What was your SECOND birth like?

[Amygdala]

I have to say, I expected more positive stories than negative but reading that just about everyone had an easier time second time around has really put a smile on my face! Thank you all do much for sharing! Thank you as well, lizardbreath. I'm sorry that you weren't lucky enough to have a good second birth stories, I hope I didn't stir up bad memories.
Overall though, it seems that the first one really is the hardest. That gives me a lot of confidence for when baby 2 comes around, so thanks again all!

 

[Amygdala]

PS, keep them coming!

 

[MumToEva]

Loving this thread! Thanks ladies!

 

[racheal021106]

My 2nd birth was a lot faster than my first
My first my contractions started at 3:30am, got painful at around 12pm-1pm and I had my daughter at 4:26pm the same day. My full labour was just under 13hrs but active labour was around 5.

My 2nd labour contractions started at around 2:30am, got really painful at 4-5am. Became unbearable at around half past 5, got to the hospital at 6:35am was 10cm already and my 2nd daughter was born at 6:55am just 20mins after getting to the hospital. My midwife calculated my labour at 4hrs and 5 mins in total

2nd labour was defiantly more painful but a lot better experience.

 

[Betheney]

This thread gives me hope, keep em coming ladies.

 

[xx~Lor~xx]

Better for me!

I lasted longer before I went to the mmidwife centre, I was 6cm, whereas my first I was just 4cm). It was almost half the time (4 1/2 hours rather than 7 1/2 hours). I had no tears or grazes second time around, I tore a little with my first and grazed. Used the same 'drugs' etc, gas & air and I also used a birthing pool.

 

[Rebaby]

It was much quicker, easier and more enjoyable second time around for me

My first birth was a hospital birth, i went into labour spontaneously at 38 weeks and 1 day by my waters breaking. The total length of my labour (from waters breaking to placenta delivered was 19 hrs 46 minutes). The length of established labour was recorded as 10 hours. Length of second stage (pushing) was 30 minutes. Third stage was 11 minutes.

I had my labour 'accelerated'/'augmented' with synto (the drug they use to induce labour) as my waters had broken but contractions were taking a while to get going and i was GBS positive. I started out with a tens and gas and air but later had an epidural. I had a normal delivery and a 2nd degree tear. We were both healthy and happy but i did feel like i had been hit by a truck for a couple of weeks!

Second time round i had a home birth. Labour started naturally, with mild tightenings, at 38 weeks and 4 days. From very first contraction to placenta being delivered was actually 26 hours and 33 minutes but for the first 24 hours of that i didn't really feel that i was in full blown labour, the contractions were mild and i could just get on with things. My first stage was recorded as being 5 hours and 46 minutes, my second stage was unrecordable as he came out with one push and then my third stage was 4 minutes I had hoped to deliver in water but didn't make it into the pool in time (things progressed quickly at the end!) I didn't have any drugs other than 2 paracetamol and my tens machine. I had a first degree tear and was out at the park with my OH, toddler and baby 2 days later

They were both straightforward normal births in my mind but i had a lot more intervention, pain and worry first time around, whereas second time around, although intense, was also quite good fun!

HTH

 

[Lozdi]

My second was a just under 4 hour labour which consisted of me labouring at home til it got very intense, then a mad dash to the hospital in a taxi where I proceeded to be let into a room with a chest high bed. The midwives were going to lower the bed so they could examine me but I said no time for that...CATCH! And held on to the chest high bed while OH supported me from the other side of it and 2 midwives literally caught my son as he shot out at great speed with such ease it was hilarious. He was 7lb on the dot and I didn't tear at all, was just a little sore. The midwives were so unprepared for the speed of it, I was standing there, baby in arms, cord still attached, while they fussed and lowered the bed! Comedy gold! It was 17 whole minutes from arriving in the taxi to holding my son. The worst part of it was the taxi ride- speed bumps and contractions DO NOT MIX!

Homebirth this time, to avoid the taxi farce!

I wouldn't call my first labour traumatic or even especially difficult, but it was longer, 10 hours, and occurred over night whereas 2nd was in the morning, so the timing of my first made it harder, plus was scarier, as I didn't know what to expect.

Wish I could have been a fly on the wall in the room of my second, it really must have looked hilarious!

First birth I had pethidine (was useless) and some gas and air which unproductively made me feel drunk. No pain relief second time round, didn't want nor need any.

I do hope my third will be as easy!

 

[3outnumbered]

my second was 12 days late, was a shock as first was 9 days early!

but was induced with second and from waters breaking to her being delivered 3 hours!!! so was much shorter. xx

 

[nosocks]

This thread is the best thing I've read my whole pregnancy!
My 1st was a horrible experience ending with an EMC and hoping for a VBAC this time around. But obviously I only have that experience to think about and I know my oh certainly struggles to see it happening any differently.
But you ladies have made me a LOT more positive. Gong to make oh read it.
My mum is adamant 2nd, 3rd etc babies are much quicker-especially with small gapes (ours will be 29 months)... My doula says its a bit of an old wives tale- and although I know there's no written rule for these things- its lovely to hear others having these experiences of positive births after hard ones.
Pllleeaaaseeeeeee keep them coming!

