Third labour experiences

[KW89]

I'm due my third DS at the end of November.
I've had two straight forward water births. DS1- I was in established labour for just over 4 hours.
DS2- I was in established labour for just over half an hour, two pushes and he was out!
I was hoping baby three would be quite quick, however I've been told a few times including by my health visitor that third labours can be the most unpredictable, even after having two straight forward births, and now I'm starting to get a bit anxious about it!
What are your experiences of third labours after having straight forward ones previously?

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Mine was unpredictable alright! Two head down, perfectly ordinary vaginal births previously but then I was in the labour room with my last baby, they went in to check my dialation and felt her head just leave my pelvis, so they scanned me, saw she was now breech, so they sent me for a section (which was great by the way).

She was just awkward!

Ds1 was induced so I'll not compare that one! Ds2 was 4 hrs in total which I totally didn't expect. Midwife got there with 10mins to spare (was a homebirth). Third labour for me was more textbook. Early labour 6hrs and established labour 4 hrs before dd made her appearance. Gave me a lot more time to get mentally ready to face those last stages!

Interestingly the midwives all warned me that 3rd labours were slower/longer than the 2nd. In my case they were right.

I don't think that you can really predict like that to be honest.

Mine was fairly fast but she was back to back and chin up so got stuck at the very end which meant it got very close to intervention though she did eventually come naturally albeit leaving me feeling like I'd been kicked by a horse.

Others I know continued being completely straightforward though so you never know!

My third was a totally straightforward easy home water birth. However, she was very very very late!

Hugh not just me with a little swimmer then! But mine too is the most chilled out little baby after her in utero awkwardness!

Mine was unpredictable in that he was the only one who wasn't induced, but was back to back just like my first and required the same intervention (ventouse, forceps, episiotomy) as my first.

He also got me blue lighted to hospital due to not wanting to come out in the maternity unit at our local! My first would've probably been the same though had I not already been in the main hospital from being induced.

Mine was the easiest of all my labours. Many of my friends found the same.