Did each labor go faster than before? « Back to Group Discussions

[tropicana74]

I have been giving a lot of thought to this and I figured this would be a great place to ask since there are so many mamas here with multiple labor experiences.

I have 3 kids both only two births (one adoption). My first was 7 hours from first contraction to birth. The second was about 2 hours (though the first hour I wasn't even sure it was the real thing) and we did the mad dash to the hospital routine!

So, I wonder if there was any pattern to the length of your labors? Did they get shorter or was every labor just a different for each baby? I can't imagine my labor could go much faster than it did with #2 but I am giving a lot of thought to this. Partly because I kind of want to wait until the last minute to call the MW for our HM and partly because I am having great difficulty narrowing down WHICH MW to choose partly because of the distance each of them is to me.

Anyone care to share the length of labor for each kiddo? Also, I am wondering if #2 came so fast because he was cooking in there for 42 weeks and was just REALLY ready to come out! 

[purposefuldoula]

Both of my labors were about 14 hours of active labor/pushing.  Most people though, usually go faster with each one. But I've also heard babies going longer during one, and not the others, (for multiple births...) The position of the baby can affect the length of labor though, too, so maybe your second was just in the best possible position? 

Sorry I'm not much help!! 

[gardenbelle]

My first was 23 hours long and my second was 1 hour and 45 minutes!  I picked a hospital closer by me this time around so that I will hopefully make it there before the baby comes. :)

[Mamabeakley]

1st labor = 22.5 hrs, mostly posterior but born anterior, 38.4 weeks

2nd labor = 6.5 hrs, born posterior, 39.4 weeks

3rd labor = 4 hrs, 36.4 weeks

I think my daughter (3rd) would have been born faster if she had not been slightly asynclitic for the first 3 hours of labor.  The midwife's assistant arrived, suggested something to do to get her to straighten out, and she was born an hour later.  

So this time I am prepared for the possibility of a very fast labor (but longer would be okay with me, too.)  And I think I'll aim for 37.4 since that's the week I haven't hit yet ;-P  I started looking at midwives' websites today and am thinking that proximity is a big deal.  I'd rather not go UC unintentionally, so choosing someone who is likely to be able to get to me given 1 or 2 hours warning is a priority.

[heyitskalista]

All 3 of mine were 4 hours.  The pushing stage was shorter with each on ethough.

[phatchristy]

I'm going to talk 'actual pain here'

1--probably around 7 hours of actual pain, early labor wasn't that painful, mw there about 4 hours before birth, it was painful but I was so tired and out of it by then it likely wasn't as intense as my second birth.

2--a little under 2 hours of actual pain, mw got there around 40 minutes before birth, really short, but really intense.  I was actually kind of shaken by how intense that one was!

3--about 2-3 hours of pain, bad back labor as baby was posterior and born that way too, midwife there around an hour and a half or so before birth.  That back pain was horrible I remember literally telling DH to ram his fists into my back.

4--about 4 really painful contractions, midwife didn't make it....LOL...woops.  She got there about 20 minutes after he was born!  Still would pick that labor any day.  LOL  The only labor I never got the 'transition annoyance' that I always had before.  The only clue I had that I was close was when the last contraction hit before my body was pushing as it was so intense I was thinking "I can't imagine doing this for a couple more hours...crud!"  Of course not knowing a few minutes later he would be out!

I probably pushed about 25 minutes with the first, 15 minutes with second and third and with the fourth, well probably three times.  Each time was so instinctive, and pushing for me was such a release, it actually made the actual 'contraction pain' cease.

I will say they can get faster!  After my second they told me I had cut it too close.  However, with the third, being that he was posterior I believe that was why he took a little bit longer.  As you can see, the fourth was about as quick as you get.  We called the midwife to tell her labor indeed had started, then 5 minutes later DH was calling her again telling her that I said the baby was coming now LOL.  Woops!

I think so much of it is about positioning.  Optimal foetal positioning is good advice...practive those habits.  Especially if you're a first time mom, but it's good for everyone!

[zebrachick83]

Yep, mine got faster and sooner with each one.

