Faster birth third time around?

[deletedit]

The one thing I'm really worried about this time is things happening fast and winding up with an accidental homebirth (we're so close to the hospital the car isn't likely). Or just being quick enough that we don't get anyone around to look after the grouchy toddler and she winds up in the hospital with us, which is not something I want.

First labour was 24 hours from waters breaking to baby (at 37 weeks), second was 5 hours from contractions starting to baby (at 41 weeks). I'm almost 36 weeks, the girls were virtually identical sizes when they were born despite 4 weeks less to cook so in theory I could be having this one as close as a week from now. And people keep saying third ones go faster again ...

What's people's experience with third and later births, timing wise?

[jackrose]

I think that theoretically births should be faster each time you give birth as your body gets more efficient at responding to the hormones responsible for setting everything into action.

That said, if there is something out of kilter such as your baby presenting in a less than favourable position (posterior, irregularities in flexion or asynclitism) your labour will more likely be slower.

Sorry, I am not giving you a straight answer due to the fact that as with everything around labour and birth, there are no absolutes!

I guess I would say, bank on having a faster labour and get ready to get moving (ie organise the care of your other children etc) the moment you have 'inklings' that labour is starting that way you are covered.

Good luck and all the best!

[deletedit]

The official line from the midwives is "ah, don't worry about it, if you have it at home you can call us or the ambulance or just come in after, should be fine"

I think they have me pegged as "very low risk". The last birth was "textbook", apparently.

Which doesn't stop me worrying with so few weeks to go!

[~Raven~]

My births did get quicker with my 4th being less than 2hrs from start to stop. My third was pretty quick too but I did have a few good signs as a lead up that made me think it was for real. I haven't thought about how long it was exactly but it was about 3 1/2 hours I think. I should go find my birth story to be sure lol.

We were worried about making to the hospital but made good preparations and more than one plan helps JIC plan A doesn't work out! I think it helps to feel better organised too.

I arranged to have someone here to stay once I hit 40 weeks but previous to that I spoke to my neighbours who were happy to help if need be and had friends on standby.

Plan A was for MIL or mum to come (which one was ready to go at the time) up at first sign of labour and we'd merrily drive in.

Plan B was to get a neighbour to sit with the kids if things were moving fast and we couldn't wait till MIL or mum got here.

Plan C if no neighbours were available was to try friends who lived closer to the hospital and we could all drive in and they would take our car with kids back to their place.

Plan D if I was home alone with the kids was to call an ambulance if it was happening quick or to call neighbour.

Plan E Accept the possibility of about having an accidental homebirth. TBH I would have preferred that to birthing in the car so we would have stayed home and called an ambulance for that too but not too soon that they would take over and spoil my birthing moment IYKWIM.

I think that was it lol.

[*Beema*]

Apparently faster, my OB is worried as DD was very quick, little warning and not a lot of pain to become 7-8cm dialated

We are hoping to preempt when this one is coming

[deletedit]

We are hoping to preempt when this one is coming

LOL not possible

First one I had my 36 week appt a week late for whatever reason, I got thoroughly poked and prodded, and they said to come back in a month if I hadn't had the baby. So of course my waters broke the next day.

I was scheduled for an induction for DD#2 (a week late), and being lazy people that we are we spent the evening before reading all the brochures and stuff about how horrible inductions are and you should avoid them at all costs. Obviously bubs paid attention, I went into rather unmistakeable labour at 3am, got to the hospital at 5, and had her at 8:30. My induction was scheduled for 9

[*Beema*]

Our best chance is monitoring my cervix, which is happening every two weeks atm, also any excess BH's or cramps (more then what i have experience, as it has resulted in my cervix shortening by 1cm in 2 weeks) I have to call my OB straight away

But we won't be able to predict when it is going to happen, just hopefully be more prepared, and make it to the hospital

[chocolatecatty]

Just the thread Ive' been looking for!

Interestingly, all the midwives I've asked re. third labours have all said the third does what it wants...can be short or can dawdle for days. I would have thought they just get quicker each time but like I said, all the middies said nope, not true. Wonder why they're saying different things to the above Obs?!

Though surely the way you deal with labour helps it, as in if you're chilled out and relaxed once it starts, your body just goes with the flow and it will be a quick one, providing bubs is in a good position? That's what I'm banking on!

I'm a few days ahead of you so if I beat you, stay tuned adn I'll let you know how my third labour went! FWIW my first )40 weeks and a few days) was 19 hours, second (38 weeks adn a few days) 4 hours, much the same as yourself Both girls about 600g different in weight.

[ladybirdflies]

I have fast labours, apparently I dilate without any contractions so when I go into labour its a few intense contractions, transition and then baby. My first was 1 hour 50 minutes from first contraction, i thought that was a fluke, but then my second was 50 minutes from the first contraction. When I had my third,(6 weeks ago) we opted for a homebirth so that we weren't rushing to the hospital, except the midwife lived over an hour away, so we weren't sure if she was going to make it. Having had a 6 year gap I thought perhaps it may slow the labour down. This time when I went into labour I stayed laying down for as long as I could, within a few contractions I was in transition and holding on until midwife made it and baby was here very quick, but as I had layed down her labour was 2 hours which was beautiful and less rushing then number two.
All will be ok, labour is so beyond anything we can imagine, we can have plans but mostly it all falls into place on the day.
Goodluck!

[deletedit]

Though surely the way you deal with labour helps it, as in if you're chilled out and relaxed once it starts, your body just goes with the flow and it will be a quick one, providing bubs is in a good position? That's what I'm banking on!

