'Little Ones Close in Age' ~ Please join us

[Bookity]

Labor with DD1, I don't know how long active labor was as I was 7 cm when I got to the hospital, if I count from when I started noticing contractions I'd say I was about 12 hours from start to finish. No drugs. I didn't know what to expect with labor. The day I went into labor I felt like I had to go to the bathroom every 5 seconds and had a backache.

Second labor, I had show the night before labor started, felt a little crampy, but everything fizzled. Next night I woke up at 2 am and had first contraction, got painful and intense very quickly, she was posterior (yay), got to the hospital at 4 am (9 cm) and she was born at 5:19 am.

 

[Bookity]

Just to add, if you had the OB I had I know there would be induction talk just so they could be sure you were in the hospital when you had your baby. I'm pretty sure this will come up if I ever get pregnant again since I only had a 3 hour labor this last time!

 

[trgirl308]

I've only had the one so far, but my water broke at 36+3, no gush, just a tiny trickle off and on. So I went to the hospital to check and they confirmed it was my water but I was only 1cm so they didn't want to give me pitocin. They gave me cervidil instead and from start of contractions to delivery was less than 3 hours, no epidural.

I have no idea what to expect for my 2nd, my chances of going early and delivering very quickly are high so I just hope whatever happens I make it to the hospital and don't give birth at home or on the highway... lol.

 

[NDH]

Hopefully I'll remember to pm for a fb invite after this.

My first labour my water broke as a trickle and more than 24 hours later contractions were irregular still and her heartrate was decelling so we decided to start syntocinon. 8 1/2 hours later she was in my arms. Classed as a 6 1/2 hour active labour. 2 hours of which I had the urge to push and wasn't allowed, 2 1/2 hours actually pushing. She was posterior but turned and came out properly.

My second was breech and was born 7 1/2 hours after my first contraction - no prior warning. My labour was classed as 1 1/2 hours active as I was 4cm (she stretched me to 4) but id consider it more like 30 minutes aa I didnt feel like I was actually in labour til just before transition.

 

[KellyC75]

Have added those that sent me email addresses to the facebook group...Anyone else that would like to join, please send me your email

 

[phineas]

First labour induced with the gel, no pains etc until that night, waters bust as my first sign and he was born 2 hours 35 mins later.
Second labour induced with the gel, contractions started and baby born 1 hour 52 mins later. My longest part of delivery is from 1-4 cm, I went from 4-10 and baby out all within 45 mins.

 

[Guppy051708]

First labor

Spoiler

started when my water broke, but it was only a trickle. CXs began immediatly at about 4 min apart. 100% of the pains were in my lower back and CX were never regukar (even while i was pushing!). He was face up and asinclictic. From waters breaking to his birth was 30.5 hours. I was in transition for 9 hours and i started pushing at 8CM. Got in trouble for that but i couldnt stop my body. I pushed for 6 hours. The placenta easnt coming away as i had PICA and was severly anemic. I started to have PPH so they injected pitocin into ny thigh and then the placenta came right out. I wanted a natural 3rd stage but bc of the issues i let them manage it. Had a successful intervention free water birth (besides the pit injection). It was def my hardest labor of the three and the pains were severe right off the bat bc of all that back labor. It was excruciating. But i managed it w out drugs...lots of hydrothyrapy tho otherwise i dont think id have managed.

2nd labor

Spoiler

started with waters breaking and this time it was a hollywood style gush (in my bed of all places ). I didnt even have one CX until about 8 hrs later. And when they finally did start they were just BHs for several hours. Then pains started about 13 hrs (after water broke). They were irregular the entire time. The only way i was able to keep labor going was by using the breast pump. I would get awesome CX whilist hooked up to that but as soon as i stopped, my CX would fizz out. They even did that during active labor. The MWs said they had never witnessed somethingg like that before. It took 30 hours from my waters breaking just to get to 4CM but once i got to that i went from 4CM to placenta in one hr and 15 min. I started pushing at 8CM again (thankfully i had great MWs and didnt get in triuble. I was encouraged to do as my body pleased). I pushed for only 15 min and he was born. Placenta arrived on its own 7 min later. It was another long painful labor but i had zero back pains so it was much much more managable. Total time from waters breaking to baby was 32.5 hours. Totaly intervention free. No drugs. Again lots of hydrothyrapy and another water birth