DD - 6 1/2 hours (40w 6d) No real pain until time to push. But I had to push for over an hour.

DS1 - 4 hours (40w 1d) Pain from hour 2 until pushing. 5 pushes and he was out.

DS2 - 2 1/2 hours (38w 5d) PAIN!!!!! Way too fast, way too soon after the previous birth. I thought I was going to explode.

At the rate that the births have sped up, I wouldn't be surprised if this one ends up as an unintentional HB. 

[katroshka]

#1: 12+ hours, 2.5 hours pushing, 38 weeks
#2: 6 hours, 10 min pushing, 38 weeks
#3: 45 min, 5 min pushing (but I was purposefully taking it really slowly so I wouldn't tear, I'm sure it could have gone a lot faster), 40 weeks +4 days

The last one I did a castor oil induction after a couple of weeks of prodromal labor driving me totally bonkers (packed up and called midwife 3 times with 1 min long contractions 2 min apart for 2+ hours only to have them stop), I am curious if this one will go super fast if I don't do castor oil. It worked out so well last time that I would totally do it again, but if I'm not totally losing my mind I will try to wait it out.

[Shiloh]

31 hous - high forcepts
4 days prodromal 3 pushes
1 hour 2 pushes
3 hours 3 pushes

[LittleGriff]

#1: Homebirth - 24 hours of very active, painful labor + 3 hrs pushing; posterior but turned at last minute; 8.5 lbs

#2: Hospital - 4 hours of very mild labor + 15 min pushing; posterior; 9 lbs

If I can get something closer to #2 this go 'round, I'll be thrilled. Planning on a homebirth.

I was under the impression that births tended to get faster and easier each time ...

[kel]

Let's see.  My first was about 1 1/2 days of exhausting labor.  But he was my first, I was super young, it was back labor.  I ended up in the hospital.

2nd birth - I think it was about 7 hours of active labor with my daughter - birth center.

3rd - Maybe 18 hours, but it kind of kept pausing...  It was active labor, but with breaks.  My midwife said it was because it was another boy and they like to take their time - home birth.

4th  - 4 hours active labor; really intense - another girl - home birth.

I always go 2 wks "past due".  I always have big babies.  I always have mild contractions all day before the active labor kicks in.  With my 2nd and 4th births, I used cohosh tincture to really kick the labor into gear (on recommendation of my midwives) and that seems to work for me - I'll definitely use that again.  I also think that the reason my 3rd birth was so slow is because we were staying with my mother and father-in-law and I just really didn't want to give birth there!  So I guess I'd assume that for many women labors keep getting shorter, the more you've had.   

[tropicana74]

Thanks for all the great answers! While I said I can't imagine it going much faster than the 2 hours it took with #2, it sounds like it could be a possibility!

I think something I need to remember to is:

how far I was already dilated with each before labor began (3 cm for #1 and 4-5 cm for #2)

what station they were at before birth even started (0 and +1)

And the weeks and weeks of "pre-labor" that I have before both births.

But since I don't really plan on being checked this time I guess I won't really know some of those answers. You all brought up really good points though about positioning. I just kind of took for granted that my babies would be in position. I guess as it gets closer I will need to make sure that I am doing what I can to help facilitate good positioning!

[Mamabeakley]

Tropicana, sometimes you can check yourself if you are curious but don't want other people's hands up your privates!

[revolting]

My second was longer than my first, but I think part of that was that I was more stressed out during my second birth. (My first was an accidental unassisted: the only people in my house were my father who wasn't really around me much; my partner; and my doula: people I liked, trusted, felt like they were on my side. My second was a midwife-attended homebirth. The midwife who attended was the back-up of the midwife I hired. I had met her only once, and she came with a bunch of assistants I never met. We fought through a good chunk of the labor about her checking me. I blame the stress she caused me for making the labor more painful and longer than my first.)

[tropicana74]

Originally Posted by Mamabeakley 

Tropicana, sometimes you can check yourself if you are curious but don't want other people's hands up your privates!

