Tell me about your 2nd birthing experience!

[jlmack45]

I'm getting ready to have my 2nd child and I'm a little nervous.

[1babysmom]

Mine was SO much easier and faster than my first!! Then again, I had AROM with my first and it was horrid (we had a hospital birth and I ended up with an epidural eventually, and even though my recovery was quick and easy I still wanted something different next time).

With DD2 my labor was only 5 hours (DD1 was 12 hours), it was quite easy (only felt like maybe 3 hours). I labored on my birth ball at home (we had a UC) for the entire time, never made a peep, got up to change positions when my body "told" me I needed to, and my water broke and she was out in less than 3 minutes later. It was wonderful!!

[jlmack45]

I ate 1/2 of a Tostinos pizza at 5pm, my water broke at 10:30pm. I showered and went to the hospital, where they told me that I was not allowed to walk around(because of the water breaking).. I asked for an epidural at 10am and it had faulty equiptment so I got another one at 11. By 1:30 nothing had worked so they tried it a 3rd time. It did nothing for the pain, it only made me not feel my legs. I tried to tell them that, but they insisted that things were fine. Laynie never dropped so I had to push her from a -2 station.
I begged them to take out the catheter while I was pushing and they refused. That hurt worse than the ring of fire I felt when she crowned. It was very disheartening to feel monitors and stuff sucking back into me when I let up after a push!! I spent 3 hours pushing, hemorrhaged, and got a 3rd degree tear. They pulled the placenta out in tiny shreds and gave me 36 stitches. From the time my water broke to the time she was born, it took me 18 hours. I went almost 28 hours without food(they said I couldn't eat), and while I was pushing the nurses tried to coax(sp) me along by asking me to plan my next meal. As though seeing my baby wasn't enough of a goal....

She was sooooo worth every bit, but at the time, it was hell. Now I am a little worried. DH is deployed this time, I have a toddler to care for, and I'm delivering at the same place. I need some sort of hope that this time won't be the same... and I need tips on what is normal and what is not.

[XanaduMama]

My first was a hospital birth, mostly natural (got pit augmentation after 19hrs ROM with no cxes). The birth itself was intense--fast and strong--but the overall experience wasn't that great, being in a hospital an' all. 20hrs from ROM to baby, but 3.5 hrs labor.

My 2nd was a HB and a magical, peaceful experience! 7 hrs from ROM to baby, but only about an hour of what I'd consider serious labor. It was awesome!

You can do it!

[Mommy2Austin]

First Pregnancy- OB managed, labor starts at 41 weeks...4 days of back labor with refusal by the hospital to admit until I was 5 cm dilated. Admitted the day before induction (@ around 11 am) and had AROM then an epidural that never seemed to fully take. Started pushing somewhere around 7pm the same day with nurses standing in my door telling me it would still be awhile : 7:30ish I throw up an orange popsicle and go into transition. I start pushing and the dr. (not my normal OB) comes in and tells me to stop pushing because *she* wasn't ready. Have the baby and vow never to go back to the hospital again.

Second Pregnancy- Midwife managed after 20 weeks (self managed prior to,) Labor started 3 days before due date. Woke up at 7 am after having the best nights sleep ever. Started feeling contractions. Called midwives around 8am. One arrives at 9:30 am and starts filling birth pool. Puts me on the potty to try and get me to go to the bathroom before birthing. Then she checks me and I'm 7cms 90% effaced. The *only* check I had! At around 11:00 she tries to get an IV in for antibx for GBS positive status. Can't get it in. Midwife #2 and midwife-in-training (who politely had asked if she could watch at my last appt. because she'd not been to one yet!) arrive and midwife #2 gets the IV in fast. 11:32 my water broke as I'm sitting in the chair. They hussle me to the barely filled enough to be worth it birth tub and 11 minutes later out comes baby Very fast, very short labor, and very much awesome to be home in my own bed immediately after!

[XanaduMama]

Originally Posted by jlmack45

the hospital, where they told me that I was not allowed to walk around(because of the water breaking)..

I need some sort of hope that this time won't be the same... and I need tips on what is normal and what is not.

Just wanted to comment on this post.

The first thing--not being allowed to walk around because of ROM--is totally bogus. My first birth was in a hospital with an OB, and they INSISTED that I walk around as much as possible to get things going. I was allowed in the tub during labor and moved around a lot. I did have to be on a monitor after I accepted pit augmentation, but demanded the portable monitor that allowed me relative freedom of movement.

Sadly, I fear your upcoming experience is going to be a struggle too. Do you have a doula?? It sounds like it could really help you a LOT.

[DoulaVallere]

My second birth was FABULOUS compared to my first (which was still pretty awesome)

First birth, free standing birth center. 39 total hours of labor (started Friday night, went to the bc Saturday night, baby born lunchtime Sunday) with a poorly presenting baby, 3 hours of pushing. Episiotomy and quite a bit of bleeding afterwards.

