4th labours/births/ aaagggghhh...

[catbus]

Have posted this in the pregnancy bit aswell..

Ok I will try to calm down, but as usual it's getting late and that's when I start to flap! I still have 9 and a bit weeks to go; have had 2 out of 3 on the due date; any theories on whether this will be another bang on timer?

Anyone give me their experiences of 4th labours and births please? Had last DC 2.8 years ago, but is all very fresh in my mind. He was back to back so very intense no gaps contractions, but looking back the fastest and 'easiest' labour so far.

However, the afterpains were fecking dreadful; I gather they get worse the more you have?

I have heard 3rd labours can be buggers, but it wasn't so bad..
What is the general concensus on 4th labours?

Am hoping this will be another homebirth, but for some reason am crapping it more about this birth than any of them! Perhaps it's because I know it'll be my last.

Experiences very welcome

Sorry, have no advice but also would be very interested in knowing answers! PG with 4th as well, 3rd labour WAS a bugger (14 hours and horrible) and I still want to smack all the people who told me how "easy" the 3rd would be

OP, I am planning on requesting a consultant/anaesthetist referral purely to address afterpain probs; they were so bad last time that it actually negeatively impacted my bf. No question, it was as bad as labour but without the benefit of G and A. And I got told to take paracetamol, which had all the effect of a yellow smartie. I have no bloody intention of going through that kind of pain again.

I'd better not, but suffice to say that my 4th was untypical of 4th births according to all the staff. Untypical of all births in that she'd managed an extremely rare type of cord entanglement, so crash C section is was for us. It was actually the quickest recovery of all four births though, although I acknowledge that I was very very lucky in that.

Oh joy..!!

ANY positives out there???!

I had my 4th on Sunday, I was induced a week early due to low liquor. The birth was probably my best birth of the lot. It took a lot to get the labour going, two lots of prostin, breaking my waters and then the drip. It was only when I had the drip that labour started properly, and my actual labour was recorded as 1hr 59mins, with a second stage of just 9mins. I only had the 9mins of intense pain, and I had no pain relief at all.

For the first time ever, I didn't need any stitches. Recovery has been pretty good, obviously very tired. I managed to walk the kids to school this morning, so getting back to normal already. The afterpains are not too bad, wouldn't say they are particularly different to last time.

Hope that helps