My first labour was induced at 37 1/2wks due to leaking hind waters. 23 hr labour. DD was so not ready to come! I had a horrible long labour with her.
My second was totally natural onset and labour. Pre labour for a few weeks. DS was born an hour after I got to hospital. I don't actually know how long labour was cause I didn't really think it was it! But my second experience was sooooo much nicer, I actually 'enjoyed' labour (as much as one can!) and it makes me think I could do it all again if every labour is like that!
DD arrived 10 days over, spontaneous labour, 72 hours (probably 24 of that 'pre labour' but I don't care, it still HURT!)
DS arrived 10 days over, spontaneous labour, 5 hours from first niggle to birth - so much shorter.
In hindsight I can't say that my second labour was 'better' than the first, despite it being much shorter. My labour with DD was very long but it was a much gentler progression and I coped with the pain a lot better.
All of mine came earlier than the first. I am told it is because your body "is experienced" after the first and thus gets everything under way more efficiently - or some such stuff.
Every labour was different - except for all being too damn long for my liking, lol.
Thanks for all your replies ladies....it seems that subsequent labours definitely are faster which is nice (even though my first labour was fine). Although I am not hearing that second babies come earlier!! This is ashame, lol. I am just going to ignore everybody that keeps saying to me that second babies come earlier and go back to my original way of thinking that I am going overdue. Love reading your replies though...keep them coming!
My first baby was about 6 hours of labour and 1 hour of pushing. She came the day after her due date. Ny water broke on it's own before we went to the hospital. Labour was pretty intense, and I felt overwhelmed at the time, but recovery went really well, and I had no more fears about it when I became pregnant again.
Second baby I expected to be much faster. But my waters stayed intact, and labour didn't progress as fast as I hoped! She was also 7 hours, start to finish - but with 5-10 min of pushing, not an hour. She came 6 days before her due date.
Third baby was different from both. My midwife says that's typical. With her, I was expecting/hoping to go early again, but after a round or two of false labour, she finally arrived one day after her due date. I had a homebirth this time. I laboured from 7 am to 5 pm or so, in "light" labour - prodromal labour, I guess it's called. Was at 4cm in the morning, and 4 cm at night. But then they broke my water, and things REALLY picked up. My "actual" labour time, recorded on my paperwork is 1.5 hours, I think. She was born after 2 pushes.
And, though labour may differ from one baby to the next, as the other mums have said - it generally goes better the second, third,.... whatever, time around, because you know what to expect, and your body knows what it's doing.
All the best for a lovely birth! I hope those last weeks go fast! I find things drag so badly in the last few days - almost made me crazy!
1st Labour was 12 days over and went for 10 hours, horrible forcep delivery,
2nd Labour 5 days over spontaneous labour (can't give you a exact length as I my contractions never got closer than 8 mins apart "light labour" but went for nearly 24 hours until I was ready to push and I only pushed for 30 mins, really great birth loved it. Said I would do it again straight after, no drugs. Even though it was a long 24 hours it was really managable because of the length in between contraction. My DH and I were actually a little bored in hospital,
My Ob said 2nd births are just so different from 1st deliveries that you can't compare them.
Good Luck, Look forward to reading your story when bubs arrives
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With her, I was expecting/hoping to go early again, but after a round or two of false labour, she finally arrived one day after her due date. I had a homebirth this time. I laboured from 7 am to 5 pm or so, in "light" labour - prodromal labour, I guess it's called. Was at 4cm in the morning, and 4 cm at night.
But then they broke my water, and things REALLY picked up. My "actual" labour time, recorded on my paperwork is 1.5 hours, I think. She was born after 2 pushes.
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