Tell me about your third labour and birth

[PissPotPourri]

I'm 37+4 with ds3. My first two births have been relatively straight forward, water births at midwife lead units, and I'm hoping for the same this time. But I'm getting nervous as the birth approaches and people keep telling me that third labours are often different...either stop start or very quick. Would you mind telling me briefly about your experiences third time around? I'm particularly interested in signs of labour (I've read that baby may not engage and labour is sometimes a little more out of the blue), speed of labour and general comparisons really. I know there are no hard and fast rules, but I think it would help to hear some stories please!
As an aside, having suffered severely with after pains with the previous two, I'm under no illusions that this birth will be any better so I'm going to put in a clear request for strong pain killers asap!

Recently had my third. I was worried too. First one evil and 16 hours, second one 8 hours and just as painful but pushing stage easier. Third same 8 hours, was a stop start beginning and got stuck in transition and pushing was long.

The after pains of third are pretty nasty, sorry.

Good luck! X

First 2 home births. 10 and 12 days over. Third was actively tumbling head/bum down for weeks ... Right up until about 41 weeks. Kept being admitted due to risk more than anything else. Kept escaping hospital when she turned the right way. Induced at 42+1. Quick labour but not pleasant . Suspect cervix wasn't quite ready for the speed. Full on within 15 mins after waters were broken. In large part was probably less pleasant because hospital not home and was wired up for much of it. Was certainly start to finish faster than the first two. More stitches than ever before, but that was possibly the speed and possibly the fact that first labour also needed stitches, but had to later be cauterised because they just didn't do the job.

1st - posterior, 8 hours , no stitches (phew!). No contractions just a solid wall of continuous pain - I was lucky btw.
2nd - 27 weeks easy birth, 3 and a half hours (sadly ds2 didn't make it)
3rd - waters broke at 8, pains started at 10.30, dd arrived at 11.50. 8lb 13oz, no tears, no stitches. A very wonderful and cathartic birth.

Labour came on very fast, went from thinking maybe 'this is it' and I should get to hospital, to then getting to hospital 9 and 1/2 cm dilated and triage nurse panicking a bit and putting me in a wheelchair to get to a bed in time.
Got on the bed- waters broke 9.47am, baby born 9.48am.One push, all out. After pains were agony. As bad as labour pains.

Oh and I was 11 days overdue so she was prob in a hurry to get out! 8lb 10oz

Dc1 intervention slowed things down otherwise straight forward. Dc2 was very quick once I was in active labour.

Dc3 10 days over ended up being induced had about an 8 hour labour. Very intense and painful but I put that down to being induced and baby was over 10lbs. Only had gel but it was enough to make things more painful.

The worst thing about my 3rd was the after pains and my midwife said with each labour the after pains are worse. It was like having contractions again.

Good luck i sure things will be fine just stay calm, positive and trust your body.

1st baby started with contractions at around 5pm, progressively got worse and went to hospital in the morning. Failed to progress and baby was distressed with mecconium. Sent for an emergency Caesarian at 2pm.

2nd baby, waters broke at 1am. Didn't have contractions so finished packing hospital bag and took Ds1 to babysitter. Got to the hospital at 3am and the contractions had just started. Suddenly felt that the baby was coming right now. Was told no way until I was examined and they decided I was ready to push. Baby was born at 5am.

3rd baby, waters broke with mecconium, phoned the hospital and was told to come straight in. Thankfully my bag and notes were in the car. Both other children out so we just got in the car and left. Contractions started in the car and were very intense and painful and close together straight away. By the time we got to hospital her head was out and I'd pushed twice. I just made it onto the bed before giving one last push and she was born 40 minutes after my waters broke.

First labour - 1.5 weeks early, 12 hours (ventouse at the end because I wanted it - had been pushing for ages)

2nd labour - on due date, 7 hours, 3 or 4 pushes and she was out. No stitches.

3rd labour - 1.5 weeks late, 5 hours start to finish, again only a few pushes. No stitches.

All on gas and air, all in the same room and laboured in the same birthing pool, and all nipped a bit! They all progressed normally though.

First- 38 hour labour. Back to back born face first, torn, episiotomy, pph.
Second- 5 hour labour. Back to back and face first. No stitches needed though as her head was tiny (she was short and fat)
Third- four hour labour. I thought at first that I just needed a poo. I pushed twice and he was out. No stitches required despite him being a beast (37 and a half cm head, 10lb 10.5 oz) because he was a good boy and was born the way all the books tell you they will be born. (And gravity helped)

3rd was an elective CS and the best one.all 3 were sections.

Oh I forgot the question about afterpains. When they offer you pain relief and they are bearable, don't accept the pain relief. I had four lots in about 20 hours so when the pains were unbearable they couldn't give me any more. At home I'd have taken two more; in hospital I couldn't and was awake for the rest of the night. I could have borne them I the day time. DD was fast asleep - I was exhausted and ended up doubly exhausted unnecessarily. and I am quite tough

Third was 30 mins from first twinge to baby. Delivered by my dh in the kitchen.

