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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

did you get signs BEFORE going into labour second time round??

18 replies

daniwalkes · 08/05/2010 19:44

the reason i ask is im 39+3 and aside from many BH i have no other signs that it is coming anytime soon, however my partner has been given football tickets for tomorrow and it's around a 3hour trip (including train and tube). Frist labour was 6 hours at 39+4 weeks but i did have a build up of contractions before hand for about 5 hours and my waters broke 24hours before so i know it was coming.
We cant decide if him going tomorrow is a good idea or not, i keep hearing that second time was so much quicker with less of a build up and im concerned that although nothing is happening now that it could happen without warning and he wouldn't get back in time.

my DS is 16 months old too and my midwife seemed to think this would make a difference as the closer they are the quicker it is... im just wondering what other peoples experience is and if there is any truth in it. I know everyone is different but advice would be brilliant!

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rubyslippers · 08/05/2010 19:46

my second labour was just 9 hours from start to finish - i had a show 36 hours before

DC1 - labour was 2 days

hmmm - I am not usually precious but i think a 3 hour trip may be pushing it considering you are at term and how fast your first labour was

SamanthaFox · 08/05/2010 19:50

I had no warning, with my second

contractions started in the morning, thought it was wind until I got another a few minutes later...carried on at about 5 minutes for a while then switched to 3, 2..

he was born about 3 and a half hours later.
There was no time to get to hospital!

I think if I were you I would go, but be prepared for anything happening and have a phone so you can call 999 from the train etc.
You really don't want to have a baby on a train.

SamanthaFox · 08/05/2010 19:51

actually Ruby is right, based on your first labour it might be a bad idea!

Original poster

daniwalkes · 08/05/2010 19:58

its such a hard one to judge!!! I wouldn't be going, it would just be my partner and i have my mum who loves really close to me so i wouldn't be on my own as it were but i would hate for him to miss it. I don't want him to miss out on going to the football though but you almost guarantee that if he went i will go into labour and if he didn't then i wont! (kind of makes me want him to go as i would love to have this baby now!!!! )

Thank you so much for the advice though!

OP posts:

LutyensVotes · 08/05/2010 20:08

Three of my friends had their second babies last year and all of them had shockingly quick labours. One of them was in "established labour" for only 30 minutes! Considering her first was born after 36 hours of labour, it was bloody shocking! Another nearly gave birth at the hospital doors because the midwives refused to believe that she could be in the pushing stage that fast.

Considering how fast your first labour was, I'd stay as close to home/hospital (whatever your birth plan is) as possible.

Best of luck

morethemerrier · 08/05/2010 20:10

Hi daniwalkes, DS2 the only thing that convinced me that it was the 'real thing' was the fact that I threw up completley out of the blue!

After a run of what I presumed were just strong BH!

But def had a good few hours of contractions before things got really going!

Saying that, I had a big gap between DS1 & DS2 (8 years), and established labour was recorded as three hours!

I would agree with ruby though, that a three hour trip may not be the best plan, not just for your sake but I can't imagine the stress of having to travel back on public trans knowing he could miss the birth and not be there for you, is a good enough reason to go to a football match!

My DH does a lot of travelling with his job, and while they are trying to keep him nearby (i'm 39+1 DC3) he has been sent further than is comfortable for me to feel able to call him if I went into labour, without worrying that he will drive like a maniac to get home!

Get him some beers in, give the tickets away and watch it together!

NoahAndTheWhale · 08/05/2010 20:13

With DD, I had a sweep the day before she was born, but didn't have any other indications.

Woke up at about 6:30am and by 6:45am was having full on contractions about every 5-10 minutes. DD born at 1:30pm (and two hours of that was pushing).

NoahAndTheWhale · 08/05/2010 20:14

Which football match is it by the way?

pigleychez · 08/05/2010 20:32

Personally I would say its too far away what with your fast first labour.

Im 38+3 with number 2 and although DD's labour was 27 hours I would be nervous that he was that far away just in case... Sods law and all that!

Promising to hear of all the fast 2nd labours though

peasandbeans · 08/05/2010 20:35

Difficult one. My dh was in Germany on the day I started getting contractions (40wks exactly). He got an earlier flight back, because I could feel that DD2 was likely to be on her way soon (regular BH, but not at all painful), and she was born in the early hours of the next morning.

My theory is that your body will block the labour to a certain extent if you are not ready, if you feel unsafe etc, and if you really want DH to be there, your body will probably hang on a bit.

I suppose one question you need to ask is how much it would bother you or your DH if he couldn't get back on time and you had to give birth/ get to the hospital without him.

EdgarAllenPoll · 08/05/2010 20:40

first time waters went @8pm - baby came at 4am. (DH didn't make it from Edinburgh unforunately) - no warning before my waters went.
second time - contx started 10 am - baby came 4pm. no warnign as such, though i had been trying to induce delivery by (ahem) natural means...

so you don't necessarily get a warning. I know someone who gave birth suddenly whilst having a coughing fit...to her first baby too!

Xavielli · 08/05/2010 20:40

1st - woke up at 8am with mild contractions, which intensified quite quickly - DS born just after noon.

2nd (nearly 16months later) - waters went and 3 and a half hours late DD was there

If you have some one else who you would be comfortable with during the birth and your partner wouldn't mind missing it then it's simple.

FWIW my 2nd was born at two weeks gestation further than my 1st.

Xavielli · 08/05/2010 20:41

Oooh I'm on my 3rd now, would really like a coughing fit birth!!

EdgarAllenPoll · 08/05/2010 20:44

Xav ..bloody hell yes. sod the carpet.

Original poster

daniwalkes · 08/05/2010 20:55

noahandthewhale the tickets are for Arsenal... they're also not normal tickets as they are to go into a box at club level (what ever that means) he got them through his director at work!

It's such a hard one as he would be devistated (as would i) if he missed the birth but it's not every day that he can get these tickets... GGGrrrrr to football.

it does seem as though most people don't have the same warning signs as you do first time round so i think we'll just have to see how things are tomorrow. Personally i dont think its on its way but you just don't know... it i will have a nice surprise over night and that sort the problem out!

OP posts:

mumatron · 08/05/2010 21:02

with my 1st i had contractions for days before.

2nd i had no pains and no gh. 40+2, waters broke at 8.30pm ish. no contactions until 12.15 am dd born at 1.25 am.

but, you can guarantee if he stays home nothing will happen.

NoahAndTheWhale · 09/05/2010 08:38

How are you this morning?

Any signs of impending labour?

tjtheminx · 10/05/2010 04:58

Bumping.

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