How did your first labour compare to your second?

[totallyfedup88]

Due in 8 weeks and I'm terrified, worse than last time! How did your first labour differ from your second?

First was 24 hours early labour at home, not too painful- more annoying really. Contractions ramped up around 8pm, went in and was open 4. Went into birthing pool shortly after and baby born shortly before midnight. I found the pressure of the baby descending worse than the pain of the contractions, but gas & air helped. Had an episiotomy right at the end because heartbeat started going- was born with cord twice around the neck.

DS2 from first contraction till baby born was just 2 hours! Although I did have an inkling all day that something was going to happen- diarrhea, backache, cramps, etc. Was such an easy birth, he was born in the pool and I remember when midwife was stitching me up, I told her it was so easy, i'm ready to do it all over again!

In general 2nd births are quick so hopefully you'll be lucky too. Best of luck!

1st.. 24 hours .. all the drugs.. forceps..

2nd.. 3 hours no drugs ..no help

It was shorter. I had a very long early stage with both DC but it was about half the time with DC2. Then the dilating part from 4-10 went faster, and pushing was MUCH easier as I knew what to do and didn't want to do it for ages so I just got him out ASAP lol.

With both of them I had a bit of a freak out when the pain got bad during the early stage. This was then abated when I made a decision to get pain relief.

Unfortunately the second birth went a bit wrong in that the pain relief didn't work. But I was abroad and didn't have my trusty gas and Air. This time around I have made sure to seek out the only hospital around that has it. That was the only thing that was worse about the second birth. I didn't tear or need stitches with the second one. I did have to be separated from DC2 as he went off to special care for some oxygen but it was ok.

1st pre eclampsia , hospital from 32 weeks#
induced 38 weeks
inducing took 2 days
labour 24 hours ending with forceps in theatre in case they failed

2nd went into spontaneous labour 37 weeks labour less than 4 hours, no pain relief at all needed

@bruffin that second birth sounds like the dream haha! How did it start if you don't mind me asking? I'm 37 weeks atm and would loveeee spontaneous labour to just come on soon!

Yes a million times better!
DC1 was 9 hours with 45 min of pushing
DC2 was 2 hours with 10 min of pushing

I knew what I was doing second time, as a PP said, and I weirdly felt great afterwards including recovery. Good luck OP!

[quote c307]@bruffin that second birth sounds like the dream haha! How did it start if you don't mind me asking? I'm 37 weeks atm and would loveeee spontaneous labour to just come on soon! [/quote]
HI it was a dream, compared to DS. I did feel exhilarated after it.

I had a temperature when i got to hospital.
I did have an awful cold the next few days and so did poor dd which is probably why she came early. She was also stuck under my ribs and had positional talipes so probably not much room left either.

1st - 28 hours established labour (48 hours start to finish).
2nd - 11 minutes.

Get to hospital pronto for number 2.

First - long and slow
Second - hard, fast and more painful

Quicker.
First: a week of contractions on/off ending up on a drip and a pretty torturous push/don’t push/here come the forceps session on Labour ward.
Second: 24 hours of contractions, which really only got bad after about 16 hours, in to the pool on arrival at birth centre, an hour more contractions and 20 mins of pushing.
(Third: 14 hours of not hugely painful but increasingly fast contractions, arrive at birth centre to be told not even 3cm dilated, swept, baby arrived an hour later, 0 mins pushing stage).

All three babies started back to back, the middle one was born back to back.

I was Induced with my first, all the drugs and ended in forceps with epidural going to high and being numb for 12 hours and then an infection.
2nd laboured all day from 5am wednesday day, irregular Contractions all day got to hospital 1am Thursday and was 9cm 2 hours pushing (my fault as I was doing it wrong) no pain relief and feel amazing!

1st spontaneous delivery. Gas and air. About 9hr Labour with 45min pushing

2nd degree tear

2nd spontaneous but had a couple of sweeps. Longer Labour but 10 min pushing. Gas and air. 2nd degree tear

2nd 1lb heavier than 1st

First: 40+5 weeks, water broke but labour didn’t follow, had to be induced, baby’s heart rate showed signs of distress after a few hours, but thankfully she was out after around 10 minutes of pushing. Tear needed stitches, stayed overnight out of sheer exhaustion and to learn how to breastfeed.

