What was similar and different about your 1st and 2nd labors & births? « Back to Group Discussions

[Lilac11]

The title says it all!  In what ways were your births similar and different?  Did dates, baby's size, labor progression and duration, pain manageability, etc, for your 1st predict *anything* about the 2nd?

I've labored and birthed once before, but I know it will be different in many ways this time around!  I'm curious about what is the most likely (if anything!) to be the same!  FWIW, my 1st was born at 39w under 7# after a ~10hr labor that began with my waters breaking, and i labored almost entirely the tub... I know this one may be so different!

[Mamabeakley]

My second labor was a surprise to me in several ways.  My first labor was 22 hours, mostly back labor, at 38 weeks and my son was 6lbs 11 oz.  My second labor was 6.5 hours, again mostly back labor, at 39 weeks, and my son was 7lbs 9oz.  He was born posterior, too.

So it was a big surprise to me to have my second labor be so much shorter, and for him to be born posterior.  It wasn't surprising to me to have back labor, or very surprising to go to 39 weeks.

It's not terribly likely that your second labor would be much much longer than your first.  I mean, it can happen, but mostly, second labors are shorter or about the same.

[tropicana74]

My first labor was weeks and weeks of BH often times at 5 minute intervals. At my appointment at 39w2d I was at 3 cm. and 100% effaced. At 40w1d at 11:30 p.m. I had my first REAL contraction and they just progressed to stronger and longer until I went to the hospital at 2 am. By 4 a.m. cntx were on top of each other, double peaks and REALLY intense (I did get 1/2 dose of nubain). DD was born at 6 a.m. after 45 minutes of pushing. One little tiny tear. 7 lbs., 20 inches at 40w2d. 7 hours total.

DS was also weeks and weeks of BH for hours a day at 5 minutes apart. I was about the same with him...something like 3 cm and completely effaced at 40 weeks. However he waited until 41w6d. Just like with DD all of a sudden I had a REAL contraction and things became intense right away. We called MIL who came over and we headed to the hospital. At no point in his labor did things feel overwhelming or out of control the way they did with DD. He was born within just a few minutes of getting to my room at the hospital. With him from start to finish was 2 hours with less than a minute of pushing. I did have a second degree tear since he came so quickly. He was 7 pounds, 11 oz and also 20 inches long.

So, they were the same and different. With neither of them did I have first stage labor. Well, I guess I did if you count all the weeks of pre-labor leading up to the event. DD was longer and much more intense. DS was shorter and much more manageable but both were relatively short and uneventful.

*Edit to add: With both births my waters stayed in tact until pushing!*

Edited by tropicana74 - 11/9/12 at 6:00pm

[smerkin]

DD #1 was 10 days late but was only 7 lbs. 7 oz. (dates were spot on) Her labor was fairly long. Manageable contrax all day until they got intense that night. Went to the hospital at 1am she was born at 11:30am with a tiny tear. Contrax were pretty intense and I threw up a lot before I went to the hospital. Spent most of my time there on my ball in the shower. Hot water is amazing!

DD#2 was 2 days past her due date and was 7 lbs. 5 oz! Crazy bc I gained a TON of weight the first time and only 15 lbs the second. My water broke at midnight Wed. night but I didn't feel real contrax so I went in at 2pm. Was 4 cm and got all excited but hers was a very long, drawn out labor. Spent a lot of time walking and soaking in the tub. She was finally born at 5:30am on Friday morning. Way less intense than #1 and no tearing. I didn't have any meds but my body took a break at 2am and I slept for 20 minutes! My MW freaked out and thought I was going to need pit but I said nope and when she checked me I was 8 cm. My body knew I needed a break so it just stopped contrax for 20 min.

Anyway, both were very different and the second was longer than the first so I'm really hoping that #3 is shorter but I'm prepared for another marathon. :) My biggest tip is to not worry about the clock, just focus on the contrax as they come and go and time will fly. :)
 

[sweetestday]

My first was 8 days early, about 15 hours long and maybe 20 minutes of pushing. (My body was pushing for quite a while before that, but the midwife wasn't there and was coaching over the phone. She said to relax and not push for as long as possible.) His was the textbook birth. 

My second was 4 days late, about 7 hours long and maybe 15 minutes of pushing. His little hand was up by his face which made for a few minutes of stress and changing positions before I was able to push him out. Thankfully the MW was there for that one. 

The third and fourth were all completely different, too. Each time my pushing goes very fast, but it seems there's always something that is a part of the birth that makes it unique. Boy #3 had the cord around his neck, and baby #4 the MW couldn't make it again. His was the longest, hardest birth being that he was 10lb 4oz, and the water didn't break till his head was being delivered. That was the most terrible pressure during my whole labor, and I think contributed to the length of labor as well. But all ended well. :) I just had to push all the way from his head to his toenails. None of that feeling where the baby blumps out after its head is delivered. I remember my husband saying, "All that's left is his legs." as I was thinking, "I have to push out his legs, too?!!!"  :)

[Lilac11]

Wow mamas!  Each of your births is so different!

