Was your third labour quicker than your second, especially at 39?

[Historian0111101000]

We’re thinking of having our third baby and I’ll be 39 at the time of delivery.

I’ve had two previous natural births with no complications. First was an induction, second started on its own. Both pregnancies were straightforward and births went fine overall.

What I’m a bit worried about this time is how fast my second labour was. It was about 5 hours total. I went into hospital when contractions started, and by the time I was 5cm they were about to offer an epidural—but I went from 5cm to fully dilated in about 20 minutes after they broke my waters. The pain was absolutely intense and things escalated really quickly.

I genuinely think if I’d followed NHS advice and stayed at home longer I would have ended up giving birth on the kitchen floor, because I didn’t really feel much until I was already quite far along.

So I’m just wondering—if your third labour was your fastest, how did it compare to your second? Did it end up even quicker, and did you have any complications because of the speed?

Any experiences would be really helpful.

my second labour was pretty quick. I went from 4cm to delivering in an hour. Spent a couple of hours at home debating whether I was in labour before heading in.

My third labour was a planned home birth because I was worried about giving birth in the car. In total, my third labour was about 3 hours from when the midwife arrived to delivery but it was so calm staying at home. Zero stitches or complications!

Not my third, but first birth was six hours and with my second I went from 2cm when waters were broken to holding her in 40 mins. Midwife wasn't even in the room. So I'd say you need to plan for a home birth.

I don’t think it’s always predictable. My first labour was 2 hours 30 from first contraction to birth, so I was expecting my second to be about 5 minutes! It was 1 hour 10. So half as long but still time to get to the hospital. I had planned a home birth but in the end wanted to go in and did.

Third births are notorious for being tricky though and especially if there’s a big gap between 2 and 3, so im not sure if I’d go for a home birth if I were to have another.

Yes. My labours went from about 6 hours for the first one, 2 hours for child 2 and 50 minutes from the first slight twinge to birth for child 3. I was in my late 30s for child 3.

Child 3 was a planned home birth, but the midwife only just made it in time. The second midwife you're supposed to have got there after the birth. There was no way I could have got to hospital, so I'm glad it was a planned home birth

My first was 4 hours, second was 8 hours after induction and my 3rd was 45 minutes barely got on the hospital bed thankfully was 5 mins from hospital

My third was longer than my second by a fair way but both were induced. I was 40 when
I gave birth to my third. The midwife actually said to me that third births are notoriously tricky. You can never really know what’s going to happen though so plan for all eventualities and hope for the best!

There’s really no way of knowing! My third was a lot quicker than my second , born within hour and half of getting to hospital. My fourth was even quicker , within an hour and born in triage after the midwife gave me a sweep and went from 4 to 10 in around 20 mins. Also to add my contractions were regular at all , kept changing length and interval time so good thing I didn’t follow the guidelines .

First was hour and ten mins, second was 45 minutes, third I woke up pushing involuntarily in the night and he was born 20 mins later as soon as we got into the hospital assessment room.

All 3 were pretty quick. 3rd one was planned homebirth but baby arrived before midwife got there! Was actually a great experience and didn’t have time to be scared! Husband on the other hand practically had a nervous breakdown 😁

Oh my! It sounds like the third baby might come very quickly.

My children are 4 and 22 months old, so there won't be a huge gap between them.

I'm really worried about having a fast labour. I couldn't do a home birth—I need to be in a hospital surrounded by doctors in case anything goes wrong. I live about 25 minutes away from the hospital by car.

My second labour was about 4 hours from first twinge to birth and they kept saying to take paracetamol and not to come into hospital as I ‘didn’t sound like I was in labour’ 🫠 to their shock he was born as soon as I made it into the birth centre. It really put me off the stress of trying to get to the hospital again so I’m definitely planning for a homebirth this time around. The midwives are really well equipped with things like gas and air, oxygen for you and baby if needed, Pitocin injections in case of PPH and they usually have an ambulance on standby as well.

Some areas like Leicester have a dedicated home birth team who are incredible and even supply the birthing pools and aromatherapy oils!

First baby (age 34): 19 hours from being woken up by contractions to birth
Second baby (age 36): 2 hours from first contraction to birth and born in the car (do not recommend)
Third baby (age 39): 3 and a half hours from realising I was in labour to birth.

I had trauma counselling and put a lot of work into planning the birth for my third - we had plan A, plan B and plan C, all of which started with registering with the home birth team. Plan A was transfer to hospital in an ambulance with home birth midwife if the baby didn’t seem to be coming too quickly (because no way was I getting in a car again to get to the hospital). Plan B was home birth if baby was coming quickly. Plan C was dial 999 and wing it if I happened to be out and about.

As it happened Plan A was what happened, we called the home birth team and ambulance at the same time. Ambulance arrived first, home birth midwife arrived and came with me. I also live about 25mins (on a good traffic day) from the hospital.

