Tell me about your second birth (compared to first)

[Mammanat222]

How early / late was baby 1 and 2?

How long were labours 1 and 2?

Any details about labours 1 and 2? (interventions etc..)

Basically want to know if you had an easier time and a better experience second time around. Also want to know if your children both arrived early / late?

Am 35w with DC2 and only just getting round to realising this baby actually has to come out !!!

#1 38 weeks, 5 hours
#2 41 weeks, 1 hour

Straightforward labours, no warning signs beforehand.

DS1 was 10 days late, DS2 was 7 days late
DS1 labour was long and slow (2-3days), pushing stage was about 45 mins
DS2 labour was long and slow (1-2 days) but then went from 5-10cm in 10 mins and pushing stage was v quick (didn't really have to push!)
Both straightforward labours, DS1 at home DS2 in birthing pool in MLU.

What surprised me was how much I forgot about labour signs. Went to hospital and got sent home with my second!

DS1 -> born 39+6. 8lb2. Undiagnosed breech so much intervention. Total labour (from twinge to out) 2.5 hours. In SCBU for a week with dire diagnosis. He is 7 now and fine :)

DS2-> born 40+4 10lb3. I was admitted to the hospital the evening before with suspected blood clot - given blood thinner and told to 'not go into labour'. I did of course go into labour about 6 hours later. Only 3.5 hours of it. No issues just a very big boy with an eye-wateringly large head :)

Dc1, 38 weeks,36 hour labour with 2 hours of pushing.. Back to back baby. Bad tear.

Dc2, 40 weeks, 12 hours from first contraction, 4 minutes pushing!!
No tears. Barely made it to the birthing unit...!

Anecdotally, everyone I know who has had 2+ children has had super quick second labours. I think if the gap is under 3 years that helps too..

Dd1 24 hrs, 10 days early, forceps delivery. Awful
Dd2 about 5 hrs, 5 days early. Very straightforward. A couple of pushes and she just slid out. Ds was similar

Baby 1 - 37 hour back labour, with augmentation, arm, pethedine, and a ventouse (face up) delivery. Dd1 was 9lb12 and 4 days early.

Baby 2 - 10 hours from waters going. Straightforward delivery, just some gas. Ds was 9lb3 and 10 days early.

Baby 3 - dd2 was induced (pessary, no drip) at 36+6 as I was very unwell. Born 12 hours after pessary with just a bit of gas, even at her gestation she was 7lb15.

Mine got earlier and smaller!

Mine were very different. Induced with #1 for foetal distress. Had syntocinon drip, labour started with a bang and was immediately intense. Had G&A and total length of labour 2 hours 20 mins. 9 days overdue.

Second was a home water birth, felt really odd one evening, couldn't settle to anything. Labour started fairly gently in early hours of that night, very manageable and intensified around 4:30am. Got in the pool about 5am, baby born at 6:30am. 4 days overdue.

Both labours were fine, active and upright throughout. But obviously the second one was a much more relaxed and peaceful affair, it was really lovely.

Dc1 40+6, 20 hrs of pre labour, random gap of about 6 hours, 3hrs of proper contractions and 90 minute active labour during which hospital told me I wasn't in labour and repeatedly tried to send me home. Episiotomy that was stitched, recovery was easy with no ongoing problems. So on paper it was fine, really only made difficult due to all the arguing whilst in hard labour.

Dc2 40w on the nose, 5hrs of mild contractions, 2hrs of proper ones, 1hr active labour no interventions. Suspect midwife was very good at her job compared to first one. Was literally one of those where I felt like nothing had happened after 48hrs. The pregnancy had been very easy physically though, which probably helped a lot with that.

Slightly off topic but dc3 was 40+10, 4hrs from first contraction, 90m of that was active labour, had a small tear that was stitched but otherwise all fine. Noticeably least painful labour and was the only home birth of the 3. Felt more sore afterwards and for longer, not for more than about 5 days though.

Oh and all 3 were back to back and turned during active labour. That was fun

Thanks ladies,

At what point do they tell you to go in with second?

With first I know they like you to wait at home as long as possible but I assume with second they have you in a bit earlier (sorry I do have friends and relatives that have had more than 1 baby and I know they all had easier 2nd labours but was just canvassing for more opinions)

Out of interest I am working until 38w, so really hoping this baby isn't early (DS was 9 days late!)

