Is every labour different??

[MrsJLS85]

I just had a thought that perhaps every labour is different, just like how every pregnancy, and every child is completely different. Previously, I've been under the impression that labour is mostly down to the woman (shape of pelvis, pain threshold, etc), but perhaps I'm wrong?

I'm 33 weeks preg with DC2, and had a horrendous intervention filled birth with DC1, and have been preparing myself for something similar. Can anyone share stories of having 2 very different births??

DD1 - crash section
DD2 - home birth

So just about as different as they come!

I suppose you would need to look at the reasons for the interventions in your first birth and ask for advice about the likelihood of those issues arising again, and also consider whether there are any other options for dealing with them.

They are of course all different but as emsy says, if there are factors which predispose you to certain interventions then they are likely to suggest some degree of similarity.

I have had two dc, both born by emcs after 31 and 38hrs respectively. Both stuck in exactly the same position, both labours started with spontaneous rupture of waters.

So on paper it was the same second time round (because I have a problem with my pelvis I didn't know about then) BUT in every other way they couldn't have been more different. Labour one was pain on a platter, labour two was totally painfree. Labour one left me with pnd and ptsd, labour two I laughed from beginning to end and was untraumatised by the whole thing.

The one thing that IS a given is that you have no choice really over the bare facts of the labour you end up with. You can only exercise choice within that. So if the same factors led to the same interventions again, through necessity, then what would you like to be different? What from first time round would you change and how is that possible?

A birth debrief from first time round is a very good idea I feel and then accepting that number two will be what it will be and working on how you want to approach those eventualities will really help. Do you have a good midwife who can help you deal with how you're feeling about it?

Thanks so much for your responses! showOfHands you really hit home about how even if I end up with a similar labour, my outcome about it can be different, and I really don't want to end up with ptsd again.
I have seen a different midwife at every appointment I've been to BUT in general the team does seem to be very understanding of my feelings, and I feel confident that they'll be a good support this time around.

emsyj wow those are 2 completely different births! I'm actually going to book a home birth this around and fingers crossed we have an experience like yours!

I've had 4VBs and each was completely different. The first was awful but a lot was due to the MW. The second was much quicker and less of a fight. The 3rd got stuck but was born only an hour after we got to hospital, and the 4th was really quite easy.

My first labour was 22hrs, ventouse, and when I was pregnant the second time I was worried it would be horrible again
my second labour was 3.5 hours, easy peasy natural birth , they just came out.