Experience of 2nd labours

[rebeccaw123]

I know every delivery is different... but how would you describe your 2nd labour to first... any advice...

Much easier. Much quicker. After pains are weird though!

I agree. Much quicker, much easier. A lot less panicking on my part. After pains I found were a lot worse the second time round.

Quicker and more intense but I was so much calmer and generally felt more in control as I knew what to expect.

MUCH quicker.
Virtually pain free - certainly no comparison whatsoever.

I'm guessing all the muscles were broken by dc1

Fast!

Quicker , more painful only because they couldn't do an epidural like no 1.

Longer and more painful. Much bigger baby and later gestation.

20 times less painful. Seriously, 20 times.

It took half the time & was much less painful.

They were both exactly the same. But I seem to be in the minority with this experience. Compared to all my friends' first labours though DC1 was very fast and uneventful.

My second labour was fantastic. Another sub 3 hour one but this time the second stage was only 4 minutes, 3 pushes. Pain never got to unbearable levels. I didn't feel overwhelmed or stressed or scared at all. Delivered standing, honest to goodness did not feel even the next morning that I had just given birth- after my first I felt like I'd been battered but with the second it was weirdly different. Lochia didn't last as long. The only thing worse was afterpains- when he was feeding I would want to howl, they were so sharp. I had him at home, was absolutely brilliant and one of the best experiences of my life.

First was much longer, disorientating, stressful, instrumental delivery etc. I felt like i wanted to rewind and do it again from the start. Second time around I had a clearer plan, I got a tens machine which dramatically helped. I kept expecting the contractions to feel like they did the first time but they were completely different timings and strength. It was also much shorter than first, first twinge at 2am and baby born at 10pm. I’d say I was only in a lot of pain when baby’s head was crowning as i had no break like a contraction it was just constant stinging and huge pressure. I had a much clearer mind, a water birth, I knew exactly what was going on too.

Mine were very similar which is surprising given my first was spontaneous and I was induced with the second. Both quick and intense and vomited all the way through.

Quicker, easier, less painful

Much more painful and longer.

Quicker but much more painful which is bizarre given I had syntocinon with my first but not my second .

Much quicker and contractions much less painful (didn't even realise I was in full labour most of the day). Pushing more painful but only because I had no pain relief second time.

First was an induction, quick to dilate (3 hrs) but pushing took forever (1.5 hrs) and I had an episiotomy. Felt very medical - cannulas, continuous monitoring, etc. Felt I had failed in not being able to push baby out. Knackered and weak afterwards, recovery from stitches pretty painful.

Second all natural, again pretty quick dilation (although not as quick as drip!), pushing stage super quick (about 3-4 contractions). Birthed in the water. Very hands off monitoring and freedom to move. Felt amazing afterwards. Discharged less than six hours after birth. Few stitches but much more comfortable during healing.

No pain relief (drugs or gas and air) with either and the induction was more intense, second labour slower build up and marginally less painful. But delivery more painful as I was cut first time so no crowning.

Afterpains much worse second time.