Did you have a really long first labour? If so, what was your second like?

[InTheZenGarden]

I was in labour for about 3 days with DD - obviously a lot of this was pre-labour, but it still hurt like hell and I needed gas and air, so needed to be in hospital. After about 24 hours my waters broke, and as nothing was really progressing the next day, they induced me. Despite the drip starting in the morning, maybe 10am, I didn't have DD til 3.30pm, and that was with the help of forceps, as her heart rate was dropping.

Anyway, am expecting DS in September, everyone tells me that the second one is quicker and "could be along in a couple of hours" I am a bit about this due to my first labour, am just curious to see what anyone else's second labours were like compared to their first.

Just out of interest, of course, bugger all I can do about it!!

I had a very similar labour with my 1st but it ended in an ecsect and all this was due to him being OP or back-to-back which is more common in a 1st labour and is well-known for making labour more painful and drawn out.

I'm currently pregnant with no2 and there is a chance I could have another OP baby but this time I will be more aware of the signs and do more to help things along so what I'm saying is this: Was your last an OP baby? There is a high chance your next labour will be easier if not OP as your body has done it all before.

That's interesting - they started muttering about DD possibly being back-to-back during labour - I had to lie on my left, iirc, to try to correct this - in the end, they never confirmed whether she had been b-2-b or not.... worth looking out for this time I guess

My first labbour was 9 hours, dd1 was back to back, had no drugs and was pushing for 4 hours (almost had to have c section. My 2nd labbour was longer (10 hours) but had no pains until the last hour, had epidural and dd2 was born within 20 mins (she wasn't back to back).

Ds back-to-back 37 hours, ended in theatre, forceps, horrible bright lights, much sobbing, far too many bloody people in the room, much horror.

Dd also back-to-back and face presentation, 5 hours, me, dp, bf and just one midwife with a torch in the room, no lights, hard work but strangely wonderful and very healing wrt first labour.

OK Marne, not too pleased about the longer second labour, but no pain til the end sounds good. And tbh, 10 hours would be great!!

WTWTA - wow, what a contrast!! And the torch - was there a power cut or was this a conscious decision to have a different experience?

I am doing the Natal Hypnotherapy CD, not because I believe it will allow me to get through labour pain-free (this would be nice, but I am a wuss with a terrible pain threshold ), but because I want to feel relaxed and positive at the outset, rather then focussing on my last labour.

So far, I am very chilled about it, but I am only 31 weeks, plenty of time for panic to set in!

1st labour very long with back to back baby, epidural, episiotomy and retained placenta. 2nd labour 2.5 hours from start to finish, very small graze, 10lb7 baby!! Much better 2nd time. Good luck

Oh 2nd labour a hundred times better.
DS - 23 hours (in hosp whole time), epidural,drip,episiotomy etc etc.

DD - Needed to be induced but born 1 3/4 hours from 1st contraction, just gas and air, a dream really. Am hoping for similar with this one!

DS2 was much quicker 4 hours start to finish. I did take rasberry leaf capsules from 34 weeks with ds2 which are suppossed to make contractions stronger and quicker obviously that just anecdotal though but may be worth a shot!

Thanks everyone, am feeling more positive already

Connor - was thinking about raspberry leaf tea, but am a bit about herbals generally, not convinced it will do any good.... but will think about it, thanks

1st labour 40 hrs - 7lb baby.
2nd labour 6hrs - 8lb 12oz.
Hoping for similar for 3rd!

First labour - 2.5 days
Second - 7 hours

My first labour was 50 hours, start to finish, like you I felt all my pre-labour, in fact dilating and effacing was more painful than actual contractions and delivery.

Second labour was stop start, like massive braxton hicks on and off for 4 afternoons which tailed off at night, then an actual pushing labour of less than 4 hours. No where near as nasty as the first, but then, it was a homebirth, so I was on my knees or on a birthing ball, not on my back, legs in stirrups with half a dozen staff poking and prodding and telling me what to do.

My first labour was very similar to yours too - started having contractions on the Monday evening and was eventually induced on the Thursday evening and gave birth late Friday afternoon with a ventouse delivery.

2nd labour 4 weeks ago, went as follows: Started having very mild contractions at 10 am. Had planned to take my daughter to a soft play for a meet up with some NCT friends so still went at 11 am thinking that I had days ahead of me like before and didn't want to let her down unnecessarily. Drove home at 1pm (so contractions still perfectly manageable), leaving DD with one of my NCT friends and within 5 minutes of being home contractions were suddenly strong and 90 seconds apart. Arrived at hospital at 2pm and discovered I was fully dilated! After only 2 contractions at the hospital and a couple of puffs of gas and air DD2 was delivered perfectly naturally and only 13 minutes after arriving at hospital!

Moral of the story, don't assume that it will be like your first otherwise you may end up like me, nearly having your DC in a public place or without your DH. If I'd have left it 10 mins more, then both of the above would have happened!

Good luck with the birth, I really hope you end up having a much easier time of it this time like me.

Don't mean to scare but I was told my secind birth would be quicker and less painful...goodness, no!
Second child was back to back, took sooooo long and was very traumatic. So don't believe that old wives tale.
I would advise....book epidural, just in case.
But my third arrived so fast I didn't even have time to take my boots and jeans off...it was great!

See? Everyone is different. My first was truly horrendous - 3 days in total.

2nd was a breeze at merely 11hrs. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

3rd was 2 days and awful.

4th (after being told I would just 'pop' her out) was 22 hrs and ended in an EC.

No rhyme or reason to how it might go unfortunately. But hope your second is easier like mine was.

my first was 11hours from absolute start to finish,i was induced.

no2.I stayed at home as long as i could,so when i got to the hospital,i had him 3 hours later.

no3,did the same and had after a few hours

no4.had pains at midnight,but was in hossy due to be induced next day and had him,9 hours later,i think baby no4s,cuse the most trouble..

so hopefully no2 will be a lot easier for poor you,good luck

I had a labour exactly like yours with DS but it ended in an emcs.
This time I've been able to book and elcs.
Hope it goes well for you X

1st took a whole weekend just for the show! Finally gave birth following Sun evening. Back to back position, it was so bad between the pre-labour nights, labour nights and then the impossible to sleep in hospital with a very upset baby due to birth I stayed awake for 10 days and nights. Course that's a whole other thread. Anyway - epidural,drip, episiotomy, ventouse.

2nd - I had two nights of mild no bother to breathe and sleep through pains, then next day waters broke and I gave birth within one hr.Had gas and air for last few mins, no stitches.

I had become obsessive about babies position and asked every last scan/check up if it was back to back. I hung over a birth ball for about 40 mins every evening and I used hypno birthing cd (Maire Mangan's book and rainbow relaxiation set)to aim at the kind of birth I wanted and I got it!

Best of luck

Thanks for all your responses And best wishes
The majority of you seem so say that second time was easier, though I do realise that is not a guarantee written in stone!

I'll just have to wait and see, but am feeling quite positive about it, which is a start Thanks again