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If I had a dollar for everytime someone has told me that I best to the hospital quickly with this baby I'd be rich.
My first DD was born after 7 hours of active labour, DD2 was born within 3 hours. Should I be betting on a quick labour this time around?
I am kinda freeked out a bit because DH now works 1 hour away and we have moved further away from the hospital.
I have no personal experience however, my SIL 's first DD was a labour of 5 hours, she has just birthed my nephew and the labour was 1 and a half hour.
Not sure if this much help.
Deanne.
Every baby is different and every labour is different. Many 2nd, 3rd ect babies do came faster that their older siblings because your body knows what to do, but there are guarantees. My second took 20 minutes longer than my 1st, but she was posterior. We have estimated approximately 3 hours for DD3, but won't know for sure until it happens. Just make sure there is someone clse by that can rush you there if need be.
Expect the un - expected. Saying u will have a quicker labour is like saying u will win the lottery, really no one knows, except ur bub.
My 3rd was by far the quickest (3 hours 30 mins)
#1 was 10 hours 25 mins
#2 was 6 hours 14 mins
I was induced with all mine so not sure if that makes a difference.
1st 171/2 hours active labour,
2nd 3hrs 45min active labour
3rd 3hrs 30 min active labour.
The Actual labour does get quicker. 3 hours still has a lot of scope.
To give you an idea of how much, my sisters 1st labour was 30 minutes. Its called Premiate labour. Her next was about 20, and with the 3rd baby she got to the hospital (10 minutes away) sat down on the bed and had the baby.
She has not made it to the hospital since.
Yes - I am horribly jealous because she doesn't even get warning! They call it worrisome - I call it lucky!
DD1 - 18.5 hours
DD2 - 20 hours pre labour, 10 hours full on.
DS - 5 hours flat! DH was 2 hours away & got there about an hour before he was born.
More than likely it'll be quicker, just hope you have some warning signs :)
I did get warning signs with DD2 so I am praying I get similar signs this time.
I don't mind if I don't make it to the hospital but I would DH to be here.
Hi Bek,
My first two labours were quick,
ds 1- 3 hours
ds 2-1.5 hours
but my DD was our 3rd & came 6.5 hours later,so i really do agree bubs will come when they want to,lol.
Im in the same position!! Number one was 12 hours, number 2 was under 2 hours and everyone is telling me to get to hospital quick... except my mum who said her number three was longer than number 2!! So I'll let you know how we go, but Im not expecting quicker this time. xo
I recently read a biography of an experienced midwife and she said that in all her years as a midwife she has concluded:
1st labours are long
2nd labours are quicker
3rd labours are unpredictable
Doesn't really help does it?! I hope my third labour is quicker, my first was 37 hour and my second was 16 hours.
I have heard that 3rd labours can throw a curve ball so to speak!!
Trish - For your sake I hope you have a quicker 3rd labour too!!! Although my 3 hour labour was very full on and the pain was quite bad towards the end.
I have been wondering about this too Bekz.
my first was 13 hours
my second was 45 minutes... DH didnt make it in time.
And now for number 3 i live half an hour out of town. I have been reading up on what to do if it all happens to quick and preparing my older daughter with a few ideas of what could be needed.
baby #3 - started having contractions at around 2am, got to hospital at 330am was 7cm dilated, had her at 5.13am....so yeah pretty quick. My 2nd was super quick too (gave birth in emergency dept - no time to make it to the maternity ward, still had my shoes on giving birth). All my labours are quick. Ive been thinking i should camp outside my hossi a few days before my EDD......:)
Bec im the same- my DH is a firefighter - therefore could very well be at a call out when i go into labour. I just try and focus on stuff that is in my control - getting the girls minded and getting me to hospital. If i get those two done, then all i can do is hope and pray should DH be working, that he can get away as soon as i call......
My 3rd labour was definitely different, but the hospital was more impatient than the last one and AROM too early, lost dialation and had to do it all again. Body was *not* happy.:
Myson - WOW 45 mins. What literature have you been reading? I have been thinking about getting some information about what I need to have ready etc for an emergency birth at home. I wouldn't even know how to cut the cord.
MBear - Like you I would be happy if I can get the girls sorted and if need be I'll just make my own way to the hospital if DH is delayed.
Inertia - Excuse my ingorance but what is AROM?
Artificial rupture of membranes. Breaking my waters.:
I usually let them do it when I get to 8cms dialated because it does make it go quicker at the end. Such as with DD1, the only thing keeping me at 8cms was my membranes were in tact. As soon as they were ruptured it "let go" and went straight to 10cms. They ruptured them at 8pm and I had her at 8:06. Its part of my "birth plan" that they dont AROM unless I have "stalled at 8cms". With Lyta they decided 7cms was far enough and I closed back to 5cms. That was at midnight. I had her at 8:26am - 4 and a half hours after they decided I had stalled and told me to "get some sleep". :wall:
Thanks for that. I had my waters broken at 8cms with DD2 and she was born 5 mins later...boy o boy it was so painful..I was actually wondering if I should not allow for the manual breaking next time...I think this is another topic
well mine apparently broke by themselves with Harry, but I didnt bother going to the hospital til the last minute because my labours tend to stop when they stick me on that bed with that foetal monitor. They said there was nothing there, but I didn't hear the pop and there was no leaking at all, so Harry probably pushed through them and blocked the path. There was a crazy amount of hindwaters after he was born.:
You can definitely wait to see if they go by themselves, and even if they don't, caulbearers (babies born in the sac) are perfectly healthy babies and at no risk. Its is historically a sign of luck.
But yes. Labouring with your membranes in tact is far less painful, which is why I hold onto mine for as long as possible.
.....wow, i didnt know this. So them breaking your waters can cause a more painful labour ??? They broke my waters with DD#3 (around 8cm too BekZ) and it was soooo much more painful. Interesting....:
But yes. Labouring with your membranes in tact is far less painful, which is why I hold onto mine for as long as possible.
The author of the book I was referring to in an earlier post said that labour hurts much more once your waters are broken. Mine have always broken towards the very end.
Ummm well in my case they have gotten quicker so yes prepare for it ;)
Got any ideas on how to prepare Raven?
MBear - I know this time if the midwife wants to break my waters I will be hesitant because my pain went from very manageable to absolutely unbearable but Loren was born 5 mins later.
My labour was possibly more painful after my waters were broken, but that's also when things really started happening. I was actually glad about it, because I knew it would be done soon.
About your original question - my midwife said that third babies are the unpredictable ones. Don't know how true that is for everyone, but for me, my third labour was different from the first two. My first two were 7 hours from first twinge to delivery. With both of them, contractions were 5 min apart right from the start, and moved up relatively steadily from there.
With my third, I had much more prelabour. "Real" labour began on a Wednesday morning around 6:00. DH dropped the older girls off at his mother's, called the midwife, and we waited for things to pick up. The midwife said I was about 4cm at this point. That was great, I thought! Here we go! But we didn't get much farther. The contractions stayed steady at about 5 min apart, but didn't get closer or more intense all day. We walked and walked, I climbed stairs, showered, whatever I could think of. At around 5pm or so, at my request, the midwife checked me again. Still 4cm. I couldn't believe it. But my waters were bulging now, and she said she could break them for me. I said please do it! And bam - labour picked up! I jumped in the bath, and labour got hard. (the water was lovely!) About 2 hours later DD3 was here. Once things began to happen, they really began to happen. It just took a long time. (I know other women labour for way longer, but this was unusual for me.)
Anyways, all the best for a lovely birth!