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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Are subsequent labours more painful than the first?

61 replies

kkllww · 04/08/2014 09:06

Several friends & colleagues with 2 kids have told me that while their 2nd labours tended to be quicker, they were a lot more painful. Is this true? This is making me a bit apprehensive! :/

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Poolbirthx2 · 04/08/2014 16:54

Very true for me!
First pregnancy very long (36 hours) and painful, second very quick (7 hours) very very painful, but without pIn relief.
If i was to do it again i would say shorter but more painful lol

Good luck x

Longtalljosie · 04/08/2014 18:45

Second was more painful because the buggers refused to let me have ANY gas and air until... Oh look you are ready to push, is there any gas and air? Oh well no time now

I had ONE sodding puff of it while they stitched me up. It was an Austerity Birth...

FET14 · 04/08/2014 20:27

I really really hope so! Can surely not be worse in my case. Don't see how it can be more painful / longer than a pitocin-augmented back-to-back labour of over 3 days on only gas and air and a massive PPH??? I'm taking all the pain relief next time round. My body is clearly not meant to birth naturally after all the prep for that and the best will in the world. Epidurals may not favour easy breastfeeding but neither did the scenario last time around...

ImBrian · 04/08/2014 20:30

Second was definitely easier then the first and faster.

FET14 · 04/08/2014 20:34

Hope NOT!!
Needed forceps with spinal in theatre in the end so earlier epidural would have been no different except would have allowed me some rest / relief.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the best I can do is try to learn from last time.

ISpyPlumPie · 04/08/2014 20:35

Not true for me. Had gas and air first time and nothing second time yet still found second much less painful. Several key differences though :

DS1 was 9lb 2oz vs 7lb 10oz DS2

DS1 was born on dry land, DS2 was a water birth

Second stage lasted an hour with DS1 vs three pushes with DS2

DS1 was induced (prostin only, no drip) whereas DS2 arrived spontaneously.

I think the responses to this thread show like with most things birth related it's different for everyone and can be pretty much luck of the draw. Hope it all goes well for you

YoHoHoandabottleofWine · 04/08/2014 22:03

My 2nd was a million times faster (1st one measured in days, 2nd measured in minutes), and much much less painful, it was never too much to cope with.

The midwife told me that no matter how many children you have the 2nd is usually the easiest birth. At that point I resolved to have no more children and quit while I was ahead.

I barely noticed the afterpains. Unlike the mum in the next bed who had just had her 8th...

OhGood · 05/08/2014 10:49

Faster and more painful here too, but also a total breeze and a brilliant experience.

But beware the faster thing. I only just made the hospital.

OhGood · 05/08/2014 10:50

PS Second was back to back which was why - short, jagged, uneven contractions, hard to predict. First was long, swelling cx with good rhythm.

OhGood · 05/08/2014 10:51

Sorry and PPS I use the phrase 'total breeze' advisedly here. You know, in the context of childbirth.

SenatusPopulusqueRomanorum · 05/08/2014 11:32

1st : induced, stuck on my back so that they could monitor me, epidural.

2nd : very quick labour, painful after my waters broke. Arrived at the hospital minutes before DD was born so no pain relief - MW forced me to lie on my back (this is France...) and it was very painful.

3rd : after the half-hour compulsory monitoring at the hospital, I ripped the thing off and walked in the ward (on all fours when necessary). Contractions were manageable because my waters broke on the last push. When it was time to push, the MW wouldn't believe me, so I raced to the delivery suite, got on all fours (and refused to get on my back) and popped DD out in less than 30s.

So each labour was easier and less painful than the previous one, mainly because I knew my body better and I was in control. I should have refused the induction for DS and I should have refused to lie on my back for DD1.

The after pains were more painful each time though.

lynniep · 05/08/2014 11:44

No. Both of mine were quick, although DS1 was quicker. (2.5 hrs from first cramp to birth)
DS1 was an undiagnosed breech and I thought I was dying the pain was so bad. I also just had pretty much one long contraction.