Second birth ...woke up at 5:30 to contractions. Ate breakfast, showered, called the birth center. Got there at 8:30. Hopped in the birth tub. Baby was born at 10:24am after 20 min of pushing into his daddy's hands. SO SO SO much better experience and a MUCH easier recovery....I felt like Superwoman afterwards!

[_betsy_]

2 very similar birth experiences for me.

With both, I was walking around 100% effaced and 4-5 cms dilated for a WEEK or more without so much as a BH contraction. But onece the water broke, forget it, it was very intense, very painful, very out-of-control, and very fast. DD1 was born an hour and 48 minutes after the water was broken (OB, hospital birth, she induced with Pitocin for no good reason and broke water at the same time. I'm now convinced it was the breaking of the water that started actual active labor, not the Pit). DD2 was born an hour and 8 minutes after the water broke (MW, hospital birth (different hospital). DD2 probably would have come quicker except the cord was wrapped around her neck (loosely) twice!

[greenmamapagan]

Originally Posted by DoulaVallere

My second birth was FABULOUS compared to my first (which was still pretty awesome)

Same here. 1st was around 12 hours of active labour, getting to the hospital about 5 hours before she was born. AROM while pushing - they told me it would help, now I know better : Crowning hurt like hell. But she was a natural birth with only slight grazes.

2cnd - woke up at 2 am needing to urinate. Had bloody show, DH rang midwife. I had a big contraction. Rang MW back & rang doula in between the next few contractions. Laboured standing up while DH got the pool ready (birth ball sucked!), got in pool. MW and doula arrived just in time & he was born at 4:30 am in the caul - no ROM either spontaneous or artificial.
It was great :::

[major_mama11]

2nd birth was faster, more intense, much easier recovery.

My first birth was a 3 day labor with several stalls, a postpartum hemorrhage, very short cord, manual removal of placenta w/o pain meds- ouch, IV fluids and Pitocin given for blood loss. Baby was blessedly healthy. I felt that I was lucky just to have a vaginal birth at all, since so many things were very non-textbook.

I delivered 2nd child at same freestanding birth center. I was very worried about another hemorrhage. Went into real labor at 4 pm, admitted it was real at around 8 pm, but still was in denial and tried to go to bed. Figured it would be a long piddly labor again. Left for birth center at midnight, went through transition on the car ride there, 9.5 cm on arrival, and delivered about two hours after arriving. I pushed at the peaks for about half an hour, and then felt the ring of fire (didn't feel it in first birth), pushed like a crazy woman for the 7 minutes after my bag ruptured, then he was suddenly crowning and out. It was a waterbirth even though I never planned to have one, and it was so awesome. It was so much more beautiful and perfect than I would have ever allowed myself to imagine, given how rough my first birth was. He came out so fast that my girlybits weren't even swollen like the first time. Lochia was also quite a bit lighter this time (probably due to never having someone's hands in my uterus this time).

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Birth and Beyond.

[LiLStar]

first: planned home birth, early labor starts just before bed on wed night, fully dilated by thurs evening, no urge to push. back labor is excruciating. very early friday morning we try arom, still no urge, a few hours later try purple pushing, posterior baby will not budge. 4-5 hours and 6 pushing positions later we transfer. pit, epi, more purple pushing, no descent. c-section just after midnight on saturday morning. 8lbs 14oz. and yes, thats 4 calendar days (still only 49-50 hours of labor though, lol) being fully dilated for over half of it!

second: much better! labor started after a full nights rest, 2 hours after waking. very manageable. was grocery shopping even, up until ctx were 3 minutes apart. very nice anterior baby, no back labor. midwives arrive and just stay out of the way until I feel pushy. Pushing was difficult (first vaginal birth) and took 2 hours, but i had good support and i did it! no tears. 10lbs 2oz.

[jlmack45]

My friend Sharon is in training to become a doula and she will probably be in there with me. I deliver at the Naval Hospital because of my insurance.

Last time, I asked if I could get in the tub or walk around and they said I couldn't because of the ROM. I got the portable IV, but they only let me up to go to the bathroom. I also was told I wasn't allowed to have anything to eat except ice chips. I just keep telling myself that this time cannot be any worse than the last time was, but I feel like I deserve a good birthing experience/recovery... I bled hard for 5 weeks after my daughter came. I went in there with her completely open minded, but it wasn't until I read some of the birthing experiences here on MDC that I realized just how messed up things were last time.

They did use Pitocin to speed things along, because they were worried about infections with the ROM and the time it was taking me. Whatever they put in my veins was cold. I was shaking the bed so hard I looked like an addict coming down at a methadone clinic! I had 4 blakets on me and couldn't stop my teeth from chattering.

I talked to my midwife last week and I asked her if it was normal for them to leave the catheter in while you push. She said no, it comes out when you start. I said "when I was in labor, I cried, begged, and pleaded for them to take it out, it hurt so badly. They'd tell me, just give me 9 pushes and we'll remove it. I'd do those and they'd tell me that wasn't good enough, do 7 more... I won't let that happen again."

