2nd timers : How did it compare to your first labour....Really?

[Littlerayofsunshine]

4.5weeks until EDD with DC2....

I hope its as straight-forward as DD's but maybe not as intense and speedy!

Everyone I know has a different experience second time around - generally much quicker as (not surprisingly) the brain seems to have it sussed!

My DS 4 hours DD 2 hours but DS had a big head that had to be squashed down - poor little mite!

Fast!! DD1 was 2 1/2 hrs; DD2 was 1 1/2. If you were quick first time, make plans assuming another fast one!

My 2nd was half the length of my first and lovely at home - very calm. Just had my 4th who took 22 eye popping minutes. The placenta took much longer than he did. But have sort of enjoyed all my labours and have 4 smashing children so whatever it's like you have a great reward at the end. Good luck and hope it goes well for you whatever happens!

DD was 9 days overdue and a sweep got things going. Sweep at 4:30, waters broke at home at 8pm. My labour with her was 10 hours overall and she was back to back, a fact not discovered until she popped her head out. The pushing stage lasted 2 hours and felt awful. Had G&A and laboured in the pool, but needed something a bit stronger to get me through from 8-10cms and had a shot of meptid.

DS was 13 days overdue. I'd had a sweep with him which didn't work despite the mw saying how favourable my cervix was etc, and a high bishops score. I was sent for an induction on a Wednesday (sweep the previous Friday) where I was keen for things to stay as natural as possible, so the mw broke my waters at 10:05 and gave me a pretty hearty sweep (ow!) She also provided me with a foot bath with various oils in it to bring on labour. Everything kicked off very fast then and quickly progressed to painful contractions. DS was born at 14:19 after a very intense labour using G&A.

So yeah, fairly different! Having had a 10 hour labour and a 4 hour labour I preferred the 10 hour one in terms of adjusting to the pain, although I was knackered after DDs birth whereas I was quite energetic after DS' birth.

given birth twice and it couldn't of been more different. 1st one was horrible long and ridiculously painful, took me months to get over it and because of that suffered from very very bad PND. second one i was in labour for 1 hour 31 with 3rd stage labour over in 16 minutes! She didn't came out she slid out! Was up and about within minutes with no tear or pains at all.

Infinitely better. Hope that cheers you up

1st birth, nice and straightforward. 8 hour labour, 30 mins pushing. Had an epidural (amazing things) but didn't need any extra assistance, didn't even require any stitches.

2nd was a nightmare (sorry!). Slow labour for a day or 2 then all of a sudden dialted very quickly, about 6cms in an hour. Sent my body into shock, i was sick, almost collapsed and then my arms bent backwards and i felt paralysed as i couldn't move them. Ds got into distress and his heartrate dipped so low we ended up with emcs under ga and my boy is very lucky to be alive today.

3rd was an elective cs. No problems at all.

Did they tell you why Zumba? Was it position related?

dd1 - induced as "late": pessaries, waters broken, syntocin drip, two goes at getting epidural in, baby born OP (which nobody had realised until I was already pushing - perhaps that had something to do with "lateness") with head on one side OW OW OW, 2nd degree tear + stitches OW OW OW, stayed in hospital/birth centre for four days, contracting hospital borne D+V YUK YUK YUK;
dd2 - born at home in ebayed birth pool with independent midwife (we now have nothing left in the building society, but we do have a lovely baby and the mw was FABBY). no tears, no stitches, two paracetamol and a wee bit of mooing. whole thing over in a few hours, was in my own bed with tea and toast within two hours of birth, positively bounced back despite being 5 years creakier and less elastic!
I would only have another one if we could afford an independent midwife again.

Nope, they just said 'one of those things'. Usually happens because of placental abruption or cord prolapse but had neither of those. I even asked the midwife at the birt of dc3 to go through my notes to see if she could enlighten me but she couldn't tell me either!

I wonder if I hadnt didnt have the x2 sweeps if DD would have been even later? I was 2-3cms a few days before having her without realising. Then when she sarted I dilated fast.

This baby is very low and making me feel funny this week. dizzy spells, aching back quick. lots of BHs, babys movements are still very frequent & strong though.

check up on Thursday so wonder if i'm anymore engaged/any changes etc.

This thread has me laughing and wincing in equal measure.

My 1st involved medical cast of thousands looking at everything but my face, plus a score of med students fighting to get in the door to add "live birth" to training tick list.

2nd was me, husband, a midwife, mad dash to hospital and a very lucky escape for the front footwell of our 2 door sports car!

No2 is much more adventourous than No1- perhaps it is all linked!

DD1 was a 28 hour labour, was in hospital for 9 hours of that on gas & air & pethadine. No complaints, lovely birth, although a bit long & had a horrible midwife.
15 months later with DD2, Labour lasted 6 hours, we got to hospital 20 minutes before she was born. Another lovely birth but this time had a really nice midwife & it all happened very fast :)

Sorry to hear those who had worse experience second time. My second was fantastic compared to the first - body knew what to do and I was not at all scared (unlike the first time). And somehow the midwives listen to you more when you have done it before. Got to hospital, had baby approx 45 mins later. Gas & air and a local jab to numb the "exit" (midwives had never had this requested before but I think it worked a bit..). Was in good enough state to BF straight after (unlike first where I fainted after and spent weeks struggling to feed her). Good luck and try not to worry :)

This post has made me worried. I am 33 weeks and will be staying with my inlaws about half an hour from the hospital when I give birth. Dd was born 2.5 hours after my water broke, we got to the hospital half an hour before she was born. I pushed for about 15 minutes. it was pretty easy.

I really hope I don't have a baby in FILs car, I would never live it down ( plus he would probably video it!)

First: induced after waters broke at 39 weeks. Four hours or so on syntocin drip, then 1 1/2 hours pushing (very hard as DD was back to back and chin up)

Second: hormone pessary at 40 weeks (high blood pressure and protein in urine so they had to get her out), two nights in hospital waiting for it to all start happening (horrible!) and when the hospital finally agreed to let me into the birth suite and break my waters, it was very very fast: 1 hour labour, 15 mins pushing and DD2 was out! Lovely - and I did it without a drip (or pain relief, that's giving birth in Holland for you).