Compare your 1st to 2nd Labour/Birth

Hi girls...just wondering how different your first labour was to your second?

Did you go into labour earlier with the second? Did it happen quicker? Were there as many complications/issues?

I'm just curious... :) With DS I woke up to a small gush around 8 am I think, then contractions straight away, then by 2 pm I got to the hospital fully dilated & put straight on a bed to start pushing...DS arrived at 5:45 pm after some complications & lots of pushing but all in all I think that's pretty quick? They warned me that next time would be quicker!?!!?

My first labour was 12 hoursm second was 4.5 hours. Both were complication free.
Mine were so very different due to having epidural with first but not with second. Both were great experiences though :)
Good luck with your impending birth, looks like it will probably be a quickie!

My first baby was one day overdue. I woke up with contractions 5 min apart and regular at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning. Had a bath, and got dressed. Water broke, called the hospital, and arrived at hospital at 9:30 or so. I was 2-3 cm, and I think about 90% effaced. By around 12:00 I was in heavy labour, and not coping so well - I panicked, and just wanted to be done! I was active throughout the labour - walking the halls, and in the bath, but by then, I was just done. I was shaking, crying, and puking. I had a shot of nubain (narcotic pain relief) and instantly relaxed into an almost sleep-like state, although I was still in pain from the contractions. I should have known that the rough spot there was transition - pretty much as soon as that shot was in, I was ready to push. (Not such a good thing for baby, but she was fine) DD1 was born at 1:25, after about an hour of pushing. She was 6lb 14oz, and 20 inches long, born without tearing. (hurray!) 7 hours of labour from start to finish.

My second baby was 6 days early. I was worried about an even faster labour, especially since DH was working about an hour away, and his cell phone was not working reliably. But I went into labour on a Sunday morning around 2:00am. So he was home. :) Again, I woke up with contractions 5 min apart and regular. We headed into the hospital, after dropping DD1 off at my MIL's house. Arrived at 3:30, or so, and started walking and walking and walking. Labour continued, but didn't pick up. My water didn't break. The nurses advised that I rest, but I wanted to be done with this! So I sat up on the bed for a while and rocked while DH slept. Around 7:30 my doctor came in, and checked me. I was about 5-6 cm. I asked if she could break my water and she agreed. Remembering what happened during hard labour last time, I asked for the nubain shot first, and they agreed. So I had the shot, they broke my water, and within 45 min, I was pushing. 15 min after that, DD2 was born, at 8:50. 7lb 10oz (I think!) and 21 inches long. No tearing. About 7 hours total, again.

DD3 was born at home. She arrived one day after her due date (which was brutal for me - I was counting on another early one!) I woke up with real contractions on a Tuesday morning around 6: 30, after a few weeks of achy pre-labour. (oh, that was a long haul!) Called the midwife who came and examined me and said I was about 3-4 cm. Labour stopped when she arrived. Guess I was nervous about her being in my house. (Strange - I liked and trusted her. Just a new situation I suppose. Not sure what to do.) When she left, contractions started again, and DH and I spent the day walking around town, watching movies, and waiting for things to pick up. Labour stayed steady, but light until about 5:30, or so. Then the midwife came and broke my water around 6:15 (I hadn't dilated any further!) and instantly labour became intense. I got straight into the bath, and laboured there. (water is great, BTW!) I managed without any other pain relief, and by 8:20 or so, I was pushing. 8:25 DD3 was born in the bath, after 2 pushes, without tearing. 7lb 8oz, 20.5 inches. About 12 hours of light pre-labour/labour, and about 2 hours of "real" labour.

I had "easy" complication-free labours all three times, so far, for which I am really thankful! The pushing time was reduced from one baby to the next, but the over-all labour time, for me, didn't get shorter, really.

I wish you all the best with your upcoming delivery! You're getting close now! :hug:

My first and second were vastly different to one another, but both great births. My first was 12hrs long, contractions started just after 1am and were nice and gentle in a way - they were coming every 15 minutes. I was actually in hospital at the time because I'd had my show the day before in the morning and we went over to be assessed (eager 1st time parents thinking it was all going to happen LOL). Was checked at 6pm and found to be 2cm. DH went home then and I stayed as they were happy to keep me there (Temora). Then about 3 or 4am DH was called to come back as they were closer by then (around 8-10mins) and he had an hr to travel. Things just kept progressingly perfectly for a first birth. At about 11.30am I was taken from my room to the labour ward and I started pushing about noon. I had quite a decent break in between each contraction so I wasn't too tired. My midwife said that he would be born by around 1.30pm and she wasn't far off - he was born at 1.20pm after nearly 1.5hrs of pushing. he was one day before his due date.

