Was your second labour easier?

[MrsFabuloso]

As in - did you think it was easier with the baby moving down towards the exit because the path has already been paved (so to speak) by an earlier bub?
I'm not sure about this one...with ds I had pre labour for weeeeeks! With DD, I was induced and it all happened at once, within 23hours. DD's labour was horrible and I was in alot of pain which I suspect was from being induced. With DS though I had a few weeks of pre labour, it all seemed easier which I think was because it was all natural, my body was prepared and DS was ready to be born.

Was the pushing stage shorter because your body knew what it was to do?
I don't think my pushing stage was shorter cause my body had 'experience'. I think it was just because it was ready, baby was ready and it just all flowed so much more easily. With DD I don't think either of us was ready and it was just a miricle that we ended up having a vaginal birth and not a c/s (oh maybe it was my mortal fear of having a c/s too...??)

Did you deal with the contraction pain better because you knew there was an end in sight whereas with the first one, you didn't know what was going to happen, if it was going to get more painful etc?
Nope I think I dealt with it better because it was nowhere near as painful as DD's labour was, I think it was just that I wan't induced with him. I had convinced myself that it wasn't real labour and I still had days to go before bub would come. With DD being induced made me contract practically straight away, they were really painful from the begining and then contrx were on top of each other after about 2 hours, for about 19hours before she was born. With DS I went to hospital to get pain relief or sleeping tabs so I could sleep for more than 5mins at a time and I was 8cm dialated. They prepped me and the labour room, ruptured my waters and he was born 3 pushes later.

Did you remember positions from the first labour that didn't help, or did you go blank whilst dealing with contractions?
I didn't move when in labour with DD. Besides being strapped to the CTG machine and having a full drip in, I just couldn't move because of the pain. I was like a statue on the bed and refused to move for anyone! With DS i had baths at home (which I now realise was probably while I was in active labour) just to help me cope with the pain, and then when I got to the hospital I walked a bit. But I then had my waters broken which was meconium stained, and they put the CTG on me again. While I knew I could refuse it, I felt...safer? on the bed anyway so I didn't complain. It was raised so I was practically sitting anyway, but I think that's just how I prefer to give birth.


I guess my labours aren't good to compare because they were so different, but if I can give birth to this bubby in a similar way that I did with DS (totally naturally with only arom, on the CTG for about 1hr, 3 pushes and he was born) rather than have any intervention like I did with DD (fully induced, 2 pethadine shots, as much gas as I could handle, on the CTG for my whole labour, AROM, epesiotomy, forceps assisted delivery, 3 1/2 hrs pushing....) I will be one happy mumma.