3rd births- tell me about yours?

[TeddyTonks]

I'm 8 weeks with baby number 3. Hopefully all goes well...I'm already thinking about the birth- the pain from last time has definitely not left me!

First birth I was induced, period pains for 20 hours then 1cm to baby in 3.5hrs, gas and air- pretty good birth really, 2nd degree tear but easy recovery.

Second birth, induced again, period pains for 20 hours, ignored in a side ward as I 'wasnt dilating' despite saying I progressed v quickly last time. Luckily new midwife came on shift and listened to me, called husband in (he made it with 20 mins to spare) 1cm to baby in under 49 minutes...I felt like I'd been hit by a train, really shellshocked, had a bad 2nd degree tear high up which took a lots of stitching and felt shaky for days after.

Interested to hear how people's 3rd births compared to their first and second?

1. Induced 42wks. Back to back, pessary, drip, epidural, ventouse, 3rd degree tear and episiotomy and minor pph. 13hrs

1. Spontaneous at 10days late. Probably 18hrs from first twinge but actual labour was 6. Second degree tear.

1. Induced at 42wks again the little toad. Waters broken and born 2hrs later. Second degree tear.

1. Induced at 40wks due to size, body not ready that early so needed drip (and therefore epidural) but only 4hrs established labour. Second degree tear.

1. Induced at 41wks due to age. Same as dd3. Waters broken and 2hr labour. No tears.

So mine haven't got shorter than 2hrs, but equally only one has ever turned up spontaneously, so who knows what would have happened if I hadn't always been induced.

Gosh @BurningBenches, you don't give those babies up easily do you! I'm going into this assuming I'll be induced again, but would love a natural labour to see if I can do it in a slightly more civilized manner

1st birth c section at 35 weeks due to pre eclampsia. 2nd birth waters broke spontaneously at 34 weeks and emergency c section due to distressed baby and I had a milder dose of pre eclampsia . 3rd birth waters broke at 33 weeks and c section but no pre eclampsia or any other issues. Had my tubes tied on my 3rd I'm not risking any more drama.

First 2, both over 12 hours, heavily medicated. Baby 3, waters went 3:30pm in school playground 😳 then nothing till 4am when contractions started, came on thick and strong. By 6am woke dh, 7:30am left for hospital, 8am parked, holding baby at 8:30am! All happened fast at the end. Was all good though. No pain relief, which I wanted as I had felt awful and sicky after the first two. Was home by 3pm too!

First was forceps and 3rd degree tear after 12 hour labour. 2nd was induced on due date (big baby!) Was 50 minutes start to finish. 3rd induced at 39 weeks - 3 hours start to finish - husband only just made it (COVID restrictions). 2nd was the most straight forward but 3rd only complicated by COVID

My 3rd birth was super quick, went from 4cm to baby being born in less than 30 minutes, no tear. No time for any pain relief, barely made it to the delivery suite. I've heard a lot of people saying their 3rd birth was super quick. Have you considered a home birth, considering your second came quite fast?

I like the idea of a home birth for other people but fear me and DH are too risk averse 🙈 I know a few people who've had very poor outcomes and like to be close by to emergency equipment and doctors just in case...

All mine have been spontaneous, 1&2 in hospital where labour has stalled both times (as soon as I walk through the door contractions have tailed off), ended up on drip as wasn’t progressing fast enough for hospital timings.

3rd was at home and I was very overdue. A very quick and wonderful experience! I appreciate that your friends experiences will influence your opinion but you should have a read around safety of home births-it is a very safe place to birth especially for babies 2+

I had 2 great first births, well they sort of both got to that point where it was heading towards intervention but neither did and I didn't have so much as a tear. Third birth, well... worst of the lot, ended up with forceps in theatre and a very long (ongoing) recovery. I was so breezy going into it too, I really did think I was going to cartwheel out 4 hours later without a scratch. I couldn't really walk for 2 months. Don't get me wrong I had a healthy baby and he was totally fine, but I didn't have the amazing easy third birth I envisioned. All my births were very long, my third was start stop for 2 weeks!! I had so many false alarms, 6 hours or so of real contractions for it to stop, I didn't believe I was in labour when I finally was.

I had been told by a midwife when I was having my second that third births can go either way (best birth or worst of the lot) and also that odd number births seem to have more issues than even, so 1st and third are harder than 2nd and fourth. Rings true for me my best birth was my second (still hurt don't get me wrong, it wasn't a sneeze 😆!!!). Having said all this I am actually sad I won't ever do it again (I don't think 🤔🤣) which is mad when I think back to how bloody awful it was. Maternal urge to have babies is a weird and powerful thing! Hopefully your third will be an easy sneeze, good luck!

All mine were spontaneous labours within five days either side of my due date. I had a 21 hour labour with DC1, epidural leading to forceps and lots of stitches. DC2 was a normal birth, took around 12 hours with just gas and air, but more stitches. DC3 was a wonderful home birth, five hours from start to finish, again with gas and air - which ran out just as I got to the pushing stage. It was fine, pushed him out in under five minutes, it was a fabulous birth experience. And this time no stitches!

Funnily enough I heard too that 3rd births can be tricky and the worst. Thankfully mine wasn't.

1. waters went at 38 weeks. Contractions only started 8 hours later. 24 hour labour, back to back, epidural, ventouse. Retained placenta so surgery afterwards and blood transfusion. Pretty traumatic!