I had a very ordinary (albeit painful, but whaddayaexpect) labour and birth last time that less apathetic people might chalk up as close to their 'ideal' birth, not one of those horrid stressful ones people scare you with stories about and I'm going to the same hospital with the same midwives again, bubs seems to be up the same way as the last one (even had posterior placenta with both) and my pregnancy so far has been so boring that my only complaints are not being able to reach my hairy ankles to shave them and my only worries about the birth is it might be 'too' fast.

Compared to what other people have to say, I think this is a good thing

and grrr at ladybirdflies for less ouch factor than the rest of us :P Although the midwives here do say that a very long break can slow things down too. Didn't seem to work for me with 7 years between them.

[~Trish~]

I had read and been told that the second labour is almost always quicker than the first and the third labour is unpredictable. That said, my third labour was much quicker than my previous labours. Don't be scared by my story though - my first labour was 37 hours, second was 16.5 hours and third was 4.5 hours. It's only fair I got a faster labour the third time around after my first two marathons .

[ladybirdflies]

Don't worry RumpledElf, I got my contractions for three horrifying days of afterbirth pains, apparently they are more intense with each child, and when you have an 'Efficient' uterus (thats what they actually called mine!) that adds to how intense it is also. And I could not relax like I did when I was actually giving birth, so me fighting them did not help...

[Visitor8]

For me they have gotten a lot shorter.

My first was induced at 39 weeks because my waters broke, 47.5 hours labour, there were complications, almost a c/s, and he went to NICU because he was sick

Second was posterior and natural labour the day before induction at 41+ weeks, only 18 hours labour

Third was 4 hours and 37 minutes and induced at 39 weeks because of SPD.

This one I am hoping slips out LOL Induction starts tomorrow so we'll see.

Mine have gotten bigger too! 8lbs 4oz, 9lbs 3oz and 11lbs. This one is another biggy (was roughly 3.3kg @ 36 week scan) but not as big as Ash I don't think.

[Lisa]

Mine have got fast with each baby... but having said that, they're still 4ish hour labours.

My sister's 2nd labour was so fast. She called me on her way to the hospital saying that she thought she was in labour and she was going to the hospital to see as she woke with intense pains that had been going on for about 1/2hr but were really intense. 1/2 an hour after that phone call my nephew was born.
Of course when she was pregnant with #3 they told her to be very prepared for a super fast delivery. Her 3rd son took over 17hrs to make his arrival.

As they say, each baby & each labour is different.

[Toomanytoomany]

The one thing I'm really worried about this time is things happening fast and winding up with an accidental homebirth (we're so close to the hospital the car isn't likely). Or just being quick enough that we don't get anyone around to look after the grouchy toddler and she winds up in the hospital with us, which is not something I want.

First labour was 24 hours from waters breaking to baby (at 37 weeks), second was 5 hours from contractions starting to baby (at 41 weeks). I'm almost 36 weeks, the girls were virtually identical sizes when they were born despite 4 weeks less to cook so in theory I could be having this one as close as a week from now. And people keep saying third ones go faster again ...

What's people's experience with third and later births, timing wise?

This was the reason we chose to have an induction with #3. My labours aren't short, but the second stage comes on very fast and without warning, and I was terrified that by the time I realised I was properly in labour, it would be too late to make the 1 1/2 - 2 hour journey to the hospital. It was a good thing, too, because that labour was exactly the same, gentle, relatively painless, and then boom, there was a baby!

It was the same with dd#4 more or less. I went to the hospital when I was still comfortable and they didn't believe I was in labour. If I'd waited until the real labour pains started, she'd have been born on the roadside.

With dd#5, it was less like that - but she was my biggest baby.

But with ds#6, the midwive just did not believe I was in labour and I was beginning to doubt it too ... we were deciding whether or not I should go home for a bit, when I got the dr to do an internal and lo and behold, I was at 8 and the baby was there twenty minutes later after a <5 min second stage.

I think it's important that you have a plan in place for in case you have a precipitous birth. I advised dh at the end of my last pregnancy that if I appeared to be in very active labour, just to call the ambulance, not to bother trying to drive me to hospital. I also made sure that he was not very far away at any point, and that I didn't go anywhere on my own for long periods of time.

Good luck! I hope it all goes wonderfully well for you!

[Visitor7]

The midwives have told me to prepare for an unexpected homebirth JIC, as this is my third. My first was 9 hours in total, second was 6 hours in total (but only really 55 minutes of actual full on labour). We're a good 20 minutes from hospital, but the ambos are only 2 minutes away. So DH and I have kind of prepared ourselves as much as we can for a quick labour. But I'll let you know in about, ummm, 7 weeks or so

[deletedit]

I'm in a very small town so I'm about 2km from the ambo dispatch place (out back of the medical center) and 3km from the hospital! Last time we were 40km away and my partner had his L plates so we drove there veeeeeeeeeeeeeery slowly - 80km/h limit. Child Elder was already with my parents by that point - I was supposed to have the baby just before Christmas, I didn't, my entire extended family came to my place for Christmas dinner to save me travelling and then they took her back with them.

I've just noticed looking at the calendar that my partner is going to Adelaide (3 hours there and back) for an appt ON MY DUE DATE - might get him to cancel that one. Already cancelled watching a music recital 45km away for Child Elder 3 days before my due date, the music teacher is happy to take her without us but is asking me all kinds of questions about what if she gets back and we're not there ... can she get back in the house, can she look after herself etc etc ...

[deletedit]

Conveniently happened in the middle of the night so we left the kidlets in bed, was no point disturbing them. My partner went back home at 3am so they weren't left alone very long at all.

Counting from when it started to hurt more, I guess I chalk this up as a 2 hour labour with 6 hours of not-ouchy pre-labour? Don't know. Midwife said they count from when you start to dilate, but I wouldn't have a clue when that started.