Tell me about your third birth

[EmotionalEllie]

I've recently found out I'm pregnant with DC3. Eeek. DC2 is only 7 months old

I've found myself thinking a lot about the birth. Someone once told me that midwives say the first birth is difficult, the second easy and the third is a "wild card" and can go either way. No idea if this is true?

For context my first birth was quick but had quite a lot of tearing and an episiotomy (ouch). Second was a straightforward water birth with very little tearing.

It was hell.
1st - long, b2b, epidural, episiotomy, ventouse
2nd - straightforward and quick
3rd- quick but b2b, no time for pain relief, awful tear

Third I woke up after 3am with my body pushing. I never actually felt one contraction pain. My body was just doing the involuntary pushing which I panted against until we got to hospital then had him in the assessment room.

First was an hour and ten mins. Second was forty five minutes. I was very very lucky.

1st spontaneous start, very slow to get going (2 days build up to 9hrs in delivery room)

2nd induced, 6hr Labour calm and relaxed.

3rd stop and start from 37-42weeks. Literally every day I thought it was the day. Constantly loosing bits of plug, tightenings would come regularly and then just stop. Went for induction and the monitor was showing fairly strong contractions. The midwife said 'we probably won’t need to do anything, it’s happening’

It wasn’t.

Induction started ridiculously strong contractions but ds was really high and in a bad position. Nothing happened for hours, then there was a plan to start a drip and to break waters. So midwife disappeared to do paperwork and dh went to get lunch as things would be starting. My waters suddenly went and I nearly gave birth alone on the floor but ds was huge and got stuck. Massive episiotomy and a 9lb 10 DS.

My 3rd was my best, partly because it was the only fairly straighforward one of all 3.

First was agony but by the book.

Second was agony but again, by the book.

Third was in a pool and was half the pain and was a breeze!

I regret not having water births all along.

3rd was the easiest I was on the drip until he was born and I had no pain relief didn't hurt at all not one bit. Baby was born within 3 hours Midwives wasn't good at all. But other than that was a very easy birth. No stitches or tears had him at 11am was home by 6 . My first was 45 minutes second was 15 mins so a little longer this time.

Sorry OP but my third was the worst, severe shoulder dystocia probably due to the fact he was an "unstable position" - he moved from head down to breech & back within a couple of hours which was noticed in my 38wk mw appointment & he arrived the next morning.

None of my births have been easy so I'm obviously not the best example, I agree with a pp that every birth is a wild card!

@Ladypeg

All 3 of mine came along at 40 weeks and were straightforward, but the third was the quickest by far and we actually just made it through the hospital doors before he was born. It felt like the most intense labour, but that may be because I wasn’t aware how close I was to giving birth and there was no time for pain relief. If I would have had a 4th I think I would have gone for a home birth to be on the safe side!

Exactly this for me too! Except I did have a 4th, and yes I had him at home for the same reason. 😄

#3 was my biggest and was by far my quickest and easiest birth, including #4.

3rd birth the contractions were most painful, they were so strong i was afraid i wouldn't make it to the hospital but it turned out i was only 1 cm! I had an epidural though (didn't on the first 2) and i didn't tear so was all good in the end.

I have 5, my 3rd was the quickest by far! I hung on as long as I could at home and by the time I made it to the hospital I was 10cm and ready to push.
Good luck!!

My third was hands down the best of my three births. Good one to end on.

Yes, for me that was true.

First birth horrendous, 2nd easier, third was very hard. Stuck in transition and then pre eclampsia afterwards.

Plus, the after pains with the 3rd are really really painful. Have painkillers at the ready x

My first was fairly text book according to the student midwife who delivered DD1.

DD2 almost killed me, massive PPH and 3 days in ICU.

DS1 was quick and easy, 8lb11oz and less than 3 hours, also arrived on due date. No drugs, nothing! I was dreading it, it was fine x

Not great here, either.

1st birth: normal. Straight forward, 8 hour labour.
2nd birth: perfect. Induction at 42 weeks, 3 hour labour and water birth.
3rd birth: absolutely horrendous. Placental abruption, lost God-knows-how-many litres of blood, emergency c-section, almost died.

Um. Full term 9lb baby brain damaged due to hypoxia. Student midwife supposed to be first independent delivery. Didn’t happen. She was thrown out of the way while they got the scissors out to try and save the baby. Bit of a mess. Probably cord prolapse but we have 45 minutes in the last hour with no FHR recorded.
In hindsight, 1 and 2 were a breeze, and that included a cs for macrosomia and vbac1 back to back that almost ended in second cs.
I’m apparently a bit shit at childbirth.

So I guess this thread proves there is no obvious trend then!

Sorry to those of you who had a tough time.

On Baby no 3 my waters broke spontaneously at 33 weeks at 6am but I didn't go into labour until about 9pm that evening. I was due to have a section and the labour started progressing really really quickly so all a bit of a drama but she is the absolute light of our lives. Congratulations OP

My third was amazing. Only time I ever went overdue though! It was an induction the day after my due date as I was on crutches and my blood pressure was a bit wibbly.

Pessary in at 11am, lovely chilled day on the ward with dh. 8pm down to labour ward, 8.30pm epidural in. Absolutely lovely night, napping, chatting, snacking with dh. It was like a date night. Then at some point in the early hours I was fully dilated so they popped my waters and an hour or so later I gave birth.

The recovery was great, I left hospital the same day and felt amazing, just a bit tired. I did need vontousse and I think an episiotomy, but it was absolutely no drama. I'd do it again 100 times if I knew it would be that fun.