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Labour and birth that is!
I asked the MW today what a "typical" third labour is like, you know, first is generally longish, second is generally shorter, what can she say about thirds? And she says that thirds seem to "fiddle about for a few days, contractions on and off, then they arrive in a bit of a rush."
Thoughts? Was your third like that? What was yours like?
I know, I know, there's no rule for all births etc etc but humour me :)
My third was awesome, not that the others werent awesome but yeah. My ob said to me when I was pregnant that most obs say every woman should have three pregnancies because 'third time's a charm'.
My 3rd labour was the easiest and the quickest.
(yep, Teni's talking about her mum again :lol:)
My Mum's third labour apparently came hard and fast. She had her first contraction after we two older kids were asleep, and he was born just before midnight. So maybe three, four hours? She was in denial for most of it, as far as I can tell. She was hanging onto doorways saying she wasn't going to the hospital :rofl:
:lol: That's funny :):
So maybe the MW is partially right...!
lol I feel like im the same Teni!
my mums third was the trouble maker...(SROM at 18weeks, on hospital bedrest for 3 months, and had him at 34 weeks - which after all that trouble she didnt even know she was in labour it was the nurses who picked it up and she was lucky to make it to the birth room in time, so was very quick).
In my work ive noticed a similar pattern...
but! like you said there is no hard and fast rule!!
lol that sounds right. dd gave me quiet afew pre-runs. then when she wanted out that was it, just over 2hrs for the whole thing! woulda had her in the car if we had stayed with our original hospital choice!
I went from 18 hours, to 30, down to 5. So that was a shock! 4th was 12!!
I did have 2 or 3 contractions the morning before, but that was the only preperation/warning I had. No plug/show etc. It was about 26 hours between those first few contractions & the actual start of labour.
It was my first where the contractions didn't get regular at all. Even during transition & pushing. #4 was the same. I'm pretty sure it was babies position that caused that :)
I didn't have any real warning. I woke up and got contractions. Before I knew it, I was in full labour but really wasn't sure if it was the real thing. He was born very quickly once my water broke and I would say it was fast & furious and he came out a little bruised from the whole thing. I personally have found my boys labours to be more painful than my girls - I don't know why that is though - so it was a little more painful. Definitely not my favourite labour but beautiful all the same. 5 hours from first contraction to birthing the placenta.
My DD3's birth story is in my sig :)
But the short version is DD1 and DD2 were pre term so I was expecting to go early got to 37 weeks and felt over due! Had no prelabour with my first two births and heaps with my third, lost plug for weeks. My midwife side that its quite common with third births. Went into labour at 37+4 and from first cx to birth was longer than any of my others but almost the same length of active labour for all 3 births was 6-6.5 hrs. I also think waiting for DH to come home slowed things down and I didn't do anything to actively encourage labour to progress until he was closer to home
Great labour, first water birth, felt awesome after! About 2 hrs in hospital before she came and only 3 minutes of pushing (although it felt longer ;) Little bruised around the eyes from coming out so quick. She came just before midnight and we left before lunch the next day. Hope your third goes well
I went 16hrs to 4 hrs ( both induced) to 2 hrs spontaneous.
fast and furious is the way I have described it too ;)
for me, it was a case of my body really felt like it knew what it was doing, I knew what to do do it all clicked this time.
I hope your 3rd is great too.
(and the kids really enjoyed another baby) and enjoying a toddler
My third gave me tons of pre-labour - strong enough to make me go to hospital twice, once in the middle of the night, because I was convinced it was the real thing as well as one occasion of her going soooooo quiet that I panicked and yep, back to hospital again. The midwives all told me on my false starts and my real labour that third babies are notorious at keeping their mummies guessing, and Miss A sure did. When it came to the real thing, my hind waters broke just after 8am but then absolutely nothing until very late afternoon. Her birth was then a steady build up over say 3 hours. She was much faster than DD1, but significantly slower - thank goodness!! - than DD2. Miss I was 5 days late induced, Miss E 9 days late and Miss A 8 days late so I think all my girls were pretty consistent in terms of cooking times ;-)
My third was prem, after having 2 term babies. Had a show 18hrs before then woke up in labour at 5:30am. Labour lasted 1.5hrs at 33weeks.
