Is it trus that second births are generally easier than first? I am due in 2 weeks, and nervous!

[twounder2]

Please be honest!

Oh yes... mine certainly was. Maybe because I knew more about what was happening as it happened, but it was also quicker too. DC2's head seemed to appear without too much effort really.

it was faster but it was jmore painful. it was relentless. first time round i had a gap between contractions wher ei could breathe. second time round there was no gap. i spent my labour standing up-mostly leaning on either the bed or on dh's shoulders. i would have a contraction, straighten up to move and another would WHAM.i coped with only gas and air though-just was very quiet and inside myself.
was 3cm at 2-2.30pm and he was born at 6.16pm

maybe not more painful but more demanding

Yes. For me it was. I had an emergency c/s for my first and was very nervous with the second. So much so that I would have happily had another c/s but DS wriggled out all on his ownsome within about 9 hours of my first contractions compared to 48 with my first. I also knew better what to expect and being a total woose regarding pain, I could call for the appropriate pain relief when I wanted it and generally felt more in control.

Good luck, you'll be fine x

My first was a gruelling 26 hours with ds in posterior position. I am nervous of a repeat performance!

yep dd was born after 6 hours of labour, cuts, stiches, heamorraging the lot. 2 years later ds shot out after 1 hour 31 mins no complicatons and out the hospital a few hours,
good luck

DD's birth (2nd child) was much easier than DS's

Oh yes - my dd2's birth was by far the easiest of my 3

good luck

Do you think a 15 month age gap will ease my labour - iow - been through it recently?

I think they are generally quicker, but certainly for me the intensity of the labour pain was higher (maybe because it all happened so quickly).

Unfortunately I went on to have an emergency section as DS2 was only diagnosed as breech during the labour

I was very nervous about my second labour having being induced with DS1 and him being born by forceps 30 hours later.....

19 months later, DS2 popped out after a 2 hour labour and 3 pushes

Good god Tommy!

yes it was a bit of a shock

My first was 4 days of on and off contractions and then about 26 hours of 'proper' labour. Second was 3 hours, more intense but I would say less painful and just generally lovely.

So I would say yes.

Good luck.

DS1 took 33 hours, I had all the pain relief going and ended up with a ventouse delivery after 3 hours of pushing.

DD took 3 hours from the first contraction (despite the fact I was induced), with less than half an hour of pushing. It was far more intense but I coped on just G&A.

Ds2 took under 2 hours from the first contraction and 13 mins after my waters broke. I just ad G&A for him too.

For me, second and third times were far easier, I recovered quicker afterwards too.

Similar here, first took 16 hours after arriving at the hospital, second took 30 minutes after I arrived in hospital in transition! No stitches second time around either.

Much easier, and I was able to cope with the pain much better too. My first was similar to yours twounder, I ended up with a 3rd degree tear. But second time round was quicker and I had a smaller tear. My second also weighed 2 1/2 lbs more than my first!

Forgot to say - Good Luck!

Was induced with DD1 and had epidural but felt really sick afterwards and recovery felt slow. DD2 just G & A, much quicker and felt more in control. Am now expecting DD3 on Tuesday and still feel nervous-compare it to knowing in advance I'm going to break my leg sometime soon and don't know how much it will hurt!! At least we get something amazing out of it though!! Good luck!!!

From the mummy's I have been with a big YES they have all had much shorter births

Best wishes and positive birth vibes

I had a very long labour with ds, he got stuck and I had keilands forceps. Im due tomorrow so feeling completely the same regarding nerves and worries! Also have to deliver in hospital so bit worried about that - wanted to try for a homebirth again but complications mean otherwise.

Have recieved some wonderful information and support on here, and will have a doula with me this time aswell as dp so hoping I will be able to cope. Just fed up waiting now!

Good Luck, I really hope everything for you is manageable.

my 2nd was the best of my 4 by miles

my last one was op and was hideous.

Knowing roughly what to expect helps a lot. My 2nd labour took less than half the time of my first (ooh, a whopping 3 hours then). So less painful because less time, less contractions etc.

I still tore but there wasn't nearly so much heavy swelling etc and the general recovery was much quicker.

Best wishes!

well.......for me it was.

first baby was 7hr 'estalished' labour but they conveniently ignored me telling them about the 14hrs of contractions befoer then as I wasn;t 3cms dilated for that......and that includes the 1hr of pushing (eek at the remembered pain for that).

DD2 was 4hrs established labour, only 2hrs of contractions before that, and the pushing was 5mins!!!!

DD3 was longer (12hrs), but then I had SPD and couldn;t walk, so then couldn't get things going the same. Again tho, 5mins pushing.

DS1 was 7hrs again, and again 5mins pushing, and then DS2 was 4hrs with once again the 5mins pushing.

and also, from DD2 onwards, I got to 5cms dilated with each of them, and then babies were born literally 5mins from that internal. Seems to me that I get to 5cms, stay there until I have an internal, that then triggers something and I have the babies 5mins later......

only things I will warn........after pains are worse per baby, which I was never told about so were something of a shock!

About the same, but ds1 came pretty quickly. However, with ds1 I pushed for about 2 hours, but with ds2 it was only 30 min. So in that regard it was easier. Both of them were less than 7 hours from 1st contraction to birth.