PS: Had an epic first labour. 36h at home and contractions never went below every 6 minutes. I was in incredible pain with them and the only reason they told me to go in was as my waters went - albeit not fully.

I was 5cm when I went in but dehydrated and exhausted and I stalled at 6cm so had to move from MLU to labour ward where I was put on the drip and had my waters broken.

It still took another almost 15 hours from arriving at hospital to delivering baby so all in I had a 51h labour.

The one upside was I didn't have any interventions [also no EPI] and managed a completely natural delivery despite how horrifically tired I was.

Hoping for an easier time with this bub though as obviously I have DS at home and don't want to be away from him for too long.

Dc1 27hours, ending with lots interventions a week late

Dc2 about 15mins - there wasnt time to get to a delivery suite and I had her on the ward 2 days late

DC1
8lb 10oz
12 days late
37 hour labour
Forceps/epidural/baby stuck/many hours of pushing/episiotomy

DC2
9lb 7oz
13 days late
4 hour labour
Easy peasy birth/5 mins pushing/tiny tear but no stiches

Interestingly, I healed a lot quicker with DC1.

DC1: 7 hours, straightforward, waters burst as I was pushing. 2nd degree tear requiring two stitches. She was born at 9pm, and I went home the next day in the early afternoon.

DC2: 4 hours, same kind of birth, wouldn't have torn except that DD2 had her hand up by her face. BUT! Labour was far more intense. There weren't the lovely breaks between contractions I had with DD1, and I went from no dilation to fully dilated in 2 1/2 hours. It was hard going because it was so intense, and I needed an overnight stay to recover despite baby being born in the early morning.

Re going in: it's still meant to be at 3 contractions every 10 minutes, according to the birthing centre I went to, but I made them take me when contractions had been going for an hour because my first labour was relatively short. So glad I did because I wouldn't have coped with that labour at home any longer than I had. The midwife was incredibly good.

Oh, and both babies were on time, give or take a day.

They told me to go in when having three contractions in ten minutes, same as first time round.

But I would say don't dither about going in 2nd time, as it seems that second labours are so much quicker. (But third are longer apparently, what's that about?)

X posted with kiwi

Also also: after pains with the second baby are AWFUL. They didn't tell me about them before baby arrived. Make sure you have loads of paracetamol around. They last about 2 or 3 days.

DC1, 9hrs, in hosp, pethidine, tear requiring stitching
DC2, 5hrs, at home, gas and air only.
They were both a couple of days late - I think DC2 was 5 days late and DC1 was 2 days late.

1st labour 6hrs start to finish, ended it EMCS as DD was breech. She had made it most of the way out though.

2nd labour 9hr VBAC with forceps, after a week of niggling.

Yes! Grouchykiwi...Afterpains were horrific for me too. Every feed was excruciating for a few days. I didn't expect that.

If you have a tens machine, put it on again after the birth, it really helped with afterpains. I kept mine on for 48 hours after dc2's birth. They wouldn't give me any strong painkillers as bfing.

DS1 - born 38+5, 24 hours from first contraction but only painful for about 8 hours. Went from 3cm to birth in 8 hours. Episiotomy but epidural so pain was bearable. Pushed 3 times.

DS2 - born 39+4, 12 hours from first contraction. Very painful and intense and quick. Went from 3cm to birth in less than 2 hours. Episiotomy again. Epidural didn't have time to work though. Awful experience. Got told off for yelling in pain.

I preferred the first birth by far.

I got told off in labour for "wasting my energy screaming"

DD1 - 5 days late, long and tough home birth, no tears or interventions. 30 hours from waters breaking. Baby was 6 lb 14 oz.

DD2 - on due date, FOUR HOURS from first twinge, home birth again, in water this time. Small tear, no stitches. Baby was 8 lb 9 oz!!

Basically my second birth was just as intense and painful, but so much quicker and felt SO much more in control. I was on absolute cloud nine when it finished and the joyful adrenaline didn't wear off for weeks. DD1 I was pretty shell shocked even though the birth had been straightforward.

In terms of when I rang, I tried and tried to put off ringing for a midwife with first labour - I called after 20 hours of contractions in the end. Baby was still another 10 hours. I was 7cm when she arrived. Baby no 2 - after half an hour I was demanding a midwife and gas and air!!

HTH

1st, due date, 7 hours from first contraction, 6lb8

2nd, 40+1, 40mins from first contraction, 7lb3

First labour was LOADS better. 2nd was one big contraction and thought I was going to die.