Second: labour started gently in the morning, like period cramps. It was uncomfortable but I was able to have brunch with a friend and bring DC1 for a haircut! I went to the hospital around 3pm, DS was born two hours later with just three minutes of pushing. No tearing, home by 8:30pm, speedy recovery. It was the dream!

I'm only 22 weeks but had a tough time with the 1st labour.. Reading all these positive 2nd stories is amazing, please keep them coming 🤣😍

First Labour - 24 hours epidural and forceps very nearly a emc

Second- 1st contraction 7am, ramped up by 2pm so went to the hospital where I was told to keep movung as contractions were still not long enough that happen right up until i got in the birth pool at 4.30pm and he was born 20mins later. I had no pain relief although I did ask when I was in the transition stage which was obviously too late 😂.
I was worried like you but honestly my birth experiences were so different and I was so pleased with how the 2nd went!

first labour was 36 hours, 10 hours in the birth centre, unmedicated and intense but positive!

second my water broke at home, blue lighted to hospital, gave birth within 2 hours. everyone was amazed how quick it was. and it just wasn't scary (although i hadn't prepared for this at the time). a midwife said i was smiling in between contractions (!)

Was induced first and second labour. First labour was in hospital for 5 days before ds was born. Had to have a few pessaries, artificial rupture of membranes, hormone drip and then he had to be pulled out with a kiwi cap after about 12 hours of active labour.

2nd labour, first pessary went in and I was contracting mildly after an hour, waters broke on their own after about 12 hours, and then taken down to suite once I had reached 4cm dilated and then dd was out 40 mins later! Boom!

Similar to first labour. Spontaneous, long and slow, but at 12 hours half the time of my first labour. Major difference was I didn't have an epidural, just gas and air, and no forceps necessary. Lots of horrible stitches though, which wasn't fun.

1st was hell on earth
2nd & 3rd pretty breezy

Induced with the first, 26 hours later needed help with forceps.

My 2nd shot out like a tennis ball out of a ball machine, no time for drugs, it was all over and done with in no time x

Induced with 1st at 37+2 due to hypertension, 3 hr labour, seriously intense and honestly horrible as no one believed I was in labour and gave me paracetamol and told me to take a bath. Came out of it traumatised tbh where I was just left on my own and how intense it was.

2nd was amazing, came out of it said I'd do it again. Woke up at 1am with period pains, got up and pottered about a bit and contractions ramped up, rung birth centre and by that point I couldn't talk through my contractions. Got there around 3.15am, straight in the birth pool and she was here at 3.25am. Was such an amazing experience tbh and 1000% better than my first

I had 20 hour labour with my first son, very painful from the outset. I was in a private hospital which specialised in natural birth. I had a tear and lots of stitches. I was quite frightened they would start to talk about interventions as it went on so long.
Second time around it was a water birth at home, not more than 3 hours of mild discomfort from first twinge to DS2 being born. No tear and I was up and about getting dinner that evening ( showing off!) I was very apprehensive about birth with DS1 but with DS2 it was one of the best days of my life, especially as DS1 woke up and came downstairs to be there.

First was 22 hours, painful contractions but no urge to push, and ended up ventouse with stitches.
Second, 2 hours. I would say 2nd was a little more painful as it was so quick, but felt much more satisfying as I got to push and felt like how you expect a textbook birth to be.

First induced in hospital pretty straight forward birth , 5 hours from start to finish

Second birth I woke up at 3.58am screaming the fucking baby is coming then had the baby on my bathroom floor by myself 2 minutes later

Very different births

First was a breeze, 2nd was hard work, 3rd was a nightmare 4th ummmm short and sharp.

The biggest one was the shortest labour, the smallest one was the EMCS, the home birth was long and hard work.

You can't predict, try not to worry.