2. induced at 42+2 - lazy toad! Drip but happened super quick: 3cm to fully dilated in an hour. Gas and air only. Blood transfusion again!!

3. Induced at 40 weeks (I'd just turned 40 so had to be). Pessary overnight, took forever. Eventually 2cm- fully dilated really quickly, about 45 mins. Gas and air only. He slid out and no blood transfusion!! Yeah. So 3rd was actually grand- except for being up all night in a side room bouncing on the bloody ball watching reruns of grand designs

Good luck x

1. 2 hours
2. 2 hours
3. 2 days (back to back)

We all have different experiences.

1. waters went at 38 weeks, 10 hour labour on ward then emergency C-section due to undiagnosed breech (10 cm dilated and about to start pushing when midwife noticed it was a bottom not a head descending)
2. 39 weeks, woke with contractions at 4:30am, into hospital at 6, baby born at 7:20
3. went into labour spontaneously at 42+1 weeks, the night before planned induction. Contractions started 9pm-ish, baby born at 4:50. Had planned a home birth but there was meconium in the fluid so ended up going to hospital. Good luck OP!

1. Waters broke in bed at night, went to hospital and DC born 4 hours later.

1. Waters broke at home in loo, DC born in hospital 40 minutes later.

1. Went to hospital for scan as suspected breech, found to be footling breech so told to book c-section next week. That night waters broke and had emergency c-section 45 minutes later.

1. Waters broke at home, went to hospital and baby born about 12 hours later. Epidural.

1. Waters broke in the bath, once contractions started baby was born very quickly, about 2 hours after getting to hospital.

1. Contractions started, went to birth unit at midnight, high BP so sent to hospital. Baby born 3 hours later.

We're all different. But out of 5 births, my third was honestly the easiest. And she was by far my biggest baby. So take heart. Best of luck

1. Induced at 42 weeks, baby born 9 hours later
2. contractions started and baby born 5 hours later (easiest one)
3. waters broke in bed at 5am, baby born 4 hours later but pain was funnily enough the worst out of the 3 (intense but clearly shorter than 1)

my best friend had an awful experience with home birth (she still talks about it now eighteen years later) but of course each experience is different and presumably things have changed a lot in the last eighteen years

good luck OP

1st 40wks + 10 days contractions started at 8pm, waters broke on the loo at hospital about 4am. Arrived at 8.30am ventouse, gas and air, back to back, episiotomy
2nd 40wks + 11days contractions started 8am, waters broke on the loo at home about 7pm, ambulance to hospital. Arrived at 9pm gas and air, episiotomy. Biggest of the 3
3rd (10yr gap from number 2) 40wks + 2days waters broke in bed at 6am. Contractions on and off all day. Visit to hospital following morning at 9am to be checked over. Contractions started about 1pm. Arrived at 5.50pm at home just gas and air no interventions. Showered and eating tea at 7.30pm.

First 2 were boys, last one a girl and different partner. His two boys were both born at 37wks. All different births, my home birth was the best of the three.

My third was by far the easiest and quickest. When he came out I was so shocked it was all over already because the first two were SO PAINFUL!! He was a big boy too, my biggest by far.

1st baby - induced at 12 days overdue by pessary. Overcontracted,. In labour 14.5 hours, went to break my waters to discover their were none there, instead my baby's head got a few nicks on it from the tool they break your waters with. Pit on drip, half hour later, there's meconium. I got taken for an emergency c section.
2nd baby, had an elective section booked. Went into spontaneous labour at 39+3. 56 hours. Pushed for 2.5 hours. Ended up with forceps. 2nd degree tear, episiotomy and grazing.
I'm 34+3 just now and hoping for another vaginal birth, hopefully a bit easier!!

My 3rd was also well over a pound bigger than my other two. He didn't look like one of ours, chubby and red faced with black hair!

After one elective CS for breech and one failed ventouse, forceps and third degree tear, my third was very quick and straightforward. So quick that I arranged a home birth for the next one.

Hi op, I have had my 3rd baby back in December at 38 weeks... He will b 7 weeks on Wednesday..
His birth was very traumatic l(not trying to scare you or anyone).. he actually got stuck in my pelvis. This is called shoulder dysphasia.. they reckon it's because he was big. He weighed 9lb6oz... I was told on my last growth scan 30/11/21 that he was only 6lb14oz.. however babies don't put on much weight at the end of pregnancy. 2 weeks later on 15/12/21 I gave birth. It's the first big baby I've had as my other 2 children, who are 13 and 7 was only 6lb1oz and 7lb6oz..

May I also add that I had a 3rd degree tear.

1st birth - Induced at 40+16, had him after a traumatic labour (plus epidural) at 40+18 ending in episiotomy, forceps and a massive PPH. He swallowed meconium and had to have IV antibiotics, stayed in hospital for 5 days.

2nd birth - Induced at 39+4 due to unstable lie, lovely 2 hour labour with just gas and air, minor PPH but I felt fine and went home next day.

3rd birth - Spontaneous labour at 40+6, 4 hours, gas and air, no PPH or complications at all. Unfortunately I had delayed PTSD following this birth as he looked like DS1 and I got flashbacks, was very mentally unwell for a long time but physically the birth was perfect, went home less than 12 hours later.