getting very worried about speed of 2nd labour!!

[susiegrapevine]

Ok am only 18 weeks but after reading threads on here am getting more and more worried about how fast 2nd baby will come!
1st labour was less than 5 hours start to finish. I woke up at 5.20am, having felt nothing all night, to my waters breaking (thought I was wetting myself so ran to the loo!) Came back told dh who was like ok will ring labour ward as I knew they liked to see you if your waters break. After this contractions started and were like 5 mins apart but not very strong.had a shower and dh rang my dad as we could not drive so he was my lift to hosptial. Got to hospital at 7.20 they didn't examine me straight away due to risk of infection but let me stay in as contractions were close together. About an hour later they were gonna leave the room and let me labour but for some reason changed there minds and decided to examine me 1st I was fully dialated! After a lot of crying cos it was so quick and a lot of pushing baby was out but 10.06 am!!

Anyway scared that even the midwife won't get there on time this time as decided I am defo having a home birth! But luckily my mum works in a school and is on school hols when I am due so she will come straight away and jokes about delivering the baby tho I'm thinking it might happen!

Someone out there needs to reassure me the midwife will make it on time!!

I understand you will be anxious, but just make sure your midwife knows and then call them as soon as you start this time. If you are 18 weeks remember a lot can happen in the next 22!

Although you certainly had a quick labour last time, you woke up when your waters went and your contractions were already 5 mins apart, it's likely that your body had been doing a lot of the work before you woke up (does happen with some women!). Good luck, hope it goes well for you x

I went through the same worries on dd2.

I had a short labour on dd1 - started with very mild contractions at 3.30am and dd was born 4 hours later. Only the last half hour was difficult to manage.

When I was pregnant with dd2 I spent months freaking myself out about what would happen if I went into labour at home with dd2.

A midwife told me not to worry because a fast first labour doesn't automatically mean the second will be faster but not to mess about if things start to happen.

As it turned out my labour on dd2 was very quick. Just over 2 hours from first twinge to birth.

So I echo what the midwife told me. Try not to worry about it but as soon as labour starts get to the hospital just in case.

Best of luck.

Sorry - somehow missed the bit about the home birth. Have you discussed with the midwife about your first experience?

Also meant to add that when labour started on dd2 I was in no doubt about what was happening even though the pains were very mild to begin with whereas on dd1 I wasn't really sure.

I had a home birth with DD2. She was quick but not as quick as your first!

The advice from my community midwife when I had my home birth visit was to phone straight away to advise the duty midwife that you're in labour. She will then chat to you about how you think you're doing and probably offer to come out there and then to examine you. They're generally quite happy to come out and go away again if it seems things may take a bit longer. Even if she doesn't come out right away at least she is primed and ready to come straight to you when you say you want her to.

Our midwife took 20 mins to arrive. Baby arrived about 2 hours later. The second midwife didn't get here until after the baby though!

Best wishes :)

Thanks everyone yeah did tell my midwife about my 1st time and she suggested a hb straight away before I said I wanted one but she did says it would be noted how quick I was 1st time and someone would come straight away. Might just tell her on my next visit how worried I'm getting to get some reassurance. Thanks tho everyone feeling more reassured. Just need to stop reading forums about how quick 2nd labours are compared to 1st!

ok, 5 hours is pretty good for a first labour! but that doesn't mean your second will be ridiculously short (so short a midwife wouldn't get there)!

IME, midwives will arrive fairly promptly. During the daytime they'll come straight out to you, at night they normally have to meet up first and come together which makes it a bit longer.

My third labour was 48 minutes. and in fact the midwives DIDN'T get here before baby was born. You'll be advised, as my DP was, to call an ambulance if you feel the need to push before the midwives arrive.
In my case DS3 was born before the ambulance arrived too, but all was fine,.

Generally precipitous (fast) labours occur when everything is "right"... baby in good position, mum relaxed, all going smoothly, and thus less change of anything going wrong.

You'll be fine, even if the midwife doesn't make it in time. But honestly, honestly, I think it's likely that they'll get to you before baby is born :)

I was told that the general rule of thumb is that the second labour is half the time of the first labour, so when you go into labour you should in theory have 2.5 hours before baby should be entering the world. That is more than enough time for the midwife to get to you.

My first was 8 hours 5 mins, my second was 1 hour, 48 mins, my third (which I had booked in for a home birth due to speed of the second labour, although ended up in hospital) was 10 hours 10 mins.

I spent the majority of my third pregnancy terrified that the midwife wouldn't make it to us, but after it was all over (after an induction due to pre-eclampsia) it seemed like a lot of wasted worry.

My midwives were aware of my 'quick' previous labours and had it noted down so that they would get somebody to me as soon as I called. And told me to ring with the earliest signs of labour so that they would get there in time.

As thisisyesterday said, very fast labours tend to happen when everything is ready and 'right'. I had my neighbours on stand by for the days when DH was at work to take the older children and wait with me for the midwife/ambulance.

Best of luck to you

BTW the theory of the 2nd labour being around half the time of the first was what 3 midwives told me. Not me just making things up - although in my case they were wrong!

Oh lord my first took 1.5 hous to be born, I cannot stop thinking about the speed of number two.