In your shoes I’d register with the home birth team just in case, as if it is going really quickly at least you know medical professionals are on their way to you. You can transfer in an ambulance AT ANY TIME during a home birth, and we just chose to do that immediately due to what happened to us before, all discussed and supported by the home birth team in advance. I also considered induction (but still registered with home birth team), and another thing we seriously considered was renting an Airbnb near the hospital, but the logistics with school runs etc would have made that impossible.

Make lots of potential plans with various eggs in various baskets so you can choose the one that best fits your circumstances when things start, as you never know which way it’ll go.

My friend has just had her 3rd after two very fast labours. She was really worried she wouldn’t make it to hospital on time. In the end the labour took 10 hours, longer than both the others. I’ve heard 3rd labours are often very unpredictable

My third was quick. Recorded as 16 minutes but is had about an hour of contractions first.
I had an induction and once things started they didn't stop.
I could have had her at home (all three could have been at home) but I didn't have access to home birth.

In your circumstances it might be worth having a secondary plan in case you do accidentally give birth at home. Just a little box with extra towels etc. maybe one of those space blankets in case you need to be warmed up fast. If it's in a box or bag you can sling it in the car if needed. Given you have small children it might be worth watching birth or two with them first. There are some good videos about. Then if your at home they understand a bit of what's going on.

You could also look at having an induction. That way you are in hospital already. Worth talking to your midwife to see if hat is an option.

Fast births sound brilliant but they can be overwhelming afterwards.

My third was pretty quick but I found that everyone took me a lot more seriously than with the others. They trusted that I knew when I was ready to come in and I definitely felt I knew what was happening too (and was much more prepared to put my foot down too!).

No

My third labour was exponentially faster than my second (which was already faster than first labour, which was fast in itself). Midwives and consultants were very very good at making precautionary plans with me antenatally though - we had option A, B, C, D, E and F! I was incredibly anxious about the birth (as my second baby was unexpectedly born at home while I was totally alone with my toddler), and they took me very seriously which I'm grateful for.

I was officially booked for a home birth (despite having no desire for one), as that was the only way I could have a midwife come directly to me should my labour progress too quickly for me to get to hospital. One contingency plan was for me to call the home birth team the second I thought labour was starting, they would then call an ambulance and then the midwife could escort me to hospital in the ambulance if they considered there to be enough time, if not I'd birth at home. Obviously I also could have just called an ambulance myself if needed but I very much wanted a midwife not just a paramedic. There were also talks of planning for induction at 39 weeks, or being admitted to the antenatal ward at 39 weeks so that I was already in hospital when labour started. As it happened I needed to be induced much earlier due to health concerns with baby; I had multiple failed pessaries, but the last one worked and I went from mild cramping not sure if it was going to work to baby in arms within 30 minutes.

My first and second were slow labours. The third came quickly. I only just got to the hospital in time. I thought I was going to have him in the lift up to the Labour suite. I didn’t have time for any pain relief. I felt amazing afterwards and they brought me some fish and chips for my lunch. They brought round a group of expectant parents to see the Labour suite and I was introduced as a lady who had just given birth. I sat there stuffing my face with my lunch, as I was starving.

My first laborbirth was 36 hrs. Second was five. Third was 3 hrs from start to finish. I called my dh and he didn’t want to leave work. Hospital 30 min. away. Baby born half hour after that. Nurse didn’t believe I was in labor until I looked at her and said “my water just broke” 🤬.

I’ve given birth three times, the second was by far the quickest (the first was the slowest).

My third labour at 39 (homebirth) was very long - much longer than my second. But then there was a gap of 10 years so that could well be why?!!
It was still by far the best birth experience, having had two really rough hospital births previously.

Thank you! I never thought about registering with the home birth team, so that's really good advice.I also considered renting somewhere nearby, but I'd still have the same issue with nursery and school drop-offs. Plus, I don't think I'd be able to relax anywhere other than at home.My parents will be staying with us, so if necessary, we can leave in the middle of the night without worrying about the children.
Also, my dad is a paramedic and has delivered hundreds of babies in ambulances. Obviously, that wouldn't be the ideal situation, but it's reassuring to know that if it did happen, someone experienced would be here and know what to do.

That's a good idea about keeping boxes of essentials both at home and in the car. I'll definitely do that.
I actually asked about being induced with my second because I had a feeling the baby would arrive quickly. The midwife said I couldn't have an induction unless I reached 41 weeks, so they booked me in for exactly 41 weeks. In the end, my second arrived at 40+3, so I never made it to the induction date!

Could I stay in the hospital even if I don't have any underlying health issues? I honestly wouldn't mind that.
What worries me most is not making it to the hospital in time as I lost quite a lot of blood with my first birth.
With my second I was given medication through a drip to help prevent a haemorrhage.

Yes. Second was about 4 hours from minor back pain to baby, and #3 was less than 2 hours. We had a half hour drive which was stressful but we got there in time.