Also apprehensive third time around . DC1 awful time DC2 easy.

Third was fast. I didn't have any time to get to a hospital bed so the labour was recorded as just under two minutes. I woke up at around half four, called the hospital who tried to fob me off had her at 5:05, this time though my waters didn't break before pains, they broke at the last minute and I was five days overdue.

Afterpains were no where near as bad as number two but that might of been because I wasn't BFing DC3 as much? Don't know.

My first 2 sound a bit like yours OP. About 5 hours start to finish, one in MLU, one at home.

Dc3 was a week late stop start, niggly for 24 hrs. Went to hospital as was fed up with MIL (at ours for childcare) asking me if anything was happening.

Midwife suggested breaking waters, I was not keen, mostly due to all the tales of third babies being tricky i'd been scared ny. Given an hour to see if progressed, then either they'd break waters or I'd go home and wait. Midwife also gave me a load of water to drink as dehydration can slow labour(?!?).

Anyway, it worked, labour kicked off and DC arrived 3 hrs later. Ignoring the previous 24 hours, very similar to dc1 & 2.

Good luck.

Mine went
8 hours, pethidine
9hours no pain relief
1.5hrs, water birth.

Contractions didn't have a gradual build up. Stopping and starting for a week then bam.

Good luck, hope you have a smooth birth

My third was ten days overdue. Had an afternoon of moderately painful contractions but with not much happening in terms of progress. When it actually started it was done in less than an hour but as she was bigger, second stage was more paced than my tiny second born who shot out. I got to touch her head in between pushes which was really special.

DS1 - 39+5, 21 hours of labour, had an epidural leading to a forceps delivery, loads of stitches.

DS2 - 40+5, a very stop start kind of labour that took three days to actually get going. When it did I had a 12 hour labour, used G&A for pain relief, tore a bit and had lots of stitches.

DS3 - 39+5, home birth, labour was about five hours from regular contractions but I'd had been contracting on & off all the previous day so had plenty of warning. Head engaged a few days before birth. For pain relief I just had G&A, labour was very easy & he flew out after only a couple of pushes. No stitches required. Definitely the easiest of the lot.

With all of them my waters went just before they were born.

Oh, and the afterpains were way worse with my first DC.

DS1 - text book labour, about 6 hours 1st stage, 1.5 hours 2nd stage. Very easy birth, entonox and TENS. 2nd degree tear. Sore after pains but sorted with paracetamol and a hot water bottle. Born in hospital.

DS2 - see above but home water birth. After pains more painful but bearable.

DS3 - stop start at first. Waters went but no contractions. Ended up against the clock in terms of induction. FINALLY started contracting irregularly about 18 hours after membranes ruptured. Once he decided to be born I went from 4cm to baby and placenta in 2 hours. 2nd stage was 2 minutes and 2 pushes. No tear though! Home water birth again. After pains were a bugger but MW gave me co codomol and ibuprofen which worked brilliantly.

Was totally worth it

Wow, thank you all for your stories. Beau, so sorry to hear of your loss
As I say, I'm under no illusions about the after pains. My health visitor second time around claimed she'd never come across them before and felt my tummy etc for retained placenta. Can't believe how common they are and how little they are mentioned in birth discussions. Completely agree they are worse in ways than labour itself.
Some of you have mentioned stitches - I'm worried about those too. Had a slightly messier birth with ds1 and had a small tear which later got infected. Text book birth with ds2 and mw was most surprised to see how badly I tore. Healed just fine though. Can't believe it's possible after that to not tear!
Any way, thank you for all your well wishes...appreciated.

Faster than the first two, but much much much more painful. Painful short contractions that the MW said were good . Painful after pains too. The transition stage was so horrible and painful that I still remember it: I wanted to jump out of my body. I think that's what death feels like. Time slowed down as I pushed dd out. Oddest experience ever.

No stitches like the first 2. Bum's just about recovered after 2.5 years.

I never want another baby ever again.

1st was back to back, went on for hours, had the works pain relief wise. Ventouse delivery, third degree tear. 24 hours +. Too many stitches to count.

2nd was loads easier pethidine all over in about 8 hours in Midwife led unit. Had a retained placenta though. No stitches.

3rd waters broke and nothing happened at all. I was 3cm dilated for over 24 hours, and had to be monitored as I needed to be induced but no space.
Once induced I had an epidural in place from the start it was all over in 1 hour and 51 minutes with about three stitches. I did not feel a single contraction and it was great.

I had no stitches or anything third time round, not even a graze. But after pains were horrible. Even worse than my recent fourth. I had to dump baby on DH and curl up in bed as I was shaking all over. Get codeine, make a plan!

Gratefully received Pisspot. Love the name. Was many many years ago.

I hope you have a good birth.