How fast was your 2nd labour compared to your first?

[RoseberryTopping]

DP is working a few hours away and only back on weekends, now I'm nearing 37 weeks it's getting me worried that he won't make it back on time. I just wondered how different everyone else's 2nd labours were compared to their first? If you go overdue with your first are you likely to have the same again?

DD (40+10) - 17 hours, waters went first, big old complicated saga involving monitoring, ventouse, NICU, the whole shebang
DS (40+4) - 10 hours, very textbook and a lot more straightforward all round

First: 12 hours from first twinge to DD,

Second: 50 minutes.

Sorry....... You did ask. DS flew out. DH thought I was crazy when I announced we had to go after one real contraction. I had these pains in my legs that I had just before I started pushing with DD and I just knew he was coming really, really quickly.

Good luck...... I reckon your body knows when it's safe though. My second labour coincided with a very rare occurrence of DH being at home whilst DD was in nursery.

1. Ds - 10 days overdue, induced, 36 hours, all the drugs going, forceps delivery and a hairs breadth from an emergency section.

1. Dd - 12 days overdue, natural start to labour, 5 hours start to finish, only 2 hours in hospital, no assistance needed at any point.

Ds1, 13 days overdue, natural birth, no meds,7 hrs
Ds2, 10 days overdue, natural birth, no meds, 3 hrs.

Waters went with ds1, then I had a stretch and sweep so things got moving fairly quick but he took his time coming out.
Things built up slowly on their own with ds2 - it took a few hours to realise I was in labour. Active labour was very quick and the head was out before I realised what was going on.
They were completely different but arrived on their due dates. With ds3 Dh was working over an hour away so I kept him home at the first twinge but then had on/off labour for 2 days.

First 12 hours second 3 hours both +4 days

1st labour was 11 hours, ds born at 39+5
2nd labour was 5 hours, much faster and more intense, dd born at 39+3

My first labour was about 11 hours with 20 minutes of pushing. My second was 45 minutes with a few minutes of pushing.

First was 37 bloody hours, with syntocin drip, turning attempts, dd1 born with ventouse (dh loves that he saw her face before she was born -a 9lb 12oz girl!)

Ds was 10 days early, no bother! 9lb 3oz.

Dd2 was induced at 36+6 as I was very unwell. From insertion of the pessary to birth it was 10 hours (born at 10 h 9h)

Now they're big kids (14,12,10) I don't care any more!!

Scary - with my first my first stage was 35 mins!

...what on earth will happen if I have another?

My 2nd labour was slower! First was only about 5 hours, 2nd more like 10!

No idea why? First was only 1 day overdue, 2nd was a week later and bigger, does that make a difference?

DS: 36 hours ending in emcs as he was horrendously stuck
DD: 34 hours VBAC

So not true for me, really!

DD1 - 12 hours, induction (due to being overdue) epidural, natural delivery

DD2 - 4 hours, natural labour, a tiny bit of gas and air and nearly didn't get to hospital in time!! Much much easier and very fast recovery afterwards.

So how do you know what the first real twinge is? I've been feeling a bit periody for a week now with mild cramps. Does the first twinge feel like an actual contraction?

1st DC 40+3 13 hours
2nd DC 40+8 induced 50 minutes. Husband didn't make it in time.

DD 1 was 12 hours start to finish.

DD 2 was 36 hours. Twinges started Friday lunchtime and she was born very early hours of Sunday.

Thus suggesting it may not be fast second time around.

DC1: 37+2, from waters breaking to birth by EMCS 30 hours in total
DC2: 37+2, from waters breaking to birth (VBAC) 3 hours in total. Waters broke and I had contraction every three minutes.

DC1 39 weeks, started feeling uncomfortable in the evening so went to bed, with hindsight I think this was labour. Thought I was in labour around 4.00am, was sure around 8.00am, baby born at 12.00pm. So from start to finish around 16 hours.

DC2 37 weeks 2 hours from first twinge to him arriving in the street outside the house.

So how do you know what the first real twinge is?

With hindsight I think. My 'first twinge' was my waters breaking with DC2 but I just thought I'd wet myself

1st was an all you can eat intervention special ending up with rotational forceps being used.

DS2 plopped out when I went to the loo.

DC1 - 19hours from first contraction, 18 hours from waters breaking, very slow dilation, epidural, forceps delivery whilst prepped for EMCS and he came out with his hand by his face holding the cord. 40+7 although I think he was bang on time.
DC2 - 12 hours from first contraction, 3 hours from waters breaking, gas and air in the pool. 40 + 6.
Couldn't have had two more different experiences.

As for the first twinge, I had no such thing with DS1. I was contracting by the time I was given the epidural, but didn't feel anything. I was given the epidural to control my soaring blood pressure.

I woke up with random, infrequent contractions with DS2. Nothing to indicate I was in established labour until I had a longer, more uncomfortable one and reasoned that I still hadn't had my morning shit because I couldn't possibly be anywhere near ready. Turned out that was transition.

Both mine induced as they were 13 days overdue!
Ds1 gel at 9pm wed, born 11.20am fri with syntocinon drip started 3am fri.
Ds2 gel 9am born 5.30pm same day with no further induction.

First labour two weeks overdue, contractions started at 7 in the evening and my daughter was born at 11 the following morning.

Second labour contractions started at 5.30am and we're immediately full throttle pain wise and three mins apart, my son was born three hours later.

Id love a swifter second labour! DD - cntractions started at four am and she was born 4am following morning.

Im due dc2 end of october and 12 hours would be much more enjoyable!