I'm honestly scared of what will happen this time. L was 8lbs 13oz and Ryan is estimated at nearly 6lbs already, due sometime around either July 26th or August 12th(they aren't sure which yet)... I've refused to be induced either way, I don't mind big babies, just unnecessary pain and procedures!

[an_aurora]

My first was a hospital birth; it was ok but not great.

My second was a spectaculawesome homebirth :. It was great.

[EdnaMarie]

My first was fast (12 hrs inactive, 2 hrs active), my second was more inactive (24 hrs, but very light inactive, I was out and about) and less active (45 minutes).

I'll be honest- I'd prefer a longer active, as the second was super, super intense! It was back labor and I think someone here described the feeling well as a bowling ball rolling along the spine over and over. I had to scream- Wimbeldon-type screams, working screams, not painful screams, but definitely screams!- to get the baby out.

On the other hand I tore hardly at all.

I was sure it was going to be easier so I was a little unprepared for the increased intensity. On the other hand, both births were wonderful.

(They were both homebirths, same midwife.)

You'll do great!

[Quindin]

Each pregnancy is different.
One can never know for sure what following births will be like based on previous ones.
I think I read that usually, the first labor is longer than following ones.
Also, something nobody warned me about is that you have some very bad after pains when labor is done. People don't usually have them so bad after the first labor.

Here are my experiences:

Baby 1: 14 hours long. Hospital birth with midwives. Had AROM in the end after labor had stalled. Pushed for 10 contractions I think. Was wheeled in for a check up under anesthesia immeditely after because I bled so much.

Baby 2: 6-7 hours long. Hospital birth with midwives. Water broke 2 hours after labor had started. One push and he was out. Again, taken in because of heavy bleeding.

Baby 3: Hospital birth in the USA- with obgyns and all the hospital trimmings : Induced, so the duration etc is just because of the pitocin. I also ended up with an epidural. Anyway, it was
3-4 hours long and a couple of pushes.

Baby 4: 9 hours long. Birth center birth with midiwives. Water broke naturally 2 hours before birth. Easy labor, but difficult last 20 minutes of pushing. Excrutiatingly painful 20 minutes because of bad position of the baby.

Baby 5: 3-4 hours long labor. Homebirth with midwives. Easy labor and baby born in 2 easy pushes. I labored standing and on my knees so I wonder if that made all the difference.

[JamieCatheryn]

My 1st, I went into labor at 40w6d at 10pm, had early labor for 23 hours that seemed really strong to me, contractions sure measured long and frequent for a while, then was exhausted and had a rough time of it for a few hours, then my water broke at midnight and I awoke refreshed. Urge to push came and I tried pushing but it hurt, headed to the hospital where they checked me and found I was 4cm. Urge to push continued as I labored. Had an anterior cervical lip left for hours at the end. Then I fell asleep and woke up realizing dilation was complete, and had an easy 20 minute pushing stage with barely recognizable contractions. Baby was born 41w1d about noon.

My 2nd, contractions started 7pm at 41w3d and were easy mild ones, so I slept on and off between them all night. Labor was really mild until afternoon, then I felt like I was beginning to move into serious labor. Had hard irregular contractions in the early evening then settled back down to labor through intense stuff calmly. Pushing started involuntarily around 10 or 11pm, we found there was a cervical lip left again and I breathed rather than pushing a while (that's so hard to do!), water broke, he got past the lip and I had to keep up the blowing and not pushing because it was pushing too hard and swelling stuff, then suddenly his head came out, fast, just past midnight, and he was born.

The same: pretty long early labors in both, stuck anterior lip with involuntary pushing I needed to fight, both were medication free, intervention free births and both times we were very informed.

Different in #2: somewhat quicker early labor than the first time, I managed to rest the first night instead of being up wasting energy, easy end of 1st stage, later water rupture, more intense pushing stage, and at home with a midwife the 2nd time.

[beebalmmama]

jlmack45: I would definitely have a doula this time, whether your friend or another. I'd also consider laboring at home as long as possible. Are you birthing with a CNM? (you mentioned your midwife). Will this be a different care provider than last time. I would make sure they are on the same page with you about what interventions you want to avoid.

[jlmack45]

I've been seeing midwives instead of doctors when I go to the Naval Hospital and plan to birth with whichever one is on staff that night. Due to availability, I have not been able to see the same one more than twice this whole pregnancy. Slots at the Naval Hospital fill very quickly, often a month in advance. I plan to labor at home as long as I can, especially since someone will have to come and get Laynie before I can go to the hospital. I filled out a form for my birth plan and made them aware of the things I would like to do during labor, such as trying more pushing positions than just the "stuck turtle" and getting in the tub.

[SandraS]

Half the time and half the pushes. 43 minutes and 3 pushes. Easy!