Easier births with babies who were 'late'?

[nadia105]

I'm sitting here 3 days past my EDD with my 4th baby and wondering if there is any correlation between babies who cook longer and how those births go. 

My first was born at 39w4d and was not too difficult for a first baby, 13 hours, though she was posterior for most of it. 

My second was fabulous -- painfree and 5 hours, wonderful waterbirth -- at 40w4d.

My third was rough at 39w3d, though it was positioning related, he came out 'The Thinker' style, with his fist on his cheek after 14 hours.

So, in my case the late baby was by far the easiest.  He was the only well positioned of the bunch too, which I know helped a TON.  Any other moms of a few have anecdotal stories like this? Can you tell I am hoping this one takes after #2?

[stoopher]

I wish I had some info for you. I am curious to read the replys to your question. I'm 8 months with #2 and hoping for a better birth. Was 41wk1dy late and 20hrs labor and 4hrs pushing!! Baby was great though, just didn't want to come out! I'd really like to have a 5 hr & one push # 2. Wishful thinking hah!

Good Luck with your LO.

[nadia105]

Originally Posted by stoopher 

I wish I had some info for you. I am curious to read the replys to your question. I'm 8 months with #2 and hoping for a better birth. Was 41wk1dy late and 20hrs labor and 4hrs pushing!! Baby was great though, just didn't want to come out! I'd really like to have a 5 hr & one push # 2. Wishful thinking hah!

Good Luck with your LO.

I'm guessing the later=easier thing will most likely be for non first time moms, since first births are often the most challenging (#3 was for me, but that was random).

[Peony]

My 3rd was the only one (so far anyway) that was past the EDD. The labor was shorter then the others, but much harder. He was posterior, a bigger baby, it really sucked honestly. 

[kawa kamuri]

I feel support and preparation make a difference, not length of gestation. FWIW I've never had a babe born prior to EDD. 

[Full Heart]

All mine were late and for me there is no correlation.  But then again I have no correlation for anything. I have had easy labors with waters broken and hard labors with water in tact.  I have had horrible labors with babies in great position and wonderful labors with babies in bad position.  I tried to find correlations for years.  Like even births are hard, odd ones are easy.  Births in the fall are easy and births in the spring are hard.  Not trying to get labor started, trying to get labor started, taking herbs, not taking herbs, relaxing or just keep working every day.  Every little thing about life and pg you can imagine I have tried to figure out in relation to this thing called birth.  Basically I realized it just does not matter.  Its what that baby and your body is meant to do at that time.  Maybe its just me, and I hope for your sake it is, but it seems to make no difference at all.  Nothing does.  Its just what is meant to happen at that time.  Cause I have tried my darnest to duplicate my easy births with no success lol. 

[nadia105]

Originally Posted by Full Heart 

All mine were late and for me there is no correlation.  But then again I have no correlation for anything. I have had easy labors with waters broken and hard labors with water in tact.  I have had horrible labors with babies in great position and wonderful labors with babies in bad position.  I tried to find correlations for years.  Like even births are hard, odd ones are easy.  Births in the fall are easy and births in the spring are hard.  Not trying to get labor started, trying to get labor started, taking herbs, not taking herbs, relaxing or just keep working every day.  Every little thing about life and pg you can imagine I have tried to figure out in relation to this thing called birth.  Basically I realized it just does not matter.  Its what that baby and your body is meant to do at that time.  Maybe its just me, and I hope for your sake it is, but it seems to make no difference at all.  Nothing does.  Its just what is meant to happen at that time.  Cause I have tried my darnest to duplicate my easy births with no success lol. 

Yeah, I think we all want to have repeats of the easy ones and never experience the hardest ones again.  I had just heard from a couple other moms that their later babies were easier and wondered if anyone else had seen a correlation -- totally wishful thinking on my part, I know, but I was hoping....

[Jaimee]

My second was a week later than my first.  By the time I actually went into labor, I was already 5+cm dilated, which made laboring go a lot quicker and easier.  Pushing was also a breeze compared to my first (40 minutes of coached pushing with no urge vs. 2 1/2 pushes and baby flew out).  But as pp's have said, other than possibly shortening the time to full dilation, I don't think that gestating longer makes things easier per se.  In fact, it usually leads to larger babies, which sometimes complicates things, though certainly not necessarily. I have to admit that based on what I've read on these boards and anecdotes from friends, third labors appear to be huge wild cards, often longer and more difficult than the first two.  That's not making me feel too excited about birth at the moment...

[AutumnAir]

Well - my anecdata says both yes and no.

