Can anyone explain WHY third labours are more painful?

[milliemuffin]

I'm due with DC3 in June. I had planned a home birth with my first two but due to DS having a big head therefore requiring forceps and no community midwives available with DD I had both my children in hospital.

I'm considering a home birth again with DC3 but after having read LOTS of threads on here about how peoples third labours were the most painful I'm starting to think maybe I should just go to hospital anyway.

I have also heard that 3rd labours can be unpredictable again I suppose it is because like someone said you think you know what you are doing but this has always be anecdotal not fact.

As for my own experience my 3rd labour was by far the quickest of the 3 but I did have discomfort and periody type niggles for 5 days before and never had that with the other 2.
It wasn't any more painful than the other 2 and it was my first one born at home.

3rd was the easiest

4th was a bastard

My 3rd was my quickest - 2 hours - still painful though.

The afterpains were horrendous though!

Maybe it's got more to do with age when people say that? Alot can be said for age! I had my first at 23, second at 24 and this pregnancy has been quite hard work. Not more problematic, just generally aching, moaning, slow etc...i'm 31 and just older and not as active or fit as i was.

Maybe by the 3rd you are just older? My mum had 5 and her worst was my sister (#5) who enhaled meconium. My mum was 43. They let her go almost 3 weeks overdue tho, that's why.

I tell you what tho, if i thought this one was going to be like my first labour i probably wouldn't be pegnant! :o

And truffleshuffle i had completely forgot about the afterpains! And the contractions when you breastfeed-like you haven't just been through enough!...I spose they do benefit you.

Cos you either don't make it in time or you get a bitch midwife called 'sunshine' who refuses to give you one for no valid reason!

Bitter? not me!

:)

My 3rd was my most painful.
I knew as soon as I started pushing that something was different, it always hurts but this was so much worse than the first two!
He was born weighing 10lb 10oz, the first two were 7lbers!
Was still a very straightforward delivery though,

I have a theory about this - when you're approaching your second delivery you have that horrific first birth experience in your mind and expect to go through the mill again. And as subsequent births tend to be easier, the second birth comes as a big relief and doesn't seem so bad. Then when number three comes along, you remember the relief and not-so-bad-as-i-was-expecting feeling of the second, and as most labours are pretty painful, the third one is worse than your expectations.

I only have one child so far, so that could be complete bilge! I know a few people with three or more children and an average the third birth did take longer than the second, but not as long as the first.

3rd was stop/ start unpredictable but with ds1 I had the whole drugs cabinet ( it went on and on), ds2 I had g&a and pethadine and with ds3 who was quickest I had g&a only but he was waterbirth which offered great pain relief.,strangely I'd never heard 3rd was most painful- just the most unpredictable (which I didn't believe till it happened to me)

3rd was fast (2 hours start to baby) and by far the best - 1,2 and 4 were induced. With no3 i felt my body was ready to get on with it - and my recovery was quicker too.

I wouldn't say my third birth was the most painful: just the most intense. Back to back so more gruelling maybe?! I felt the most in control in that birth than any of them: in fact, I will actually say, the last 5 minutes were pleasurable. Honestly!
Recently had DC4, so can't have been that bad! Good luck

The secretaries in my dh's work advised him that third babies are very quick and easy - maybe that was in my mind . An hour and a half, nice student midwife and her tutor, chat throughout! Good luck!

I don't think that's true. My 3rd labour was every bit as painful as the 1st or the 2nd. They weren't painful enough to make me go on any analgesics .. in fact truth of the matter is, 1st birth, pretty scared, took gas and air and asked for epidural. 2nd birth, calmer, used only gas and air. 3rd birth, more confident, didn't need anything for pain relief at all.

Bobby99 - you have described it exactly as I experienced it.

Labour 1 - long and painful

Labour 2 - Dreaded it, but it was much shorter and pain more bearable.

Labour 3 - Had it in my mind it would be even easier than the second time, but was about the same. However, it seemed worse because I was expecting better iyswim.

Just goes to show that the level of pain you feel does depend on your emotional state at the time.

And the fact I refused the pethidine of course

Number 3 bottom first breech delivery, no c section, no epidural, no pethadin, room full of students and yes it was painful but i was too mortified to notice!

Another 2 hour, more intense but not more painful one here.

Very very strong contractions that took over really but not more painful. Wasnt much of a gap in between which made it harder work but the contractions were not more painful.

Really easy recovery as well.

My 3rd labour was the quickest and easiest. Labours 1 & 2 were painless. Intense but not painful :)

My third was unplanned homebirth, with no pain relief available, but apart from a moment of me panicing at the thought of no pain relief, it was fine. It was my fastest labour at only 1.5hours but he was also my biggest baby, a 9lb'er after the 2 previous 7lb'ers and the only one I did not tear with. So for me my third was by far the best of my labours. I hope you all get wonderful 3rd labours too, but as people say, they are unpredictable!!!!