Tell me about your second birth?

[ComeOnBridgett]

Had a horrible first birth and want to know how the second birth went for you all.

Scared to TTC again!

It was lovely but then it was an ELCS.

My first birth was traumatic - forceps, internal and external tearing, 3 litre blood loss. The ELCS was bliss by comparison.

1st very long labour with the drip to try and speed things up ended in an emcs

2nd planned a c section. Baby had other ideas natural birth about 15 hours from start to finish.

O I had a horrible first birth, 29 hour labour, episiotomy & forceps delivery. Baby was born with cord double wrapped and had to be taken for oxygen straight away. I was traumatised after it.
Took me a couple of years before I could even think about doing it again. I got a copy of my birth notes and read through them to try and understand more.
Second pregnancy, I went to a different hospital. I was induced a day before my due date as baby was measuring big. Being induced was a dream, I found it so calming to be in the hospital with the nurses there if i needed them. Baby was born within 14 hours, an 11lb baby, I found the labour and birth much easier, only had a small tear, they did do a vacuum delivery to help, but the recovery was much easier and I felt so good after it.

It wasn't how I planned but I think part of the problem was I had a really easy birth 1st time so I was expecting it to be the same. Dc2 was back to back and it hurt a lot but my labour with him was thankfully short (90 minutes).

First birth 6 weeks early and 17.5 hours
Second birth one week late and 1hr!!!

It was a beautiful experience. Long early labour (pub lunch, long walk, candles, bouncing on my ball, napping) then it all kicked off, headed to hospital and had her two hours later. Really powerful, healing, straightforward. Walking on air afterwards. She came at 39 weeks exactly.

My first birth - 4 day induction at 37 weeks ending in ventouse, episiotomy, Haemorrhage, Postnatal infection and SCBU admission and 5 day stay for the baby - oxygen, IV antibiotics and phototherapy for jaundice.

Both vaginal deliveries

1st - long labour, problem with cervix dilating slowly, got very tired and pushing stage slowed down due to exhaustion. Baby in distress - meconium. Transferred from birthing centre to hospital via ambulance - emergency episiotomy and hurried forceps delivery. Pain for months from stitching.

2nd - piece of piss. Woke up in night with slight contractions two weeks before due date. Told husband to stay in bed as it would be ages. Called him down one hour later as contractions two minutes apart. Attempted to pack hospital bag - no time! Only just managed to drop DS1 at grandparents and rush to hospital just in time - baby popped out within half hour of arrival. Slight tear - skipped to hospital for check up the next day.

First birth, 21 hour spontaneous labour at 39 weeks, had an epidural leading to a forceps delivery.

Second birth, 12 hour spontaneous labour at 40 weeks, very straightforward, just gas & air needed.

Third birth, 5 hour spontaneous labour at 39 weeks, gas & air only, planned home birth.

They got progressively easier and quicker, but I have long labours.

Horrendous 1st birth so took 10 years to try again!
2nd birth was a breeze! Induced over 2 days but only 2 hours in labour eventually, no pain relief, no stitches. ( did have a PPH though)

They say every pregnancy is different but both my pregnancy's were pretty much identical. 3 years apart. Both arrived at 36 weeks, both before my actual maternity leave started. Both were born 9lbs exactly. With both of them my waters went in the middle of the night, both ended up as emergency C section. Both had a full head of very dark hair. (1st section lost lots of blood so 2nd was slightly better)
Glad I didn't go full term with them both, they would have been whoppers!
They look identical now, except for the height. Eldest is 8 & youngest just turned 5.

It was amazing, genuinely.

First was long and awful. Second, my body just seemed to know what to do and took over for me.

If I could experience it again I would do it in a heartbeat. It erased all of the bad feeling so had about my first birth too.

It was painful because she was back to back and I was induced but the pushing stage was over very very quickly and I felt more in control because I'd done it before

I also had a very difficult first birth, OP. Induced at 42 weeks, epidural, ventouse delivery, episiotomy, major haemmorhage. I was terrified to try to conceive again so can understand your concerns. However, second birth was totally straightforward, managed most of the labour at home, had no pain relief and gave birth less than an hour after getting to the hospital.

2nd was a VBAC.

Contractions started early one morning a couple of days before due date.

They carried on all day and around 6.30pm decided to head to hospital.

Was examined around 7pm to find out I was only 2cms.

Walked up and down the corridors in the hospital for 30-45mins and contractions seemed to be one continuous contraction.

Tried to lie down to sleep but was in too much pain so went back to labour ward.

Was examined again at 9pm and was 7cms dilated.

I was so happy thinking I’d be giving birth in a couple of hours.

At some point baby must have turned OP because it wasn’t until 9.30am the following morning baby was born. 12hrs it took to go from 7cms to 10cms?!

It was agony, epidural was 100% ineffective and they had me pushing on my back with legs in stirrups.

Kiwi extraction and 2nd degree tear and baby born healthy.

First birth was horrendous. Total neglect by the midwives, fucking shambles.

Different hospital, amazing experience. 4.5 hours from start to finish.

1st birth normal vaginal birth was home the next day with stitches

2nd birth awful pushed for hours only to end up with emergency c section. Lost lot of blood, kept in hospital for 8 days after for monitoring

First birth was traumatic. Went overdue, had long and arduous induction ending in emergency c-section.

Second birth was a breeze. Elective c-section, so serene and peaceful, felt on cloud nine for weeks afterwards.

First birth at 37 weeks, waters went in the night, born three hours later with a few stitches.

Second birth at 32 weeks, waters went in the night, rushed to hospital to delay labour as long as they could. Rushed to emergency c-section as heart rate dropped. Cancelled at the last minute as it picked up again. Went into actual labour the next day and DS was born within 45 minutes. Needed resuscitation, transferred to a different NICU and was allowed home a month later. I needed to have a manual placenta removal as it didn’t pass on it’s own.

Both actual births were quick and fairly easy, though the pain ramps up so fast when you give birth quickly!

The second was much much quicker. My body knew what it was doing and I let it get on with it. Took 3 hours in total.

both my labors have been fast ones thankfully. with my first, I didn't even know I was in labor until I felt like I needed to push I had no contractions.
With number 2 I had some contractions around 1 hour before giving birth.
Both times I was lucky I even got to the hospital.

I had a very traumatic first birth and ended up on itu.
Second birth was twins had them naturally with just gas and air after being induced. It was such a contrast to the first experience.

First one was quick. Second one was quicker. Felt a lot more in control second time round and I knew what was happening. Needed gas and air (didnt first time) but felt very in control and in my zone. Baby2 was in a different position pretty much the whole pregnant so it was a completely different experience

DC1 - long, awful, ventouse, so many drugs, jaundice, episiotomy....long list of issues.

DC2 - easy, no pain relief as too fast, midwife led, big baby but no tearing, from first contraction to birth was about 4 hours. Home in time for tea.

First was emergency section under general. Second was elective section. The best decision ever.

Second so much easier for me
1st back to back , waters broke couple days before going into laboir then a 36 hrs , epidural that didn't work well &ventuose birth and epistomy needed
2nd did have some gas and air but lntense labour about 2 hrs and so much easier, he was even born in his sac but much easier experience