DD1 was born at 43+1 weeks, so pretty well cooked.  It was an horrendously difficult birth - posterior, asynclitic, never-ending contractions, nearly 24 hours, finally ending in a very traumatic hospital transfer and forceps delivery.

DD2 was 43+6 weeks, so even more 'well-done'.  That was a super-duper easy birth by comparison! (Though I wonder how easy another mom would have found it - I was just waiting for it to get as bad as my first and it never got anywhere close).  45 minutes from thinking 'this is probably labour' to holding baby.  Good thing it was a planned UC!

So, I dunno.  I kind of doubt it has much of an impact - not nearly as much as positioning for example.

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by Full Heart 

All mine were late and for me there is no correlation.  But then again I have no correlation for anything. I have had easy labors with waters broken and hard labors with water in tact.  I have had horrible labors with babies in great position and wonderful labors with babies in bad position.  I tried to find correlations for years.  Like even births are hard, odd ones are easy.  Births in the fall are easy and births in the spring are hard.  Not trying to get labor started, trying to get labor started, taking herbs, not taking herbs, relaxing or just keep working every day.  Every little thing about life and pg you can imagine I have tried to figure out in relation to this thing called birth.  Basically I realized it just does not matter.  Its what that baby and your body is meant to do at that time.  Maybe its just me, and I hope for your sake it is, but it seems to make no difference at all.  Nothing does.  Its just what is meant to happen at that time.  Cause I have tried my darnest to duplicate my easy births with no success lol. 

I'm expecting my 9th too, and like you I've tried to find correlations but cannot. My latest pregnancy(41wks) was my longest labor(20hrs), and I had tons of prelabor ahead of time and she was nice and engaged low(0 station) and in perfect position(LOA) for weeks before labor started. I've also had babies in less than ideal position from footling breech to posterior and high be some of my quickest, easiest labors(3-4hrs) with no signs or annoying prelabor at all ahead of time. The unpredictable nature of labor and birth is one the most exciting yet insanely nerve-wrecking things! More and more I realize it's all about letting go and relaxing, just going with the flow for that particular labor/birth/baby, which is sometimes easier said than done.. especially if you have a longer/more painful labor than previous ones.

[cappuccinosmom]

Anecdotally, it worked that way for me.

Though I think a lot of the misery of my first birth was caused by stupid unnecessary medicalization.  bleah.  Even that was just 6-7 hours (at 39 w + a few days)

The next two both came at 42w3d.  Both 4 hours.  One was intense, but not particularly painful. THe other one hurt like heck.  But 4 hours, so how can I complain? :lol

[wombatclay]

I hope you're holding your babe now!  But for those still reading (including myself)... all my kiddos have been "late" and of the three births, the earliest one was the easiest.

DD1 was 42wks+ and was a long, hard, back labor ending in a c/s.

DD2 was 40 weeks and a 12 hour VBAC

DS was 42wks to the day and a lightning fast but UNBELIEVABLY painful VBAC

I so so SO hope that dd3 (due around Sept 4th) is a nice, gentle, 8-12 hour VBAC on her due date... but my history suggests that things may go differently.  lol

[Vaske]

With my late babies, I had a lot of pre-labor contractions, while waiting for "real" labor.  These (for me at least) spread some of the work of early labor out over a week or more, and seemed to greatly shorten my laboring time on the day of the birth.  With the on-time baby, all the laboring happened within a single, very long day, and I was exhausted by the end.  The late babies were definitely easier births, if you leave out all the waiting and the pre-labor.  If you don't, then I would say that early and late were about equal.

[m1chu1sh0ud1n1]

Regardless of due date, it is "supposed" to get easier and faster after each birth.  However, for my first (& only) I gave birth 6 days after my EDD and from the moment I felt the first contraction to the moment I gave birth it was about 4 hrs & 45mins.  That would mean you're probably correct in your assumption. HOWEVER, as mentioned on this thread this is not typical for a first timer so maybe I was just lucky?

[ChemistryClass]

DD Born 43w+1: 3 day labor, posterior, attempted UC ending in hospital tranfer. Was complete at arrival, pushed for 10 minutes or so. Vacuum delivery. Hard labor!

DS Born 42w +3: 2 day labor, posterior, attempted MW attended homebirth ending in hospital transfer. Was complete at arrival, pushed a few times and he was born. Intervention free birth, but still a very hard, long labor.

I am 24 weeks with #3 and I am hoping for an easier, shorter labor this time around. Trying to be prepared for more of the same though!