Are 2nd births generally faster than 1st ones?

[LovesToBake]

That's it really. My first birth was surprisingly quick (3hrs from first twinge to baby out) and now I'm expecting DC2 I'm keen to know what to expect as I've been told plenty of times that second babies often arrive a lot quicker. Bearing this in mind I'm planning a homebirth after the speed of my first.

Official established labour per my notes:

DC1: 28 hours
DC2: 11 minutes

I wouldn't hang around if I was you

Yes!

1st -7 hours
2nd - 2 hours
3rd - just over an hour from waking up, driving to hospital and birth!
4th - been told to prep for a home birth!

I had dd2 on the loo!! It was a very quick birth. I was in labour with ds1 for 4 days. dd3 was delivered in the sitting room by husband!

Mine have got quicker. From first contraction:
DC1 - about 36 hours (sob)
Dc2 - about 16 hours
Dc3 - about 4 hours.

True for me too:
DD1 - 17 hours
DS1 - 90 mins
Both very different labours. The first was far too long, the second was far too quick!

DD1 - 7.5 hours from established labour
DD2 38 mins from 1 twinge to baby - we love 35 minutes from the hospital! It took DH 19 minutes to get there after the first few contractions were 2 minutes apart.

From first twinge to baby in arms.

DD 8 hours
DS 2 hours

Dd1 7hours 20mins
Dd2 3hours.

So yes, true in our case. I hope you have someone with a good catch ;)

Dd1 went from 3 to 6cm in 2 hours. Then 10 minutes later my waters broke and had 7 minutes of pushing and whoosh she was here.

Has DS1 last week. Like you I was worried about getting to hospital in time. I was contracting irregularly about every 8 minutes, and only 2 cm on admission. But I insisted they let me stay, and midwife luckily agreed it was sensible as 'I could go off with a bang at any time'. We then sat around for 4 hours whilst my contractions tailed off in frequency. I went for a walk which brought them on again (thank you gravity!) and I was examined and told I'd made it to 5cm. 10 minutes later my waters broke and I then had about 20 minutes in the pool before ds1 arrived.

So both we're equally quick once I'd made it to 5 cm I guess. You can always get prepared for a home birth but then choose to go into a hospital. I was worried about dd1 being in the house if I had a home birth as I'd be focusing on not waking her up/traumatising her with my labour moos rather than on myself and pushing the baby out.

True for me. First labour was 36 hours, 22 in active labour. Second was 6 hours from first twinge to delivery. Everyone I know seems to have a shit first birth and a fab second one.

It was like that for me.
DS1 about 13 hours from contractions starting till birth
DS2 waters burst (and I mean burst) with the first contraction and he was born 20 mins later, at the bottom of the stairs before the ambulance arrived. All v straightforward though

My ds was 5 hours from first twinge to birth and my dd was 1 hr 10 mins in the same fashion. So lucky ds was sleeping out that night otherwise it would have been an unplanned home birth as wouldn't have had time to wait for grandma before going to hospital!

Was for me. 1st was 8 hours, 2nd was 2 hours active labour.

Mine bloody well wasn't! I was kind of counting on it being faster. I had a home birth with DC2 and we ran out of gas and air .

First birth - posterior position - 3 days from contractions being painful to birth of DC1. Second birth - 12 hours from waters breaking (first sign) to birth of DC2. Completely utterly easier experience second time round!!

my 1st birth was 6 hours from zero to fully

second was contractions to birth about 13 and a bit hours

3rd just recently contractions started at 4.30 am and baby was born at 10.27pm that evening but the actual labour bit was v v quick i had a homebirth