Third birth the wild card? - Page 2

[Georgetown HB Mom]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

This will be my third, too, and to be honest...the only place I've ever heard this "wild card" thing is on MDC.
.

I am a midwife and see this all the time at births. It is so common place that anytime someone comes in pregnant with their 3rd I expect it to be a very different labor and birth than the first two, and it usually is. I am now pregnant with my 3rd and I wonder how the labor and birth will be. My first two labors were identical in length. Pushing was much longer with my first though, but I had an epidural. Second was born at home and I only pushed about 15 minutes. Both babies were girls, both born at 38 weeks, and both same length and weight.

Lisa

[SamuraiMom]

My first and 3rd were quick, my 2nd was harder but not longer and 4th the longest and hardest (although I was sick w/ a fever and nasty chest cold), and I have since heard that it is the 4th that is typically the wild card. Now we are on #5 and I am so unsure of what to expect. So we are water birthing this time, just in case!

[nia82]

I cannot speak for myself, but for my mom: third birth was a lot quicker than the others - 4 hours!

[mom2brooke]

#3 was much faster and much easier than the first 2. Hoping #4 is just as good.

[sanguine_speed]

YES! lol

And I hadnt' heard of the concept before I gave birth to my third. It was only after that my midwife said "sometimes third babies tend to be 'funny'". She meant funny as in different or more often out-of-the-ordinary.

My first was 38 weeks, my second was 39 weeks--two full-term healthy babies.
My third? I was on a remote island and my water broke at 33 weeks. I was airlifted to the nearest preemie hospital where my baby was born, breech!, at 34 weeks. Definitely a wild card.

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Birth and Beyond

[mama2myloves]

First - 18 hrs at 39 weeks
Second - 17 hrs at 40 weeks (induction due to gd)
Third - 1 1/2 hrs at 36 weeks 6 days

[mntnmom]

I heard that, didn't turn out to be true. The differences I just attribute to me being more prepared. It was much better than the 1st 2. I also heard that #4 is the "wild card". Now that I'm expecting #5, I just assume *any* birth can be very different, or not.

[Catherine12]

First birth: 20 hours first stage labor, 1.5 hours pushing.
Second birth: 20 hour first stage, 20 minutes pushing.
Third: 60 minute first stage, 10 minutes pushing, almost no pain except for during crowning.

So if by "wild card" you mean shockingly fast and easy, then yes.