Calling all mums of 3 or more - is the third delivery easier /faster than babies 1 and 2?

[annieapple7]

I am having baby no 3 very soon and was starting to think that it will be easier and faster after already having 2. But I read on another thread that baby no 2 is the easiest, and no 3 not always so simple. Would welcome your experiences please!!

Interesting thread.
I'm due with number 3 in May. DD1 was 6 hours start to finish, pretty straightforward. DD2 was 2 hours and made it to the delivery suite with about 3 minutes to spare. More intense and painful (no time for pain relief) but obvously faster. I found it quite traumatic to be honest.
Scared stiff that this third one's going to arrive in the back of the car or worse so good to hear that that's not necessarily the case.

1st induced 6hrs
2nd 1.5hrs popped out too fast at the end (ouch) but actual labour easy; wasn't even convinced baby was about to arrive until midwife told me to lean over the bed so she could catch him !
3rd and 4th at home each about 6-7 hrs. 4th the hardest for some reason !

Thanks for all you responses. Looks like it may not be quite as speedy as I had hoped for but no one seems to have had much worse deliveries as they have gone along, such as more intervention, cs, etc. Just might not necessarily be quicker. Thanks for your good wishes and good luck to all those looking forward to number 3! (Has anyone else noticed all the Supernanny type programmes feature families of 3??)

Deffo for me - 1st about 48 hours

2nd - 16 hours

3rd - 4 hrs.

Undecided re numero quatero.

Wishing you very good luck with it all!

Haven't read all this thread, but so interesting to hear that the second is supposedly the easiest, how odd? I found this and thought it was just a fluke really, (Three pushes, first broke waters, third he was there!)

Third birth was more painful (sorry) but contractions came on very quickly, woke up with one, they were about five mins apart, went to hospital within about an hour and half to two hours and she was born three hours later (mw wanted to send me home, because contractions weren't strong enough )

Anyone got more than three, does it get easier for number five, harder for number six etc?

sorry, I mean four, then five, doh!

No second one was faster but third was easier
1st was 12 hours and horrible
2nd was 7 hours and fairly easy
3rd was 9 hours and water birth which was brill
4th 5 hours and a home birth which was easy peasy

Yes the case with me, 3 was the diffult one and 2 the easiest and the first was the least intrustive but hope it all goes well for you.

My third was very fast - she was also my biggest. TBH it was too fast and I felt out of control. Ds1 was longest labour, ds2 was just right.

lol I sound like Goldilocks and the three babies

first ok
second was fab
third had complications (born at 36 weeks) but actual labour was v quick (esp pushing!)

1st 8 hours
2nd- induced, only 1 and 1/4 hours
3rd- 2 hours
4th- about 8 hours

4th was the worst as had complications after, prev 3 were ok.
Good luck

My first was 10 days late, 8lb 14oz, 13 hr labour, back to back (ouch), 1.5 hr s pushing, retained placenta

My second was 1 day late, 8lb 10.5oz, 25 hr labour, back to back AND head first so got stuck (not nice) leading to 3 hrs pushing before someone thought to push babys' chin back (very unpleasant )

My third was 8 days EARLY took us all by surprise, 8lbs, 5.25 hrs labour, was front to back (yeah - third time lucky ) 3 pushes and she was out.

Hm, ds1 pretty easy, 9+ hours from first twinge to him being born!
ds2, long, slow, but lovely labour and fast Birth...bestest Birth I had.
ds3. ended up transferring form Home to Hospital and then with emergency C-section because he wasn't in a good position and wouldn't come done properly once I was fully dilated...

First - emergency c-section
Second - straightforward VBAC 6hrs from waters breaking to delivery
Third - 4hrs from waters breaking to delivery

First - 18 hours
Second - who can say, waters broke really early and had loads of pain for days
Third - by far the best, arrived 2 hours after I decided to go to hospital for the GandA

Oh and I haven't read all of this, but the afterpains get worse with each one...

It wasn't the fastest - that was DS2 - but it was by far the most pleasant (insofar as childbirth can ever be pleasant, which isn't saying much ime!).

my 1st was the worst, very painful, epidural, emergency episiotomy, ventouse. 8 hours

my 2nd was the best (not that painful and no complications) 8 hours

my 3rd was the fastest but more painful than no 2 but not as painful as no 1. no complications 1 1/2 hours