experiences of third labour please.......

[inbetweener]

Hello all,
I am currently pg with number 3. I have 2 DD already aged 6 and 7 so its been a while since I gave birth.
Both my labours were fairly sraightforward to be honest. First time I was in labour for about 15 hours with only about 5-6 hours of real pain iykwim ? Only gas and air and no stiches. Although she was born with the cord wrapped round her neck so was yanked out by the head fairly quickly !
2nd DD was born about 2 hours after I arrived at the hospital. No pain relief at all ( there wasnt time I was laready 9cm when I got there ) and no stiches. I was home the next morning.

So I know I have been lucky and I feel very grateful for that. However, I am now petrified this time around. I had a mc a few months before falling pg with this one and I guess it bought it home to me that things arent always straightforward and that I have been lucky.
I have heard people say that the 3rd labour goes back to being as difficult and long as your first. Is this true ? Has anyone experienced this ? Was your third birth even quicker then the others or much longer/more awful ?
I would be grateful for any experiences.

Hello congratulations on your pregnancy, and sorry for your MC.

I've just had DC3, 16 days ago! My first two labours were straightforward, like yours, no interventions necessary. My thir labour had a looooong latent phase, which I believe can be common - lots of BH in the days leading up to it, back ache, nausea etc. I then had contractions for about 7 hours, very mild though, and manageable at home using TENS. He would've been born a lot wicker but he was back to back. We arrived at hospital about 45 mins before he was born, the MW said I was far too calm to be in labour and he was born one minute after we got in the pool!

So in my experience the third labour was easier than the first two, I felt a lot more in control of what was happening, and the second stage / transition was much less terrifying!

Good luck!

So my experience is that

Quicker, not wicker!

Thank you Abiabi and congratulations !!

Im not sure why im so nervous this time. Maybe because last time I had youth on my side and was in my 20's whereas this time I shall be nearly 37 lol !

I like the sound of 45 mins !

My 3rd labour was unbelievably easy, I also had a very long latent phase (48+ hrs) but only had real pain for 4.5 hours, had no other pain relief then gas and air, it was amazing no intervention and I let my body do it the way that it wanted with the midwife letting me get on with it, she just stood there writing my notes until I told her the head was crowning so she could put her gloves on to catch the baby.
My Previous labours had been fairly long and hard, had a failed epidural with my first and refused to ever give birth again after that without a working epidural (which I had with my 2nd but couldn't feel anything so had to have help) but this time I had no time for the epidural and I'm so glad.

First labour 15 hours
second labour 7 hours
3rd labour 18 hours!!

Sorry not to confirm that it will be shorter because it's number three but it's useful to be aware.

I have a big (10 year) gap between 2 & 3 and often wondered how my body would react to that. I'm 37 now too. I could almost have written your post,inbetweener.

However I will say baby 3 was back to back too, so it was probably harder and longer than it would be had she been in a better position.

She's now 6 weeks old now, and in the end it really doesn't matter!

My 3rd labour had a 3 week long pro-dromal labour stage so not fun but the actual labour itself was about 10 hours with 17 mins pushing. Like my 2nd birth I only used paracetamol and g&a (I'm no heroine though I had an epi for 1st labour as was a 4 day induction with syntocinon and labours 2&3 were no were near as bad as that).

Was a planned homebirth (like no.2) but the pro-dromal labour had obviously put DD3 into distress as there was mec. stained waters (went about 8 hours before birth)so we transfered in.

Transition was more intense than before though but think that might have been because I was tense over going in. I was lucky though as I had the on-call supervisor of midwifery and a mw I knew from ante-natal appts came to attend the HB and they stayed with me (one came in the ambulance as well) through the whole labour.

In short

1st = 4 day induction 2.5hour pushing 7lb 12oz AROM/syntocinon/epi/ventouse no tearing/stitches

2nd = 25hr labour 4min pushing 7lb 6oz HB no tearing stitches

3rd = 10hr labour 17mins pushing 8lb 10oz NCB no tearing stitches

my third, 4 1/2 years after ds2, was the hardest and longest. (still quick though)
BUT I recovered ALOT quicker than ds1 or 2.

But MWs kept saying third ones are always 'funny' (not haha you understand)