoping mine is as quick as the last one!

OP posts:

BrutusMcDogface · 10/02/2018 13:22

Me too, Annie! Just- how long were your other labours? Mine have been quite long.

Afreshcuppateaplease · 10/02/2018 13:32

My first two were days of slow labour then 12 hours from 4 cm

Third was 5 hours from first twinge out

annie8417 · 10/02/2018 15:06

My first was 7hours but a delayed 2nd stage which resulted in a 3rd degree tear, thanks to forceps.
2nd was 6hours and 3rd was 2hrs from first contraction to the end , however my waters had broken the day before but had no contractions, went in for an induction and was given a sweep which got everything starting x

OP posts:

Mumof3cheeky · 10/02/2018 20:53

Hi all, I’m desperate to find out too what I can expect so just started a thread on it on childbirth. My 1st one was 7 days late the usual day long first labour then 2nd and 3rd induced. Both I had the pesarine in the morning but labour didn’t start til 11 pm but only lasted a couple of hrs so in that sense it was over quick but a bit of a long wait for it. It would be interesting to hear from other induced mums to see if anyone had a normal birth after multiple inductions

annie8417 · 10/02/2018 21:07

My 2nd birth was after an induction and I went in to labour naturally , she was only a 6hour labour

OP posts:

RandomMess · 10/02/2018 21:11

Mine were all inductions as overdue. My 4th was a breeze, official labour 2 mins although in pain for hours before that though!

It was so great I said afterwards "was that it, I'd do that again tomorrow" I went 8 cm to delivered in 3 contractions.

annie8417 · 10/02/2018 21:24

Ohh random mess! That sounds like my sort of labour!!

OP posts:

holycityzoo · 10/02/2018 21:34

I had a week of slow labour with my fourth. He was also ventouse.
I couldn't believe it as his brother was only born 13 months before weighing 10lb8 and practically flew out!
Dc4 obviously didn't get the memo that he was supposed to quick and easy!

VileyRose · 10/02/2018 21:36

4th was same as second. Back to Back,painful but quick.

ljlkk · 10/02/2018 21:44

I don't understand all the confusing ways to count how long a labour lasted.

My 4th, I went from "Stop the denial & better call the midwife..." to "Babe's arrived!" in about 3.5 hrs. There wasn't much damage to undercarriage.

RandomMess · 11/02/2018 08:11

@ljlkk labour officially starts once you are 2-3 centimetres dilated. I have the unfortunate ability to be in pain and contracting for several hours before my cervix does shortening let alone opening!!!

This is why some women can have days of the latent phase, pain and contractions starting and stopping but are not considered to be in labour.

Afreshcuppateaplease · 11/02/2018 08:20

With dc1&2 i arrived at hospital 4cm so 12 hours from then to birth
Dc3 and 4 i arrived more than 4, i think 5-6cm

ljlkk · 11/02/2018 09:31

I thought that's the clinical definition of when labour starts, but I'll wager real money that some of the folk answering this thread haven't calculated the length of their labour that way.

I don't know when I reached 3cm, either.

BrutusMcDogface · 11/02/2018 09:40

I was told I wasn't in active labour til 4 cm, and was sent home a couple of times...

BrutusMcDogface · 11/02/2018 09:41

That's when labour started according to my notes, too. Don't know how they time it if you turn up at 8 cm, though!

SprogletsMum · 11/02/2018 09:43

With my 4th my waters went and were full of meconium but I wasn't contracting so I had to have the drip. I had group b strep too so had to have iv antibiotics as well.
Think my waters went at 2am I was on the drip by 4am my contraction started at 8am one non stop 20 minute contraction and dc4 shot out at 8.19am.
So not too bad really. No stitches or anything like that.

RandomMess · 11/02/2018 09:43

I agree @ljlkk I always say it was painful for x hours before!! I think with my last I was using gas and air for about 2 hours until they took it off me and made me get in the bath which lasted a few minutes then I got out and only just made it onto the bed to deliver

That was another time I realised how good the tens machine was, could tell when I took it off!!! I was coping quite happily with it and gas & air poxy bath was rubbish (hate them at the best of times!)

annie8417 · 11/02/2018 09:53

All my notes say it's the amount of time in labour x with two of mine I was in hospital before labour began so they calculated from 3cm

OP posts:

Hotpinkangel19 · 11/02/2018 11:34

My first 3 were lovely natural births. 2 water births. Just gas and air. No tears. No 4 however was an induction, small tear, strapped to the bed. Totally different experience.

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Email address

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

RandomMess · 11/02/2018 11:40

I refused to be strapped to the bed! My notes were"no continuous monitoring, no automatic catheter is I have an epidural" few more No this, no that but can't remember what now!

DrWhy · 11/02/2018 11:59

I didn’t realise that labour was officially from 3cm. I’ve always counted from when the first string aches started to babies arrival (about 12 hours in my case, only one baby) but I was 4cm when my midwife did my sweep the day before so I guess I was officially ‘in labour’ more than 36 hours - some of which I spent in a pub

SprogletsMum · 11/02/2018 16:30

@RandomMess my birth plan was leave me alone I'll have the antibiotics but no monitoring and I don't even want to be on the bed.
The meconium and drip meant I was on my back with constant monitoring via the clip on his head!

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.