With my last birth

Spoiler

it was the best experience of all three. It was actually fairly normal, which was a pleasant surprise for me. I was a bit nervous given my past, lonng labors and pains and waters breaking. I was also a bit worried it would take even longer bc she was still floating and not even slightly engaged. I know that can be normal in veteran moms but i had read many times it can make labor last longner and since my other two were so long i was scared it would be even longer. Anyways, i had BHs all that day (and many weeks before that too). Nothing bothersome and certainlly not anything that indicated labor since i had them for weeks before that. Around 5pm i had a CX and i knew it was different and not just a BH. They came about every 10 min. They wernt really painful tho so i ignored them and we went out to eat. About an hiur and a half of that they started coming around 7 min apart. Still super mild and hardly painful tho. Around 9pm they started to get pretty painnul and were 5 min apart. At midnight they were 2-3 min apart and intense. At 12:55am my water broke but it was just trickles (the majority of my waters came out when she came out). At 2:25am i was checked. Was 6CM and she was still not all that engaged (-2). So i was surprised and figured it would be a while longer since she was still so high. But much to my surprise i started pushing soon after. Again i started oushing at 8cm (guess thats all my body needs) I pushed five times and she was out. She was born about a half hour after my check (2:49am). Placenta came away totally on its own- pribably about a half hr later. My notes say active labor was about 2 hrs. It eas a pleasant birth and my best birth. I would say i only had real pains for about 2 hrs. Everything before tgat was rather gentle and pretty mild. 100% intervention free. No drugs. I had NO water for pain relief. The birth was just too fast. And no water birth. I didnt even use the shower. I reckon if i had it woukd have even been less painful. That birth was very managablr and gasp almost enjoyable (something i never ever would have imagined was possible, esp given how hard my first two births were)

As for signs...ehh im not a believer in them anymore i had many signs in the book and tried everything to avoid induxtion w DS1. I was dialated and effaced for weeks (from 34 weeks and i didnt have him until 41+5). Nothingg worker to get him out and all the gross labor spotting signs ment nothig. Never had BHs either.
W DS2 i had no signs except a little dilated and lots effaced and went pretty early (38+3).
W DD i had every signle sign in the book, even regular 'waves' for weeks and weeks except that she was floaty the entire time, even right before she was born) and yet i didnt have her until 41+0.
I used to think signs met things (not dilation/effacement tho but everything else like bloody show, clear out, etc) but now i can honestly say there are frw signs that mean anything. One is ur water breaking and two is super super suprr painful CX...i wont even say regular CX bc two out of three of my labors yielded irregular CX 100% of the time.

 

[Guppy051708]

Also i truly believe labor is much less painful when ur waters stat entact. I def think that was the key to a more managable birth and more regukar CX. I did take high doses od Vit C and took calcium magnesium citrate to strengthen the sac and it def worked. I woukd totally recommend it. I say, if u can do whatever to keep ur waters, do it. It really did make all the difference to me (tho it may or may not work but certainly worth the effort)

 

[trgirl308]

Just found out I am pregnant with twins, so I will have 3 under 2! Any advice??

 

[Guppy051708]

Congrats!!!

...advice...take it one day at a time and remember to breath

 

[hakunamatata]

I'm super excited for TR!!

Thanks for posting labor experiences. Will be trying for vbac so trying to be mentally prepared!

 

[AmaryllisRed]

A question. Samuel is 20 months. I finally just got him to go to sleep on his own instead of being rocked to sleep. But he still likes to cuddle a lot throughout the day.
On the one hand, I feel like I should try to get him used to cuddling less, with the new baby coming. But on the other hand, I want to soak up every single moment with him before the baby comes and I can't give him as much attention.
What did you all do?

 

[daddiesgift]

Honestly I think it would be nearly impossible to cut cuddles out to a cuddly kid. My oldest has always been a big mommas boy, can't do anything without me. When baby came he had a different personality of not needing to be cuddled all the time. When our toddler wants me the baby just cuddles with daddy. On rare occasions they've both wanted me in which I just sit down on couch with both. I feel the baby is much closer to his daddy then me anyways which is nice for OH. When new baby comes it will fit right in. I wouldn't cut cuddles out.

 

[NDH]

No don't cut out cuddles. Enjoy them and explain to him that you love cuddles with just him and soon you're going to love cuddles with the new baby as well. And that sometimes just the baby will get cuddles but there will be times they can both have mommy cuddles. I quite often have my 21 month old snuggled up beside me while I'm feeding the baby (if she's not nursing tool). She also had to be rocked to sleep until shortly before Chloe was born. I still sit with her and rub her back while feeding or holding Chloe, unless Chloe is asleep in bed and then I get to cuddle her to sleep.

 

[AmaryllisRed]

Thanks, that helps.
I guess I'm just worried that there won't be enough room... Although we just traded in our recliner for a loveseat.
And I'm worried that he'll want to sit with us, which is fine, but then he'll try to push or kick the baby away. Which he used to do and still does if his big brother tries to sit on my lap. Thankfully Thomas isn't super cuddly anymore. But Samuel is way possessive.

 

[NDH]

Another thing I did was get a newborn sized doll and I would often hold it on my lap like a baby and teach her to treat it like a real baby.

 

[AmaryllisRed]

I should do that... We had a doll from when Samuel was not yet born... My dh loved that our son had a doll! But I do think it helped Thomas get accustomed to the idea.
Right now Samuel sees babies on tv, at the store, etc., and he has the vague notion that there's a baby in my belly (and everyone else's, as far as he's concerned!) but of course he can't visualize a baby actually coming to live with us and what that entails.

 

[CharlieKeys]

Hi everyone ... Just an update that I'm expecting another baby due end of sept/early October

 

[daddiesgift]

Congrats!! What made you decide to try again?

 

[NDH]

Congrats!