Then had Threatened Preterm Labour at 32weeks with my 4th, but was put on medication early enough to stop the 'niggly' contractions.
My third came in 43 minutes. Had gastro that morning, was quite violently ill for those 5hrs or so. Then at 8.30 that evening I felt my waters start to trickle. Freaked and rang my midwife saying I didn't want to go into labour I'd been sick all day! Had a couple of Braxton hicks type contractions after a while, then bam! Labour and birth. Third stage was actually longer than labour lol.
I had what your midwife described. Lots of pre-labour for a couple of days and then a wonderful, quick and easy labour :).
DD's birth story is HERE if you have the time to read it. It was a lovely, calm birth.
Interesting, thanks for sharing guys! I keep thinking it will just come on like DS did but maybe not...
Mine was a ****ing horrific induced birth ending in a manual placental removal under GA. I had been having painful pre-labour for about a week before and I made the stupid decision to let the doctor break my waters, which did nothing to help labour so ended up with an induction and 4.5hours of pure hell.
I loved my third birth it was awesome. My quickest and easiest. Afterwards wasn't so great, but the actual birth was wonderful.
Here is my birth story if you would like to read it.
TBH i am just freaked out about the afterbirth pains...with DD2 they were horrendous and my IM told me to prepare myself for some pretty intense ones this time too.
did you guys find that they were harder as well?
My third came quick and fast in 2hrs, much more painful than the longer births of my boys and the afterbirth pains were horrific.
Regards,
Dianne
The afterbirth pains did seem more painful, but you forget so quickly! They could have been as painful the time before, but because they don't last for long you really do forget (well, I did anyway).
After birth pains wer bad but I was shocked at how much worse they were they second time compared to the first so for my third I took ibuprofen I think? Or voltaren? Can't remember it was a NSAID as well as panadol twice in the twelve hours after birth and it helped a lot! As well as heat packs and not having synto injection for third stage also helped reduce the pain of the after pains for me :)
I started a thread somewhere as I was worried about the after pains more than the labour!
Sounds like my second. Maybe I'll just stand up and the baby will pop right out for #3! Hope it all goes well, not too long now, right?
First was induced and 18 hours but who knows what would have happened if I was left to go naturally.
Second was 8 hours from start to finish.
Third was 13 hours but she was 2 pound heavier than the others.
I never lost any plug or had my waters break prior to labour with any of them.
After pains aren't fun. My MIL was right, they get worse with each one. I was actually on panadeine forte for them after DD3.
Makes breastfeeding interesting when you're bracing yourself for the feeding & the after pains!
My 3td was pretty much like your mw said... #1 started with show and contractions soon after, 7hrs from show to birth. #2 different coz I was already in hospital because of (another) mild bleed which brought on contractions that I couldn't feel but were showing on monitor. After 2 1/2days of that contractions ramped up and she was born about 4 1/2hrs later.
Dd2 I'd been having lots of prelabour (i always get strong Braxtons from about 20wks!) But she showed no signs of actually making an entrance! At 39w 2d had just made a cuppa about to sit down after putting ds & dd to bed, standing up behind lounge waters broke when I laughed at the tv! Contractions started about 40mins later and dd2 was born about 1 1/2hrs after waters breaking! In all honesty I did find it stressful and 'to quick' and went into mild shock after birth. Thank God I hadn't planned to go to hospital coz I'm certain I wouldnt have made it lol
Having said all that ds2 labour was MUCH more relaxed honestly the most perfect birth imaginable and I'm sure its quite possible to have that with #3 instead of #4 :D
Oh and umm yes sorry afterbirth pains were pretty horrible with #3 and 4, but take some painkillers before feeds as it will help.
My 3rd was a 34min labour. One push and she was out.