DS2 was a much bigger baby, with a much bigger head! but the pain was less intense. Probably because he was the right way up and didn't get stuck! With DS2 I finally understood what they meant when they said 'on the next contraction' because it was obvious. He was 3.5 hours.

I didnt get afterpains with either. Only gas and air for both (because of the speed, and because I was on a blood thinner with DS2 as I had a suspected blood clot at 40 weeks)

Peppapigisnotmyname · 05/08/2014 13:49

First labour was very painful.

Second one was 23 minutes long for me, didn't even realise I was in labour until I was 8cm dialated. Couple of pushes and she was out. No pain relief, a bit painful but not like the first.

winkywinkola · 05/08/2014 13:50

It's the after pains that get progressively worse.

Original poster

kkllww · 05/08/2014 15:02

These after pains sound nasty! I don't think i've heard of them before and never experienced it first time around. Something else to worry about as well as the actual labour!

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titchypumpkin · 05/08/2014 17:20

Second was an easy homebirth so it was true for me

GreenPetal94 · 05/08/2014 17:54

No, but ds1 was induced. ds2 was born 15 mins after we arrived at the hospital, I had about 1/2 hour of agony!

bopoityboo3 · 05/08/2014 17:55

for me the second was no where near as painful as first. first i was induced, had two lots of pethadin (spelling?), gas and air and demands for a spinal block which I didn't get. Second was less then two and a half hours of labour did about half of it by just breathing through the pain then the rest on gas and air. really think it helped with my second that I wasn't induced.

BigBoobiedBertha · 05/08/2014 18:54

First was definitely worse than the second. It was longer and I think the completely alien feelings of labour ramp up the stress and with it the pain. Second time around was so much quicker and not so scary so not so painful.

If some think the second labours are more painful I wonder if that is because you don't have time for so much pain relief and the pain builds up much more quickly?

thestylethatdecadesforgot · 05/08/2014 19:34

My second labour was half the length of my first almost to the minute and much much more intense, contractions were just one after the other. My third labour the contractions were 8 mins apart right up to needing to push and I counted less than 20 of them from waking up in the night to baby arriving (got to hospital at 9cm and just got on the bed in time to start pushing). I was worried the third would be unbearable in terms of intensity because the second was such a rush but it just goes to show how different they can be.

Iwillorderthefood · 05/08/2014 20:27

First the worse, second quick and much better and the third I did not feel a thing, since I had an epidural prior to induction via a drip.

No after pains.

MrsBungle · 05/08/2014 20:29

My second labour was at least 2000 x not as painful as my first with my first I thought I might die. With my second, I've honestly had worse headaches!

Happyringo · 05/08/2014 20:34

Hm i can't really tell. dd1 was back to back, but no one knew until she shot out face up, after 26 hours of labour and a bollocking off the midwife for not pushing properly and a refusal to give me analgesia (whole other thread!)...whereas dd2 was born 4 hours after my waters broke in an intensely painful but much quicker birth. Even though I think dd2 was more painful, I'd pick that birth any day! Currently 5+4 with dc3, fingers crossed for birth like dd2!

LittleMachine · 05/08/2014 22:58

My first labour was 39 hours of horrible, horrible pain, very close together contractions with no break and over 3 hours of pushing. I found it unbearable. There were no beds on delivery so I couldn't have an epidural.
I was absolutely terrified as my second due date approached.
My waters broke, contractions were immediately 2 minutes apart. I had 3 hours of contractions I could breathe through and he popped out easily after an hour of pushing. So a much faster labour but not more intense contractions. At no point was it unbearable. It was such a positive experience after my first baby.

ShyPhilosopher · 06/08/2014 00:27

I know it varies greatly from woman to woman, but my first labour was the most painful of all. My eldest only weighed 7lb 12 oz when she was born as well. My youngest 2 weighed over 9lbs each, yet labour was considerably less painful. Saying that, I did have my first labour induced by a drip - I think those kinds of labours are renowned for being more painful.

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