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Pregnancy

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

Original poster

Labour more painful with more children?

30 replies

hugshugshugs · 22/02/2022 21:12

Here's one for the yummy mummy's who have had a few children. Does labour get worse with each child.

Last time I laboured over 4 days to 8cm before a caesarean. This time was natural birth but over 6 hours. WAY more painful contractions. I spoke to a lady in the ward she said each is worse but shorter and also the uterine contractions after are as bad as labour. ShockWhat? Is this right? It's putting me off the idea of more children!

OP posts:
Icecreamandapplepie · 22/02/2022 21:15

I thought it was much more common for first to be worst!

Mine was.

Sexnotgender · 22/02/2022 21:17

No. I’ve got 3 children. No more painful.

The after pains do get worse though.

Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 22/02/2022 21:17

First was 17 hours..
Second, third and 4 th were 3 hours each.

ViceLikeBlip · 22/02/2022 21:19

Not at all. My 3rd was my biggest baby by some way, but also the easiest labour and delivery. I also never had any "after pains" with any of mine, but I think that's quite unusual?

hazandduck · 22/02/2022 21:19

The after pains were terrible after my second. Like contractions I had to breathe through. My second labour was much shorter and easier because I knew what to expect and how to control my breathing. I never had after pains with my first.

SurfWaves · 22/02/2022 21:21

No for me. My 3rd baby was worse than first and second but then 4th was easy and quick. It depends on a lot of factors. 3rd was back to back and a big baby.

DramaAlpaca · 22/02/2022 21:21

'Yummy mummies?' Confused I don't think I'm one of those, but I've had three babies.

The labours were shorter each time and also less painful rather than more. I needed less pain relief each time.

What was much more painful each time was the afterpains with breastfeeding. Toe-curlingly so after my third.

ViceLikeBlip · 22/02/2022 21:21

Fwiw my 4th was the quickest (maybe 1hr in total) but it was too quick, I was really panicked, totally out of control, the pain was off the scale. Quicker doesn't always mean easier.

Morechocmorechoc · 22/02/2022 21:23

No, second was way less painful, both contractions and the pushing part. And way quicker.

Bimblybomeyelash · 22/02/2022 21:24

Labour easier, after pains worse.

LightfoldEngines · 22/02/2022 21:24

I didn’t have after pains with 1 or 2, but I did with 3 and boy, was I knocked on my arse with them.

tilder · 22/02/2022 21:24

I had forgotten about the after pains! Mine definitely got worse. I remember having to stop talking to the midwife through mine (dc3). She told me they can get worse.

She also told me subsequent pregnancies are faster. I found my third most painful. Like 24 hours condensed into 2.

The joys of labour. Totally worth it.

Loopyloulou007 · 22/02/2022 21:26

The birth itself wasn't, the after pains were, most definitely.

LightfoldEngines · 22/02/2022 21:33

I actually asked them to double check that there wasn’t a twin hiding in there because I was sure this could not be after pains as they were twice as bad as the actual labour pains Blush

Original poster
hugshugshugs · 22/02/2022 21:35

@LightfoldEngines

I didn’t have after pains with 1 or 2, but I did with 3 and boy, was I knocked on my arse with them.
I wonder if babies gender makes a difference?
OP posts:
LightfoldEngines · 22/02/2022 21:36

All 3 are girls Grin

Original poster
hugshugshugs · 22/02/2022 21:37

@LightfoldEngines

I actually asked them to double check that there wasn’t a twin hiding in there because I was sure this could not be after pains as they were twice as bad as the actual labour pains Blush
I also asked midwife about it. I thought there must surely be something wrong. Looks like the consensus is after pains definitely get worse but not necessarily labour.
OP posts:
LightSpeeds · 22/02/2022 21:48

No, labour doesn't necessarily get more painful or quicker with each birth.

1st baby - 8hrs pethidine for pain control but it wasn't really bad.
2nd baby - 20 mins but Pain off the scale (no pain relief)
3rd baby - embarrassingly easy (no pain relief) About 3 hours
Babies 4&5 - no pain relief. Not unbearable. 4.5 hours

After pains definitely get worse with each baby though - possibly even worse than the labours Confused

LightSpeeds · 22/02/2022 21:51

I also honestly thought after I had my twins that there was an unborn triplet left in there because there was still so much movement inside. And the afterpains were so so bad...

NatalieH2220 · 22/02/2022 22:09

I'd say both were about as painful as each other in terms of contractions. Second was shorter so better in that respect (although in my case too short and almost didn't make it to the hospital 😬).

After pains were much worse second time around though

TheVanguardSix · 22/02/2022 22:11

My first was the longest, but the pain was intense with all of them. Part of me thinks it's a bit worse with subsequent deliveries because you know what's coming! I didn't have afterpains with any of mine. Weird. I feel like I missed out on something. Grin

Jmaho · 22/02/2022 22:11

My 1st was a horrible induced Labour. Nothing worked and he was finally out on day 3. Don't remember after pains at all
2nd lovely quick ish labour but painful and again don't remember the afterpains
3rd was absolutely awful in every way and bad after pains but nothing even close to labour pain
4th went well but very painful and again after pains were bad but nothing like labour at all
I think people always assume labour is much quicker the more children you have too. A delightful women I work with said I'd probably sneezed and my fourth child was out. In reality my 4th was probably my longest actual labour from first proper contraction to birth
For someone that mentioned sex of baby, I have 2 of each. Horrible pregnancies with the girls but better births and lovely pregnancies with the boys but horrible births!

LightfoldEngines · 22/02/2022 22:12

I was so pissed off, my labour was recorded as 10 mins (I was on mat ward when my waters broke) and then I spent 2 days in agony with after pains. Fuck you, uterus.

ThatPosterIsSoRight · 22/02/2022 22:14

Midwife told me the second is usually the easiest, no matter how many children you go on to have. That was the point I decided to stick with 2 children.

I do however know aaaallll about the after-pains of an 8th child, due to the very vocal lady on the postnatal ward with me…

LightfoldEngines · 22/02/2022 22:19

@ThatPosterIsSoRight

Midwife told me the second is usually the easiest, no matter how many children you go on to have. That was the point I decided to stick with 2 children.

I do however know aaaallll about the after-pains of an 8th child, due to the very vocal lady on the postnatal ward with me…

Second was my calmest and most relaxed, first was an early induction due to serious complications so despite it only being 2 hours from start to finish, it was stressful.

Third started as she meant to go on - like The Flash