Intense contraction that arrived and never left. Luckily I was at the hosp or I never would have made it.
After pains were pretty horrible while bf but they go away after 3-4 days.
Dreading the after pains for number 4 but prepped a home birth so no getting into a car for me!!!
yeah, the after pains were pretty horrendous for me third time around too, and I was taking voltaren for the first 36 hours while in hospital. Once I got home and started doing my own thing they got a whole heap better
Third easiest and fastest but totally agree a hole load of ****ing around :)
yeah my IM recommend just having voltaren in the cupboard JIC for the afterbirth pains...i guess i better take her up on it :lol:
Interesting to read. My first was quicker (like heaps quicker) than my second. Wonder what the third would be like for me. Especially considering I had to BF DD to get contractions and after pains were not bad at all but considering my uterus wasn't really contracting like it should it's not that surprising. Will have to have a 3rd to see lol :)
My 3rd was a week over, no real pre labour. It just started out of the blue and bub came in a bit under 3.5 hours. Made it to hospital just in time as I was in denial it was time to go :)
I haven't ever had bad after birth pains, but I think I have a lazy uterus (LOL, like the rest of me!!!) because I hemorrhage after I give birth.
My 3rd was perfectly timed. First was 17hrs too long second 2 hours way too short third was 6 hours and just right.
No warning or pre labor. Had tonnes with second.
Worst after pains after though. I recall crying and vowing never again lol oops...
DS3's birth was much as your midwife has said OP - I had three false starts where I was sure I was in labour but the contractions faded away to nothing. In the end I was induced (gel only) as DS3 was two weeks overcooked. I don't have a link to DS3's birth story in my sig, but its in Birth Stories if you want to have a look. Essentially my waters broke spontaneously approx 4 hours after the gels went in, and DS3 was born less than 45 mins later. I was expecting another sponteaneous arrival around the EDD, like my first two boys, which I soooo didn't get much to my frustration. But while DS3's birth was fast and furious in the end, it was still awesome.
Re: afterbirth pains ... I didn't really get any. TMI alert ... For me, I had major gushes of blood every time I BF'd or DS3 howled for the first couple of weeks, but no pains.
Great thread OP.
I'm interested in this also.
I'm not sure whether to count this as my 3rd or 4th labour/birth as I laboured for 5 hours with Reid before I pushed him out.
I know the obstetric world doesn't class it though.
I have an inkling this one is going to be a quick labour but then who knows!
Sara :hug: that must be confusing. You call it whatever feels right.
Andie I remember your false starts etc.
And THANKS so much Cassius - I hadn't even considered the after pains!!!! :wall: :lol:
Mine with DS weren't too bad so maybe I won't suffer too much this time around...
Jen, not long to go, two weeks plus or minus.
I was going to ask about that Sara, but didn't want to on FB.
You still laboured & birthed him, so I think it would be your fourth?
Yeah I'm not sure hey.
My labours have always been 2 hours shorter.
DD1 was 9.5hrs
DD2 was 7.5 hrs
DS was 5 hours maybe 5.5hrs
So with that pattern this babe may be born in 3.5 hours??
The only thing that scares me about that short a labour is the intensity of it.
From what I've seen and heard, short labours are pretty damn intense.
Well who knows? Births do generally get shorter & babies heavier. Unless you're me :lol:
Like I said on FB, 18 hours, 30 hours, 5 hours & 12 hours. All mixed up.
Weights were 7lb 5oz, 8lb 9oz, 8lb 7.5oz & 7lb 9oz. DD1 being the lightest is the only thing that fits in with the way things are 'supposed' to be!
People have had much shorter labours than my 5 hour one, but for me & my body that was a shock. It was intense, because I didn't have time to prepare myself. To get 'in the zone' IYGWIM. No time to settle into it. DD2 was the best birth because even though it was long, it was gradual. I had time to make myself relax & concentrate on my cervix opening (had to do that, because I almost failed with DD1).
Not one of my labours was the same in any way. Except that the contractions didn't get regular at all with DS or DD3.