Do second babies come earlier and quicker?

[shinyshilling]

Do second babies come earlier and quicker? I know this might sound daft and I know you can't set your clock by them, but is this what happens generally? My last labour was eight hours...just wondering if I could possibly get out and join the last minute Christmas shoppers after dropping a child! LOL

DC2 was due date so no earlier and about half the time - 1 1/2 hours approx.

I always wonder that too... When I had my DS 15 months ago he was only out for about 10 mins (well could have been longer but felt like 10 mins ) and the midwife rubbed my shoulder and said...'just think; the next one will be out even quicker'... I was in labour for about 5 1/2 hours so expecting the next one to fly out (not that i'm planning anymore at the moment lol)

mine did
ds1 - 37+0, 2 hr labour
ds2 - 36+6, 15 min labour

15 mins... I can live in hope lol

DS - born at 38+3. Time from first contraction to birth was 8 hours 5 min
DD - born at 40+4. Time from first contraction to birth was 5 hours 45 min

both mine 40 weeks precisely.

Earlier - no
DD1 37+5 DD2 41+5 DD3 40+5

Quicker - yes
DD1 4h20m DD2 2h30m DD3 1h35m

Hoping quicker.

Apparently not sooner - DS1 39+2 DD1 is still cooking on her due date (today).

Can you sense Im not impressed?

Turn the oven up waitingtobloom, have some pineapple, a curry and a bit of sex...after all it's Friday! Hope all goes well for you.

In my case

not earlier (ds1 38+0, ds2 40+8)

but certainly faster (ds1 2+ days of labour, ds2 would have been an unplanned HB if I hadn't gone to hospital (on the bus ) for a routine monitoring appt - was 9cm on arrival and he arrived half an hour later.

In general, I think they do come a bit faster, but not always. Anecdotally - I have two friends who had quick, 'easy' first births and longer, more difficult second births. But, most people I know who had long, difficult first births found it easier second time round.

I don't think there's any truth in second births starting earlier.

Am I the only one who wants a longer labour with DC2? To give me time to sort out childcare for DC1. Did those of you with REALLY quick 2nd births have any warning signs before? How did you stop DC1 witnessing unplanned homebirth (my biggest fear!)

Mine didn't come earlier. He was five days late, but given that DS1 had been a week early, it felt like a long wait.

But my labour was a heck of a lot quicker. Contractions got going properly at about 6 p.m. and he was born by 8.20 p.m.

My last labour was 12hours. I hope the next one is much much quicker!

Mine came on his due date and was delivered after 7 hours. I went into labour with DS1 3 days before his due date but he took 48 hours to come out!
2nd was MUCH easier

redinthehead - in answer to your question - I had several days of what I think were pre-labour - with spells of quite intense contractions that then faded away. My waters also broke about 1.5 hours before the contractions started.

Not in my case.

DD1 took two hours and was two and a half weeks early. I didn't even know I was in labour and just happened to be in the hospital for a check up

DD2 was six hours and 10 days late. Home birth, up and at the shops that very afternoon for a bottle of bubbly

So no pattern there then!

And DD1 witnessed the birth, but was pretty unfazed by it, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Lol @ berolina too - I also recommend a bumpy bus trip to your antenatal checks, worked for both of us then!

redinthehead - warnings, well either 3mo of ever increasing BH's (which were every 10 mins for the last month+) or waters going 5 mins before first labour contraction - neither of which would have been useful as warning signs to arrange childcare. As is happens it was the middle of the night and ds1 was sound asleep and remained that way until morning when he came in and found his new brother.