Good point! I had forgotten about that. I tried some of that with #2. I remember looking online at charts showing what each cm looked like. I think I had a pretty good estimate though I had no clue about telling effacement...maybe that meant I was already 100%?? I remember about a week before I had DS he was sooo low that when I was doing my check I could feel the top of his head and he must have turned his head when he felt me and I could feel him moving in my stomach and on my finger...it was so amazing and felt so freaky all at the same time.

[kel]

revolting - I totally agree with you about midwife stress.  That was absolutely an issue with my first, really long and stressful, labor.  It took me a while to get over that.  Both of my long labors, I think, had a great deal to do with stress. 

[tropicana74]

Originally Posted by revolting 

My second was longer than my first, but I think part of that was that I was more stressed out during my second birth. (My first was an accidental unassisted: the only people in my house were my father who wasn't really around me much; my partner; and my doula: people I liked, trusted, felt like they were on my side. My second was a midwife-attended homebirth. The midwife who attended was the back-up of the midwife I hired. I had met her only once, and she came with a bunch of assistants I never met. We fought through a good chunk of the labor about her checking me. I blame the stress she caused me for making the labor more painful and longer than my first.)

This is actually a fear of mine. I am a private laborer. I don't require wash clothes on my head, counter pressure etc. I just need to be left alone in the quiet to tune into my body. My DH is the only person I need there. This is why I am concerned about calling the MW too early.

Also, I know my in-laws are going to want to come and help with my other 3 kids before/after baby comes (my MIL is a really a great help) but this house is just not big enough to feel comfortable with having them all here during labor. I truly believe that if they are here it will slow things down. If they are here, my best plan will be to quietly slip away to the bathroom and tell them I am taking a bath. I am quiet in labor so I think if it ends up being a short labor like last time I may be able to get away with it. I just need to just hide away in the bathroom. 

[esp831]

My first labor was 7 hours from first painful contraction to delivery.  No pain meds, easy breezy lemon squeezy, j/k it hurt so badly I was pissed afterwards that no one had warned me just how insanely painful it was going to be.  The second time around, I was reassured that my labor would be faster and easier.  The midwife said "your cervix will just melt open, like butter."  

No such luck!  We had an occult cord with baby 2 which no one knew.  I knew something was wrong from the way things felt from the time my water broke early on and all the way through.  I just KNEW.  I had a lot of anxiety, and the pain was different in a slightly alarming way.  Everyone who gave me a cervix check said things like, "I can't tell what I'm feeling" or "this is the strangest check I've ever done."   I'm certainly not an expert, but I think now they may have been feeling cord.  Anyhoo, after 17 hours of laboring at the hospital and 9 cm later, we had an emergency c-section.  It was not what I planned, but I still got one amazing kid out of the deal.  We are hoping for a VBAC this time, fingers crossed.

Anyway, I guess this just goes to show that there is absolutely no way to know what is going to happen.  We have to plan for it all and go with the flow.  It's been hard for me to come to terms with the fact that ultimately, it's not up to me.  I can prepare, prepare, prepare, and hope for the best.

I'm sure you will have a beautiful birth Tropicana.  I love that you know that you are a private laborer.  It gives me confidence to ask for privacy this time around.

[kel]

That is a great post and so true.  It is a good reminder to me - you have a beautiful attitude!
 

[GreenTeaGinger61]

My labors were all over the place but the pushing time was shorter for sure.

First: water broke at 10 pm, contractions started at one but weren't too painful. Got uncomfortable at 2, and I was pushing at 2:30...and then I pushed for 2.5 hours. That sucked.

Second: water broke at 5am, started on pit at 12 (not happy about it) nothing until they jacked it around 8. An hour of the worst contractions ever, and then with three pushes in about ten minutes I had my daughter.

Third: Water broke at 4 pm. Nothing happend. Then had about 20 minutes of really intense contractions. Pushed her out in one push much to my Dr's horror.

Fourth: 16 hours of labor (this was after two weeks of off and on labor. I REFUSE to call it false labor). Water broke at 2:00, contractions got real as in painful (there had been no pain before and I was progressing) and after about 15 minutes of pushing had my baby at 3:30. I attribute the longer pushing time to the fact that she was about 2lbs bigger than my other babies had been:P