second time around questions

[seamama11]

Hi all,
I am due Feb 1 and this is my second baby. My first labor was wonderful...but very challenging and 16.5 months later I am still sore. I delivered my son vaginally and he was posterior. It was a hard long labor and after hours and hours of incredibly intense back labor I got an epidural. I am glad I did. But this time around I want a fair go at a natural birth....so just wondering if anyone wants to share how fast/hard their second births were...I heard they are faster and the pushing stage is easier...
Thanks
Sarah

[birthmommom]

This is also my second but my bff is having her third.

Her second was born in about 3 hours. From what I can remember she said she stayed at home for awhile, took a shower, got ready. Then she and her dh drove to the birthing center and he was born about 30-45 mins later.

Her first child was really difficult and she ended up with not only an epidural but with a vacuum extraction.

I don't know how often that happens but wouldn't it be nice if we could get that.

[guestmama9972]

My first labor was 6 hours and my second was less than 3. The second was much easier than the first. I labored at home both times and then went to our birth center for the delivery.

[lovetobemama]

::

Also heading into labor #2...hoping to keep reading more encouraging stories.

[SamuraiMom]

My 1rst and 2nd were both in hospital with an epidural, so I'm not completely sure that they would have been as quick or longer than my 3rd, but I am guessing that because of the epi, my labor and pushing stage were delayed. So that said, the first 2 were roughly similar, 3-4 hours of "pre-labor" with 4 hours of active labor, 15 minutes of pushing. #3 was oh' natural, at home, not drugs, 3-4 hours of pre-labor, 28 minutes of active labor that included about 10 minutes of pushing. If I had not had the epidural with my first 2, I am absolutely sure that they would have come soon after my water broke, which was the case with #3. My water broke soon after "transition" started and then they were full on and then my MW said, "You can push whenever your ready". It was so great, it was beautiful. My BF, who acted as my doula at the time was telling the story to my new MW the other day and she said that right after I pushed Rachel our I said "I want to do that again!" I don't remember that, but I really am looking forward to doing it again, it's such a rush, like hitting that first big hill on the roller coaster! So faster? Yes, especially with out the epidural.

[mama_nym]

My first was a medicated hospital birth and was aweful. I was scared going into my second birth that the pain would be unbearable, I'd be exhausted (especially with a not-yet-19 month old!) but my body gave me plenty of time to prepare (3 days podromal labor, which I actually enjoyed for the most part) and then a short (2hrs 46 minutes) hard labor. Pushing time for my second was 7 minutes and the only pain I experienced was during transition. Z was born naturally in the hospital (a different hospital!).

My third was a little more tricky, although it was a natural, midwife attended waterbirth, because she was malpositioned and had a difficult time getting her head past my pubic bone, but the entire pushing stage was 15 minutes and the only pain I experienced was the "ring of fire" when she was crowning.

My fourth was a pain-free home waterbirth (all 10 lbs 14 oz of him!).

What I found was that the more educated I was about labor and birth, the better in tune I was with my body and the more relaxed I was, the more pleasant and quicker the birth experience. Well...except that I got too relaxed with #4 so labor took longer until the mw's asked me to get out of the pool to use the bathroom and kept me out as long as possible so I was up and more active and not quite so relaxed!

[Mama2-4]

Our first was a very long labor, mostly an endurance challenge... the pain was there but I seemed to just flow with it. I had a really long 2nd stage (almost 4 hours) they wanted to do a c-section and my DH stood up for me and they allowed me to keep pushing.

Our second was a pretty quick labor, it all started about 6 am, by 10 I was seen in the CNM's office and was 7 cm, we went to the hospital and about 1.5 hours later he was born. The hardest part of this labor was the back labor, he was OP until the end.

The third was also quick, labor kicked in at about 8pm and he was born by 1150. It was horrible back labor though....

I think the faster labors seem to be more painful, they are fast and furious. With our first it was a much more gradual climb to being fully dilated and pushing. I am just praying for no back labor this time around!

Oh, and all 3 I did natually, but I recall at one point with the last asking for an epidural! I think I was about 9 cm when I was making this request!