What's it like to give birth for the second time?

[hugelypregnant]

I'm absolutely petrified.

I'm due in 4 weeks. Up until now I was feeling really positive and ready and now I've started to feel the stinging down below of her head pushing down and I'm starting to get a few pains... I'm scared.

First birth was in December 2016. It was a good birth apart from poor care in hospital, I did it without any pain relief, 16 hour labour and 30 mins pushing. My daughter flew out in a gush of water after her head came out.
No rips,tears anything and I recovered very quickly. I was 22.

I'm almost 25 now. I've chosen a home birth this time due to the poor care I received in hospital last time and this time I have a lovely midwife who's very attentive and will be at my birth (also have a lovely back up midwife Just incase)
I'm also very much at home in my home, I feel very uncomfortable even stepping into hospital.

Are second births REALLY quicker? Do they follow a general pattern of your first birth?

I'm a very organised person (overly) and I absolutely hate not knowing when or how or what will ultimately happen. I keep thinking because I was lucky last time I'm going to have it bad this time.

Are second births generally better?

The second one was 5 hours flash to bang, didn’t touch the sides, no stitches, home after 10 hours in hospital. After the nightmare first birth, the second was a dream.

2nd was induced and much bigger than first but labour was basically the same, both needed ventouse although 2nd was cut rather than tear. Labour ramped up quickly once it going and I did the same tedious trick of having painful contractions and not dilating for ages then dilating really fast before a slow 2nd stage.

Both times stuck in post birth, 1st because meconium, 2nd because despite doing approximately 1 million wees in early labour I couldn't wee afterwards so had to have a catheter for 24h which sucked a lot!

I planned a home birth with my second after an awful hospital birth.
Sadly didnt get to have her at home because of issues picked up at a final scan...
But the birth was much better than the first anyway. Only took 4 hours compared to my first which took 3 days!!
And it left me with no damage unlike the first. I was up and about and went home that same day!