Duration of 2nd labors?

[welsh]

'Everyone' says that subsequent labors are shorter. Obviously not all are but I'd love to hear your experiences.
My 1st was 4 hrs, very intense.
This time I need to make plans ahead of time because we're in a different country. I will be travelling home to the UK to deliver and don't want to labor alone but I need to educate myself about how to UC just in case!
TIA

[Mandynee22]

Mine was the same- both 12 hours from getting to the hospital till delivery. My first was induced though.
I know that labor with #1 was 12 hours because of induction. Obviously, I didn't go in at the first contraction with #2 though

[jenfl]

I'm interested, too -- my first was also 3-4 hours and VERY intense. My midwives are currently an hour away, so... I'm wondering how prepared we need to be for an unintentional UC.

[JorgieGirl]

Add me to the list of a 4hr intense first labour. I have no idea what to expect and I live quite a distance from family and midwives. This doesn't worry me, but I just wish sometimes these things were a bit more predictable...lol. But then again, that would take the excitement out of it!

Interested to hear other fast first timers who've had more babies.

[SeekingJoy]

There was an old thread about this somewhere, but I don't remember the title.

1st - 12 hrs
2nd - 2.5 to 1.5 hrs. Not sure because I was only certain I was in labor for the last hour. Insane.

[mamadelbosque]

My first labor was nearly 16 hours (water broke at 5:30ishpm, DS1 was born ~9:15am). Second labor was nearly 10 hours, technically... but I did *NOT* believe it was real labor for the first 6 hours due to having had false labor for the previous 2.5 weeks just about constantly!!

[bethanyclaire]

My second was half the time of my first, almost to the minute.

First - 48 hours of consistent, regular contractions - 24 hours intense (first was around 9:04pm he was born the next night at 9:23pm) - 12 hours active labor - 2 hours pushing

Second - 24 hours of consistent contractions (first was at 12:03am she was born at 11:15pm) - 12 hours intense contractions - 6 hours active labor - 15 minutes pushing

I am so curious to see what this one will be like!!

[dnr3301]

my first was about 10 hours, 2nd was about 4.

[finn'smama]

My first was 9 hours of active labour (3cm onward) and the second 3 or 4.

[Vespertina]

1st - 3 hours and 2-3 minutes of active pushing
2nd - 47 minutes and less than a minute of pushing. 3 small pushes.
3rd - 1 hour 40 minutes. No pushing.

With DS, it took a little while to begin contracting after my membranes were ruptured. I had severe poly and my uterus was very distended and was slow to start contracting efficiently after membranes were ruptured. Even took a higher dose of pit to get things going.

[MamaDeTeya]

I'm an apprentice and the midwife I work with tells clients that their second babies, on average are usually half the time for labor and three-quarters the time for pushing.

If you had a very fast first labor, expect the second to be fast as well, if not faster! These things are not always true, of course, because everyone is different, and every labor and baby is different!

I have only one child and my labor with her was very long, and I'm hoping the next one will follow this average.

Good luck and remember to have fun!

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Oh good. Only 3 hours of pushing ahead of me this time then.. sigh.

[Lilcrunchie]

My labor w/ my first was 6-6.5 hours from start to finish (but I was already like 3 cm dilated for a week or two beforehand). Water broke, contractions were immediately 5 mins apart. 20 mins of pushing or so. Transition was a bit intense but otherwise it was manageable (thank you hypnobirthing!)

With my 2nd, labor was about 3ish hours. I wasn't even sure I was in active labor or not...midwife and I talked on the phone and we weren't sure if I should come in (freestanding birth center) but we decided I should. Showed up and was 10 cm dilated w/ no clue I was that far along. Transition was very different from my birth with DS...didn't have the hot flashes, shakiness, slight nausea, etc. that I did with baby #1. Membranes were still in tact and I didn't feel pushy so a good part of the 3 hours was hanging out and waiting to feel the urge to push, etc. Don't remember how long I pushed for but it was easier than the first time and I think shorter than the 20 mins with my first child.

Had a midwife appt the other day w/ the midwife who delivered my 2nd. She said this one (baby #3) would probably be a 6 or 8 hour labor...I know I've read here (and I'm guessing this was her opinion) that third babies can be a total guessing game. But then again, that's always the case w/ labor LOL. I'm kinda stumped as I'm thinking i could go super fast (I have a 1/2 drive to the birth center, and will need another 1/2 hour to get someone here to drive me if DH isn't home at the time). I"m kinda surprised DD wasn't born at home unplanned UC as I really, really had no idea I was already 10 cm when I showed up at the birth center. But then again, apparently third babies are difficult to predict.

Best of luck

[VT mountaingirl]

My first labor was 33 hours total. My second was 6 hours, with about 4 hours active labor. I am hoping this one is more like my second labor!

[racheleuphoria]

my labors where 12 hours each for first and second babies.

BUT, my sister had a 4 hours second baby and the third baby took longer. My good friend always has fast births (about 4 hours) and they don't get shorter. She's had 3 births which have all taken about the same length of time.

[moondiapers]

I labored at home for as long as possible both times and don't really remember for how long....

1st child-16 hours at hospital.

2nd child - 8-9 hours at hospital.

I didn't go to hospital until I absolutely couldn't stand it anymore and contrax were about 4-5min apart and making me want to crawl out of my skin and die.

[ivymae]

1st - 8 hrs total of labor
2nd - 18 hours of labor, but only 2 hours or "real" labor. (I kept my older daughter at home with me all day, hoping she would be at her sister's birth, but I could not let go and roar my baby out with her there, so my contractions were weak and would just dissapear. As soon as she left, transition hit, and an hour and a half later I pushed for 5 minutes.)

[Peony]

1st 19 hours
2nd 8 hours
3rd 4.5 hours

2nd was a homebirth, 3rd was a UC. I never would of made it anywhere with those labors. From the time the contractions got really intense and I was really hurting, to the time I was holding DD2, was about 10 minutes. I wouldn't of left before because they was irregular and not that close together.

It was even faster with DS, I had like 6m contractions, then 2m, then 4, then 6. After 3 back to back contractions, I was pushing. My husband who was in the same house barely got to watch those last two births.

[rootzdawta]

Moved from I'm Pregnant to Birth and Beyond.

[etsdtm99]

1st = 19 hours from water breaking to (39 week) baby.. hospital birth with pit because contx didn't start 'soon enough'

2nd - 12 hour induction (at 41 weeks).. i think it would have been much faster had i gone into labor naturally..

pushing with my first was 45 min, 2nd was 2+ hours.. but he was bigger, and i refused interventions to get him out faster..