Labour the second time round....is it really half the time?

[HarleyK]

Just wondering from mums with two or more babies, do labour times really get cut by half each time, or is that just a myth? Having had a relatively short 9 hours with my first makes me slightly scared of not making it to the hospital in time with this one.....oh dear.

My second labour was half the time of my first.
My first was induced and was six hours. My second was spontaneous - three hours from waters breaking to birth, but only two hours of contractions. Fast but intense.

my second wa longer than first. But it was induced, so not a fair comparison.

By the way, when I saw the opening line on the front page, I tought this was about politics.... and tough I do hope so!

1st - 24hours from 1st contraction (waters didn't break)

2nd - just over 1 hour from 1st contraction (but waters went a couple of days before that)

Induced first time around 36 hours from first effects of pessary (wouldn't call it pains)
Induced second time around 27 hours

Lua - lol!

1st: 6 hrs
2nd: 3 hrs
3rd: 3 hrs

Not for me - both were almost identical in terms of length (c.16hrs for everything). Officially DC2 was loads shorter, but that's because I knew the pain to expect and I hung out at home for ages longer. DC1 I was in lots of pain (well, normal amounts - but you don't have a clue what's normal!!) and I went in just in case I was massively dilated. I wasn't and spent about 10 hours bored and in pain in hospital...

Stage 2 both about 20 mins.

Without access to a crystal ball, I'd say it's hard to tell. There is definitely no "rule" about this sort of thing. However the more experience you have under your belt of going through labour, the more you know what to expect, and that may have an effect on how confident you feel when you do go into labour again. The less you fear it, the easier the birth tends to be or seem. And sometimes that has a direct effect on the length of labour. Fwiw, my labours were all roughly the same length of time, about 9 hours. However I felt more at ease in my 2nd and 3rd labours and so those labours seem to be less painful than my 1st.

I am about four months away from number two and feel I had a fairly easy time first time round.

I was just wondering, when do you count the start of labour - I was having very mild contractions that I was sleeping through for a long time before they ramp up - do you only count the 'ramped up' time or all of it?

First 36hrs from first contraction, second was 7hrs!

1st one - 18 hours from first ctx to birth (induction)

2nd one - 28 hours from first ctx to birth (planned homebirth, transferred to hospital after 25 hours)

I was induced both times and both took 8 hours

First 36 hours from first contraction (as painful as last!). Second due next week.

Please, please, please let it be a matter of a couple of hours. I am considerably more worried than I was first time as I didn't really have any concept of how bad it could possibly be back then! Very nice to hear the majority seem to be faster, and some considerably so. Ooooowwww!!!

I think it completely depends on if your baby is anterior or posterior.

Anterior--you'll pop that thing out in a New York Minute
Posterior- you're in for a rough ride

26 hours, 12 hours, 3 hours, 15 mins. That's from obvious established contractions to birth. 15 mins was a bit of a shocker to be honest - and that one was after induction and waters broken - the first 3 were spontaneous labour. Didn't include 3rd stage because it's so dull and was too in love with each new person to care.

First, 24 hours. Second, 24 hours.

Didn't happen to me, although they did get shorter but what made most difference was head size. 19 hour 1st labour was not as bad as significantly shorter 2nd and 3rds (they weren't very different in terms of time) with babies who came out with monster sized heads.

First 23 hours, Second 45 minutes.

The first stage of both mine was about the same, fourteen hours or so from twinges to transition. Second stage was six hours for my first before they got her out with forceps. Second stage was six minutes for my second. He crowned before I even realised what was happening (hilarious, the midwife was out of the room and OH went spare).

1st. 12 hours no pushing in very short 2nd stage.

2nd 4 DAYS with a 4 hour 2nd stage she was forehead presenting but turned and was born with no pushing again just before I was about to have a CS. there was another emergency so I was waiting, she was\is strong thank god.

3rd. 9 hours he DID need pushing out; he had wide shoulders.

First time round was 3.5 hours from first contraction, including a considerable amount of stuckage and eventual ventouse. Had a planned homebirth second time round as midwife felt it would be very quick - and it was at 61 minutes from first contraction.

My first labour was 14 hours from first contraction to the birth, 7 hours active labour. Second time round I had twins by CC and third time was 4 hours start to finish, 2 1/2 active labour. I think they defiantly get shorter.

1st - about 20 hours
2nd - about 7 hours (but he did arrive 6 weeks prem which I certainly wasn't prepared for - hence no bag packed or anything!)
Both gorgeous labours and I did enjoy every minute of both thankfully!

Panicking a bit here - DS was 29h from first pessary (induction) to delivery, half hour stage 2.
Being induced next week with DC2 - but it's all a bit up in the air because the baby is unstable lie at the moment - desperate to get it head down before I go in on Monday!! Otherwise it'll be CS.

My two shot out, 7 hours and 3 hours.so worked for me!

My second was as long as the first but dc 2 was stuck and had to come out the sunroof.