- So I think the dates will mean nothing and I will not expect this one to necessarily be born around the same number of weeks as his big bro' was.

- Sounds like labor length has a good chance of being less intense and shorter - that would be cool!

- As for size, sounds like if he is bigger than my last it could make things more intense.

- I really wonder what will happen with my waters...

Thanks for all your replies!

[annaka]

Good thread! I had very different experiences, mostly I think because of my knowledge of what was happening to me and my body, and making very diffrent choices in hospitals/doctors/etc. My first was about 28 hours long. It started with my water breaking, and remembering what my doctor and the WTE book said, I headed straight to the hospital. We waited 6+ hours with nothing happening, so the doc started me on Pit. Labored this way for another 10 or so hours then decided to get an epidural as I wasn't progressing and figured it would help me relax as they kept bumping the Pit up and up. At 24 hours after water broke, I still was at 6 or 7 cm, and doctor decided because baby's heartrate was getting a little low we'd get the C-section scheduled. She said she'd give me another couple hours, upped the Pitocin to 21. I remember kind of shutting all feelings down and retreating inside myself and praying that the baby would be okay no matter; and coming to terms with the C-section. About an hour later, I sent my husband out to get a nurse to come check me as I felt the need to push. She was very surprised that I was fully dilated and effaced in such a short time. :) They said the doctor had just been on the phone with the operating room and called back to tell them to hold off. I had my daughter out within a half hour or so, she was healthy, and I only had a tiny tear. Oh- she was just around 40 weeks and weight 8lbs 13oz.

With my 2nd, my water broke again before anything else... at 37 weeks. Within an hour (this time I didn't head to the hospital right away) contractions were getting uncomfortable and I continued cleaning up my house, put a load of laundry going, ate some scrambled eggs, and took a leisurely shower. We did head to the hospital before things were too intense because I hadn't been tested for strep-B yet and wanted to get on antibiotics sooner than later. I labored using accupressure and deep relaxation for about 5 hours at the hospital. My son was born 7-8 hours after my water broke with three pushes, no tearing, no pain drugs, no pitocin, and weighed 7lbs 3oz.

Now with number three, I'm wondering what is going to happen! ;)

[stegenrae]

DS1: On my EDD, I finally had a menstrual-like cramp/contraction at 8:15pm while giving up and eating our saved "labor food" for supper. Had another about 8 min later, I think, then a 3rd at the same interval, so I told dh. We took a shower to see if the ctx spaced out, but they actually got more intense in there, so we knew it was time to head to the birth center. It was 2 hours away, and that was when the back labor started...can you say unpleasant? Also unpleasant: going through transition while speeding down the interstate in the middle of the night. I felt a small pop and then a little wetness in the Depends I was wearing for the ride there. We finally made it to the birth center, I HAD to sit on the toilet, had a pushy ctx, my water fully broke, DS was born about 15 min later, and I had a minor perineal tear. He was posterior until halfway through pushing (mw told me I had to get on all fours, which wasn't going to happen), when I had a lull--I'm pretty sure from the mw's (relieved) reaction that he went back up a little and turned to OA before deciding it was time to come, as he wasn't born posterior. He was born at 1:15am, so technically the day after his EDD, but that's just being picky. (exactly 5 hours start to finish; no early labor)

DS2: I was feeling huge and miserable, and hadn't even made it to my EDD yet. 3 days before, my doula friend and I went to a gathering of some moms from our parenting group. I'd had prodromal labor in the very early mornings that morning and the one prior, but things were weak and didn't get closer than 10 minutes either day. I got home from the party and was still a little wired, so went to my computer in the basement to check that group's message board. I logged off at 12:58am and felt a pop--but a medium-sized pop--and sure enough, my water had broken. I grabbed a blanket, put it between my legs, and went upstairs to tell dh to get the birth tub ready and all that jazz before sitting on the toilet and letting them break the rest of the way. (We decided to home birth, obviously.) Put on a Depends again and promptly got on all fours on the floor with my head on the floor to get baby off my friggin cervix. It hurt like hell and I could tell I was progressing faster than my mw (40 min away) and doula could get there. Stayed laboring like that until the stock tank (what we used for a labor/birth tub) was filled and everyone was there. Once in the tub, neither my ctx nor intensity slowed down. My legs got crampy and I got in a weird position with them straight in front of me instead of pulled up at the sides to stretch them, and of course, that's when he was making his entrance. Did my best to breathe him out, but still had a sizeable clitoral tear, probably because of the weird birthing position. I don't think I pushed for even 15 minutes--maybe between 5 and 10--and he was born at 2:58am 2 days before his EDD. (exactly 2 hours start to finish; no early labor; labor began with ruptured membranes) ...oh, and incidentally, I was born at 2:58PM on my birthday, so that was kind of a cool coincidence.

So things were fast with boy boys, but the intensity of my 2nd birth was a bit much for me. I think a good, 3-4 hour labor with membranes intact would be long enough to minimize intensity, but short enough that I don't get bored or tired. So that's my order for this birth. ;)