Would you mind awfully sharing your experiences of your 4th labours with me please? Starting to panic!

[AuntieMoniker]

I'm currently pg with dc4 and was chatting with the midwife over my birth options. My labours with dc2 and dc3 were 3 hours and 2 hour respectively and the mw suggested I think about a home birth this time as I may be even quicker and the hospital is a good half an hour away.

If it is going to be fast then I am happy to be at home, I managed on just G&A with dc2&3 but if it's going to be hours and hours I want access to the good drugs . Although I'd rather not give birth in the car, either.

What were your fourth labours like compared to your previous ones?

Hello OP.

DC4 is now 15 so this is a bit of a distant memory but the things that stick with me from that labour are;

• it was a bit quicker than DC2 and DC3 but all of them were delivered within 30 mins of arriving at hospital (so I would not have wanted a long drive there).
• she was the same weight as DC2 and DC3 (just under 9 pounds)
• she was about 12 days late and everybody was getting a bit impatient.
• my waters broke at home.
• I had some very believable false alarms - one night I really thought it was starting so got dressed, then fell asleep, then in the morning thought that falling asleep must have stopped labour!!
• I was quite scared about yet another labour (all 4 DCs very close together) but friends & family were a bit dismissive of my worries.
• didn't have an episiotomy nor tear (nor did I with DC3).

All the very best. I would have loved home births. So tricky to rush off to hospital in labour. DH had many daft reasons for not wanting them and I didn't insist. Should have, though.

I'd go for a home birth if I was in your position. My forth labour was twins so couldnt have a home birth, was induced at 38 weeks, and it took 2hrs 20!
Good luck!

Hi - I popped yesterday afternoon so now have experienced a 4th labour. Exactly the same as 3rd - a week plus of prelabour and once we got going 4 hours again.

Congratulationslollystix,do you have a name yet?

My 4 th was the easiest labour. Contractions started at 9pm but didn't get strong and she was born at 11.20pm, after only 10 mins of the pushing stage! No gas and air or any thing. So although the easiest and quickest, I worried more cos I knew what to expect. I am now considering number 5!!!
Good luck x

whoever asked about baby no 5, i would say it was more painful than no 4, but only because she was back to back! it only took 3hrs once the synotcin drip kicked in, for some reason labour didnt get going after my waters broke as it did with the previous 4 they said had she not been back to back it would have been VERY quick, i think 3hrs with a back to back baby is pretty good, but it was painful, thankfuck for gas and air, oh and all my boys were 9lb+ ds4 was 10lb 13oz then i had dd a teeny 8lb!

Almost got a name - possibly Brodie as he's Scottish and his brothers all have Scottish names. He was wee compared to ds3. I thought 2nd stage would be quicker but it wasn't. Felt alot more of a struggle than ds3. More aware of the pain but maybe thats cos it was only 24 hours ago and my fanjo is still a bit sore

omg lollystix CONGRATULATIONS Brodie is a lovely name, my mil would love you, she wanted us to give our boys scottish names as she is scottish, tho she suggested Gordon, which was not too our taste.

hope you recover asap and enjoy your lovely newborn xx

Gordon- mmmm- don't blame you for giving that one a miss. OMG the uterus contraction pains this time from feeding are so sore. I was looking for the gas and air again this morning.

Lollystix HUGE congrats! Did you get the children to nursery? Did your dh go to the meeting?

That is the trouble will pre labour faff. You never know when it is real and when to start organising all the other children.

Brodie is a v cool name.

Thanks largeg&t.

Yes after early am contractions it all slowed down when I got out of bed at 6.30ish so thankfully hadn't needed to get my dad round. Got them into nursery and ds1 to school with help of dh. Made him come home and (sorry if tmi), made him have sex as that usually works (he has super sperm -ds4 is the immaculate conception too).

Told him then he should go for his meeting as he'd just make it. Lazy bugger (but maybe with sixth sense) made a cup of tea and sat around on the sofa and said he couldn't be arsed with meeting but would go to work shortly. I was about to log on for work but my about 10.30 the super sperm worked and I was one in every 3. Hospital by 11.30 and out by 3.15. Home by 10pm so good. Now the wee bugger won't wake up in the day but wants feeding every 2 hours at night so totally back to front.

Lolly that sounds brilliant! Well done you with a nod to dh super sperm.

Hope the boy sorts his feeding out soon, some of mine have been back to front like that. The hormones keep you smiling for a few days and then you are cream crackered

Incidentally my no.7 was just 3 days late and i am sure it was down to the sex every day. There was no way i wanted to be 10 days/2 weeks late like the others. I will be applying similar techniques with this one. Lucky ol dh eh? Shame.

Home birth in part for reason given in your OP

Contractions set in porperly (ie at a level above what I ahd experienced every night for previous 4 weeks!) at midnight; called MW and Doula immediately. Doul arrived at 12.20, MW at 12.30, baby at 12.35, MW no 2 at 12.40.

And that was about it really- as fuss free as that

Loads fo prelabour as with ds2/ ds3 (ds1 induced so none there, eclampsia)

Births went

ds1 induced, said it would take up to three days with gel as early: took 7 hours from onset of labout, so about 12 hours in all

ds2 44 hours as in OP position but slow and gentle so OK

ds3 3 hours

ds4 as above

congrats lolly

congratulations lollystix

mine were:
1: 5 1/2 hours but a bit complicated - long story but all turned out OK
2: 1 hour but lads of premature contractions before
3: 5 1/2 hours
4: I was terrified of giving birth at the supermarket or in the car etc etc because I'd heard so many 4th labour stories but what do you know it took 5 1/2 hours

Hope all goes well and you can give DC4 a cuddle soon

Glad I found this thread, DD number 4 due a week today having lots of bh and had some show earlier in week but nothings getting going .

DD1 24 hrs from 1st contraction with 9 hours of really painful ones and 1 1/2 hrs pushing.

DD2 24 hours from 1st contraction with 2 hours of really bad ones and 2 minutes pushing

DD3 waters broke, no labour so was induced with an epidural in. Was fully dilated after about 4/5 hours but was 8 hours till born due to contractions stopping and going to theatre for a ventouse.

I'm hoping this ones fairly fast but I'm so fed up of the BH and wondering if its all starting or not. Shes 3/5s engaged but the rest all engaged earlish as well.