 

[sammy10kids]

1st waters broke, contractions started and delivered 5 1/2 hours later after 45 mins pushing
2nd waters broke delievered 5 hours later after 2 pushes
3rd contractions started and born 3 1/2 hours later
4th contractions and 2 1/2 hours later
5th contractions born 4 hours later
6th 35 weeks contractions and born 35 MINUTES after the first pain on the living room floor with no medical help!! Because of this i had a retained placenta and had to have a spinal to have it manually removed
7th 33 weeks contractions born 3 hours later, spent 2 weeks in scbu
8th 31 weeks contractions born 1 hour later spent 3 weeks in scbu
9th 30 weeks contractions born 1 hour later spent 8 weeks in scbu!!

never had stitches or epidural x

 

[MumToEva]

1st waters broke, contractions started and delivered 5 1/2 hours later after 45 mins pushing
2nd waters broke delievered 5 hours later after 2 pushes
3rd contractions started and born 3 1/2 hours later
4th contractions and 2 1/2 hours later
5th contractions born 4 hours later
6th 35 weeks contractions and born 35 MINUTES after the first pain on the living room floor with no medical help!! Because of this i had a retained placenta and had to have a spinal to have it manually removed
7th 33 weeks contractions born 3 hours later, spent 2 weeks in scbu
8th 31 weeks contractions born 1 hour later spent 3 weeks in scbu
9th 30 weeks contractions born 1 hour later spent 8 weeks in scbu!!

never had stitches or epidural x

Wow! So this is number 10! Amazing!

I see you are 31 1/2 weeks now - hopefully this one will stay in long enough not to have to see SCBU! Fingers crossed!

 

[Seity]

This is a great thread. I'm actually a bit worried about this second labor because my first was so fast and easy. I worry that it'll be much faster and I won't have time to get the drugs. The nurses and midwife had to have commented over 1000 times about how my first birth was more like a second or third baby and not a first. My midwife still goes on about it at all my appointments.
I was in labor 3.5 hours with my 1st, pushed 5 min and he was born at 38+3. I had the 2 hour intrathecal shot. I'm hoping this one will be a similar birth experience.

 

[gretavon]

I heard that the after pains are much stronger in subsequent births. Did anybody have this or did they feel the same?

 

[Rebaby]

I heard that the after pains are much stronger in subsequent births. Did anybody have this or did they feel the same?

Yes i'm sorry to say that was one aspect which was actually worse second time around- much stronger after pains, although they started much sooner (almost immediately after delivery) and although very intense, were gone within a couple of days, whereas with my first i didn't even have any after pains until after we were discharged home (when he was 5 days old) and i wondered what the hell was happening and thought perhaps i was having another baby! they didn't stick around as long second time so that's something at least

I commented to the midwives at my second birth that i was really not loving how strong the after pains were and they told me that for most women they get worse with each subsequent child and one of the midwives commented that she had known women who were on their 6th, 7th, 8th children etc who had quick and easy drug-free labour and births but then needed pethidine to cope with the afterpains

That fact right there was enough to put me off having any more

 

[XJessicaX]

Great. I had hideous after pains with my 1st. On a positive my uterus retracted back completely in under a week PP! I wish I could buy gas and air to take home with me!

 

[Betheney]

I heard that the after pains are much stronger in subsequent births. Did anybody have this or did they feel the same?

The after pains my mum had after her 7th birth she said were 10000 times worse than birth itself, she said she wouldn't have 7 kids if labour and birth were anything like those afterpains. She thought something was actually incredibly badly wrong.

However she only noticed them worse at this birth the 7th one. The 6 prior she didn't notice the after pains any different from the previous birth.

 

[Honeybee88x]

Thank you ladies this helps so much.

I still feel traumatised by my first birth and that was the main thing I was worrying about this time and reading all your experiences really helps me to feel more positive about my birth this time round.

xx

 

[Naturalmystic]

My second birth experience was more positive than my first. My labor was not much shorter or less painful but I think I coped with the pain better because I breathed through the contractions instead of screaming . But the after pain with my second baby was horrible, with my first I did not get after pain but I actually needed to take Motrin to cope with the cramps.

 

[Rosie.no1]

Thanks for this ladies.

With my first I was having contractions but I didn't dilate. When I did reach 4cm the pains were so bad that she went out to get pethadine for me and when she came back after 5 mins I was pushing.. 9 and a half cm! Active labour was about 1.5hours!

So, I'm wondering how I will labour this time? Will my body dilate from the beginning properly as it should? Will I make it to hospital? Will I get in the pool? So many questions!