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

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

1 2

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Pregnancy

Second time births

28 replies

ClaudiaRoseAitken · 09/12/2020 15:48

Hey mums,

Just wondering how was birth the second time around for use? Was it easier or harder i wanna know all the info 😊

OP posts:

Report

FTMF30 · 09/12/2020 17:06

Place marking as I'd like to know the same. I've heard labour is usually quicker but you might take longer to recover.

Report

Highheels87 · 09/12/2020 20:52

Hi, first labour was awful, 3 days, assisted. Second was the complete opposite. Was less than 12 hours from contractions starting, water birth and only needed gas and air as happened so fast. Body definitely felt like it was much more prepared and knew what to do

Report

Speckledfrogonlog · 09/12/2020 20:56

Much easier! 1st pregnancy was having contractions for over 24 hrs, with the 2nd I went into hospital at 10am, 4cm dilated and done and dusted by 5pm! And if you are interested in my 3rd, I didn’t make it to labour ward and finished after 11mins of active pushing

Report

NaturalStudy · 09/12/2020 21:15

Following, particularly as I had a relatively fast first birth and arrived at hospital fully dilated, so worried the second might be even quicker!

Report

PreRaphaeliteMotherhood · 09/12/2020 21:33

First: waters broke Monday night, contractions started immediately and were horrible (he was back to back), went to hospital Tuesday evening (was 4cm), ended up having all the drugs, he was eventually born by cesarean due to failure to progress/malposition Wednesday lunchtime.

Second: waters broke Tuesday evening, mild contractions, went into hospital a few hours later just to confirm my waters had gone due to being a VBAC, had a sweep (had every intention of going home for a while after this!), labour started properly immediately after, jumped in the pool, had a baby five hours later.

Contractions felt much more intense the second time but I think that’s because I actually got to experience transition and pushing, whereas with my first it was horrifically painful but I had an epidural at 7cm and got stuck at 9cm.

Report

MissSmiley · 09/12/2020 21:36

First labour five hours, second 90 minutes

Report

ohidoliketobe · 09/12/2020 21:44

DC1, woke with contractions at around 4am. Got steady and stronger through the morning. Went into hospital at lunch time and was 5cm dilated. Had waters broken at 5pm to speed things up... DS was getting a bit stuck and few muttered conversations going between doctor and midwives at one point. Old school Midwife came in and rolled me every which way in the bed and he was born 10pm!

DC2, woke with contractions at around 4am again! Got steady and stronger over the next few hours. Just before 8am I told DH I thought we needed to head to the hospital (10 minute drive). He tried to park in multi storey which I advised against as I could literally feel the head between my legs, so he pulled up outside maternity entrance at 8:10. I hobbled out of the car and pressed the buzzer as I slid down the wall. Two midwives appeared, grabbed me under my arms and pulled me into the nearest examination room where DD was born at 8:18.

20 wks pregnant with DC3 and now live 30-45 min drive from hospital... planning shortest route at various traffic times and plan to head to hospital at the first twinge

Report

noscoobydoodle · 09/12/2020 21:54

First labour: 4 hours from waters breaking about 2 hrs from first faint contraction.
Second labour: 2 hours from first 'funny feeling baby might be coming'. About 1hr from first faint contraction. 'Active labour' recorded as 9 minutes. Second midwife didn't make it to MLU in time.
Third labour: 2 hours from waters breaking and about 30-40 minutes from first faint contraction.
So very slightly quicker each time, but not significantly different. All straightforward births with no assistance required. Midwife did suggest home births for 2 and 3 but I wasn't keen and we live near an MLU which was my preference anyway.

Report

noscoobydoodle · 09/12/2020 21:58

And as for the recovery- the after pains were a bit stronger second and third time but I found recovery generally quicker (but probably because with other kids there was more incentive to get up and about!). With DC3 I was on the school run and out for lunch the next day (but did have quick, drug free births and no major tears etc)

Report

marcella64 · 09/12/2020 22:37

My first was 7 hours, second was 2. Xx

Report

Wowcherarestalkingme · 09/12/2020 22:39

My second was definitely quicker but I felt in much more control than with my first. I listened to my body rather than the idiot midwife telling me it was too soon to push (it wasn’t) and it was much less stressful.

Report

DramaAlpaca · 09/12/2020 22:40

Wow, all these quick labours!

