3rd labour unpredictable as 1st?

[ginaribena]

When I was asking MW about labour for this (3rd) DC she said, 'the 3rd labour is usually like the 1st, really unpredictable and stops and starts a lot'. I had really quick and easy delivery with my 2nd, and assumed would breeze through this one! Was even considering homebirth to avoid delivering in car like I nearly did last time! Now I'm not so sure...

Has anyone got a view on this?

Strange, that's what happened to me with my 3rd, just as your midwife described.

But as another mumsnetter explained - your first is a big shock, usually long & painful, and your second is often a breeze in comparison - so you expect the third to be even quicker...and of course that's not necessarily what's going to happen. But because you have that expectation, your third may seem longer and more painful than you thought it was going to be.

I decided not to have pethidine during my 3rd labour because I felt it didn't work for me and managed on G&A. Obviously, as I wasn't so sedated, I was more aware of what was going on so the labour seemed worse than my second, but I have to say that the actual birth was easier and I needed fewer stitches.

Good luck - hope it goes well.

My 1st was born in 2 hours and 5 minutes. My 2nd I rrived pushing but he was brow so had to have an EMCS. Was hoping this one would be more like the 1st.

1st - 7 hours 40mins @ 38+2 (prem labour @ 32 + 33 weeks)
2nd - 3hours 5mins @ 39+4 (Hypertension)
3rd - 57mins! @ 38+2 (Hypertension + suspected heart prob, now gone)

MW kept telling me that the 3rd was unpredictable and wouldn't necessarily be that easy but it was ok for me.

HTH

57 mins! That is speedy JJW! Interesting that you were told same about 3rd being unpredictable I had never heard this before last week.

My 3rd was almost a carbon copy of my first.

Dd born at 35+4. waters broke spontaneously, ctx started 12hrs later, dd born 4 hours after that.

Ds1 born at 39+6, contractions came first, manually had waters broken at 8cm, also my longest labour at 10hrs.

Ds2 born at 36+1, waters went spontaneously, ctx started 3 hours later, dd2 born 6 hours after that.

1st - 17 hours, every drug going, ventouse.

2nd - 2 hrs 45, gas and air

3rd - 12 hours, every drug going, forceps

there are no rules on 3rd labours as far as I can tell! it seems to be a common myth tho!

my first was 18 hours start to finish. lots of drugs, ventouse delivery
second: 6 hours, no pain relief.
third- 48 mins!

i posted a similar thread... and was just starting to think about a home birth but now im not so sure!
my first was 22 hours, epidural, ventouse, and episiotomy
2nd- 2hr23 mins, 7 minutes pushing! gas and air, small tear not needing stitches (9lb 4oz baby)
3rd?? well now im worried if it will be like the first?? I have heard though it depends how close in age your babies are, as if they are close together your body is still 'ready' from the last one so responds much quicker? Not sure how true that is?

i had homebirths for my second 2 :)

i honestly don't think there is any truth in the myths surrounding 3rd births

My labours have all got quicker:
1st 12hrs
2nd 6hrs
3rd 36mins! (from 4cm to baby here)

There are no rules, yes they are unpredictable but could go either way.

Gina - what your midwife said happened to me:

1st - 7.5 hours of pain including 50 mins pushing, hand up by head
2nd - 3.5 hours of pain - 12 mins pushing, shot out like a champagne cork
3rd - 7.5 hours of pain - 48 mins pushing, hand up by head, umbilical cord round neck, waters only broke on delivery

1st was a shock but OK, you didn't know what's coming next so don't know how scared to get.

2nd was fast and furious but totally carried me along with it - didn't have time to worry

I had been warned about 3rd labours so was slightly apprehensive about it. It happened 5 weeks ago and I think it was my least favourite birth! Not helped by at 38 weeks thinking baby was breech and having to go for scan to check, then thinking waters had gone at 40+3 when they hadn't so stressing about whether to go to hosp for induction etc etc, there was quite a build up to the birth. At scan at 38 weeks the sonographer commented on what a large head DS3 had - all I could think about as I started pushing was how big his head was and how painful it was going to be. I'm convinced that didn't help. Of course his head was a perfectly normal size... Midwife thinks labour was slower because of umbilical cord and non-ruptured membranes. Whatever it was I was bored to tears, all I kept doing as I watched the clock tick was thinking back to 2nd labour and comparing and when I got past the 3.5 hour mark I got really fed up!

Having said that they were all normal deliveries with no interventions. Good luck!

(PS Hi Zipity - hope all going well with your boys!)