My second was born in just under 8hrs and nearly on the toilet! Contractions started with her at about 10pm on her due date and were coming about every 5 mins and they were painful, but not the typical build-up/peak/ebb so by the time I got to hospital (this time we weren't mucking around - we were 1hr from hospital and they were already pretty close) at midnight they were *real* contractions and lasting for a good 2mins at a time. I wasn't examined till the shift change at 7.30 and was told I was only 6cm and that I also should go and try to empty my bowel as it was stopping her from coming down, so off to the toilet I went and by golly it's hard to go to the toilet while you're in labour. As soon as I was done she dropped onto the pelvic floor and I said to DH to go and get Irene because the baby was coming NOW! and he said oh you can't be ready to push, you were only 6cm 10 minutes ago. We quickly moved to the labour ward and by the time I got on the bed she was crowning. She was born about 10 minutes after that at 7.50am.

My first labour was a nightmare compared to the second!

I was in Labour for over 30 hours from first contraction around 16 hours later waters broke and contractions stopped so then I was left for 8 hours with no progress before I was put on the drip to bring on contractions. DD took over an hour and a half to push out due to having a sholder in the way and rebounding back in with her fists!

My second I woke to broken waters in bed within 1/2 hour got my first niggle contractions picked up and hit in strong around 2.5 hours later and DS arrived less than four hours after water breakage with 3 pushes he was out!

Totally different and as you can see alot quicker! I was one of the lucky ones and never tore but did have a graze from DD due to her sholder, think it was due to how long she took to get out!

This one who knows but I'll let you know when he arrives the midwifes have been joking that I'll lift my leg and he'll fall out! lol

Snoopea

My 1st i had contractions start about 7pm i think it was, i thought it was nothing but DP was timing. by 9 they were 3 mins appart. By 10 they were a min and a half appart so we went to the hossy. They said although my contractions were close i wasnt dilated. (i was 43 weeks) they decided to break my water) They did the checks and i was put in the room on the bed where they broke my water put the clip on bubs head. My BP went up but not too bad. I had gas and Peth shot. all over by 12.17am. I had bad tearing and took a long time to heal and they told me continuous stitches.

With #2 i was again overdue. Booked in for induction. Had Bubs wasntengaged so i was told i'd need all 3 doses of gel. After 1st dose (2.30pm) i had contractions almost instantly. was confined to bed for an hour and a half. (also being on monitors and on the bed an hour and a half before the gel) got up to go to the toilet had a shower and came out feeling like bubs was going to fall out... They checked me and started yelling for a wheelchair as i was 8cm dilated. Was raced up to delivery got there had a suck on the gas while laying on the bed and dont remember much after that but was told 1 push and DD was out. It was 2 mins after wheeling into delivery. a total of 2hour 16mins from the time they inserted the gel. Very intense contractions. Only issie with bubs was the heamorages (spl) in her eyes from such a quick birth) I has no tearing and but Aweful Afterbirth pains everytime i fed bubs. OMG it was like birth all over again

The Midwives said next bubs 1st sign of labour get my a$$ to the hossy as i could be the bext mum who delivers in the car... They said they had never seen the gel work so fast especially with bubs not engaged (head was down but not engaged)

My first was 12 hours, I had an epi, waters didnt break, they turned epidural off for pushing, it was hell.
Second was 1 hour 54, no drugs, no time. Realise now that I went from waters breaking at 8am, then nothing until 3rd stage at 7pm. Far too intense and too quick...

My 2 labours couldnt have been more different!

My first, I was induced. Labour was 24 hours, had an epidural (which did not work at all for me), a vaccuum extraction and a third degree tear.

My second, went into labour naturally just after midnight, my daughter was born 4 hours later, no drugs whatsoever and only a very minor tear.

I was induced both times.

#1 was 3hrs I had some gas, no tearing. Was pretty hardcore pain-wise.

#2 was 90min, I was further dialated at the start. No drugs, no tears and I chatted and laughed with everyone until it was time to push. Took me 6 pushes and out he came.

Only real difference between them was that I handled the pain better (or it was less painful, dunno which) and I was more relaxed/focused.

My body is a birth machine and I am eternally grateful for that! Im anticipating that because Im insisting no inducing til 2wks over this time I probably will end up delivering at home after another short labour. Thankgod my middy lives a few streets away!

ETA - just wanted to clarify that although I had my labours induced they turned to drip off once regular cx's were established because my body took over with a mind of its own. The second time round I think they had it on for about 30min on the lowest dose possible and it was all that was needed to get it cracking. Kind of makes me a bit nervous about this baby lol

Caty was 19 hours from first ctx to birth. No drugs and as labour was 19 hours I had a lot of time to up my pain threshold. Tiny tear but no stitches. No other complications.

Ceri was about 4 hours from first (known) ctx to waterbirth. Natural and no tears at all. Waaay too fast though - I'd much prefer the 19 hour labour. Scares me thinking about the next one (whenever that is).

Both labours started around 3/4am.