My first was 21 hours, my second 12 hours, my third was 5 hours. Each birth was easier than the last and I needed less pain relief.

I had no trouble recovering after any of the births.

Report

calimommy · 09/12/2020 23:48

If there are 2yrs or less between these births then you have a high chance of having a fast labour.

Report

calimommy · 09/12/2020 23:50

My labours were 6, 4 & 2 hrs. Fast doesn't necessarily mean less pain though... 🤪😬

I have a slightly bigger gap this time, 3.5 yrs as opposed to the others who were 2yrs apart. I'm hoping my body doesn't go backwards now and slow it down.

Report

MonkeyPuddle · 09/12/2020 23:52

First baby - 5 days of induction, unable to break my waters, didn’t go into labour, nice calm c section.

Second baby - broke my waters at 11 days overdue, meconium, on the drip, 12h back to back labour, fetal distress, ?maternal sepsis, emergency c section with 2L haemorrhage.

As bad as the second one sounds I was looked after phenomenally and have nothing but praise for the care I received, I felt safe at all times.

Report

choccychar · 10/12/2020 10:17

Interested in this thread with no 2 on the way. Can't decide if I'm relieved no 2 sounds quicker for most or if I'm more worried now as nearest hosp is 1h30 away and got to arrange childcare to come for DC1 soon as want to leave so hoping place of birth for DC2 isn't 'side of the road'. First birth was horrendous - I want to be in hospital 100%!

Report

FTMF30 · 10/12/2020 15:37

To all those who've posted, did your 2nd babies come earlier than your due date? And was this different from your 1st?

Report

calimommy · 10/12/2020 15:43

@FTMF30 yes, water broke at home
As I was preparing to drop DS1 to nursery go meet friends for coffee 😂 2.5 weeks early

Report

F1rstt1imer · 10/12/2020 15:47

Following this as due my second in Jan. genuinely concerned that we won’t make the hospital as with my first I went from 6 to 10cm in 20 minutes and baby arrived less than an hour later 😬

Report

Twizbe · 10/12/2020 15:52

My second birth was wonderful.

My first labour was 6 hours and I had a bleed so had to go to labour ward. I had a great midwife who kept me moving and tried to help me give birth on all fours (couldn't manage it with all the wires and monitors) third degree tear but otherwise straight forward birth.

My second was very quick. I went into labour at 3am and no bleed so went to the birth centre and arrived at 4am. Door was opened by the midwife who delivered my son! A quick examine and i was in the pool. I was on all fours with the warm water round me. Waters broke on my first push, three pushes later she was born at 5:30am.

Out of the pool and a quick check showed no tear. Midwife's stitching had held up well.

Baby had her first feed at 45 mins old and no issues with breastfeeding.

We were discharged at 10:30am

Report

Twizbe · 10/12/2020 15:53

@FTMF30

To all those who've posted, did your 2nd babies come earlier than your due date? And was this different from your 1st?

My first was 38+6 and second was 40+2 ... good job really as they were both due on 31st Jan

Report

FTMF30 · 10/12/2020 16:16

@calimommy That must have been quite a shock!

@Twizbe As much as I want this pregnancy to be over, I'm hoping for the same. I'm in a similar position as DC2 is due very close to DC1s birthday. I don't know whether I'm being silly but I just don't want close birthdays.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Email address

You've subscribed!

Twitchett22 · 10/12/2020 16:50

Also curious about this! My first labour was 2.5 hours from my first contraction, midwife thought I was being dramatic and baby born at home 🥴
So worried that this time will be even quicker! Very grateful for a quick labour but would like to be in hospital this time!
Also curious if second babies come a bit earlier than first ones or is there no pattern?

Report

Porcupine83 · 10/12/2020 16:58

First baby born at 36 weeks, six hours labour. Second baby born at 41 weeks, two and a half hours labour. So quicker and also less daunting as I’d been through it before.

Report

NamelessNinja · 10/12/2020 16:58

First baby- waters broke at 11pm, at 10cm 4 hours later, baby born after 3 hours of pushing.
Second baby- 2 days of what I thought was early labour and intermittent contractions. Active labour approx 30 minutes and baby delivered by DH 🤦 waters broke as they were born. After pains considerably more painful second time around but otherwise recovery quicker and establishing feeding much easier.