How different was your first birth from second (third, fourth...) births?

[Steve's Wife]

If I learned anything after the birth of my daughter, it was that no matter what you plan, something else will happen. With her, my water broke but contractions refused to start and I needed to be induced. I'm not sure how else it could have gone had I not been in a hospital setting, but I am worried the same thing will happen again. I'm considering a birthing center, but I am a little worried about being at a hospital so far from my home (birthing center over a hour away) because I end up in the same senario of broken waters and no labor.

My labor was also really long, even with pitocin. Did your second babies come faster? Easier? Pain less, more, same?

[cottonwood]

Well, one way it could go is that you just refuse internal exams so as not to introduce risk of infection, and simply wait however long it takes for labor to begin. With my third I had SROM a week before labor -- I think it was the forewaters, actually, as I didn't have any further leaking. It was a nice big gush, though. Many people here have gone several days after having SROM.

All of my labors were different. My first was *really really* long and difficult. My second was "textbook normal" length and comparatively much easier, although the environment I chose that time was much more conducive to normality. It was also the only one in which SROM started off the labor. My third was again quite long, and my fourth was fairly short but with a lot of prodromal labor.

[danotoyou2]

First different from second? Wow, like night and day.

The first was a horrible hospital nightmare, which ended in a cesarean. Easily the worst experience of my life. The second was a homebirth, that was definitely the best experience of my life.

I didn't experience much pain with either labor, but the second was definitely easier (no hospital!). It still took three days of labor, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

I think the key is to be informed, find a hands off midwife, and be flexible. I had to travel to have a homebirth (3 hours away), did it in someone else's house, and really did NOT expect a 3 day labor. But it was perfect, because I allowed it to be... if that makes sense.

[wannabe]

You'll like my story.

First time, waters broke, no action after 30 hours so I decided to be induced, it took another 30 hours, inlcuding 22 hours of pitocin, almost five hours of pushing, excruciating pain and an epidural.

Second baby, my waters went first again, but contractions started soon after - I was at 6cm by 7 hours in, then in the bath for an hour, then I was pushing. No drugs except abx for group b strep, not even pit for the placenta.

The peak intensity of the pain was the same, and I didn't cope any better, but the duration of each contraction and of the peak pain was so much shorter, not to mention that I had only 3-4 hours of pain, and an hour or two of bad pain. By the time I started thinking about drugs I was feeling pressure to start pushing.

So don't count on it, but a much easier birth is entirely likely. As my miwife kept telling me, my first birth was a first birth, second ones aren't like that.

And both in hospital, btw. Good hospitals, not like the ones you read about on here.

[doctorjen]

First labor started with SROM, and contractions pretty immediately followed. I was pushing 4 hours later, but pushed for 2 hours, mostly because I started pushing when they said to, not when I had an urge. This labor was really intense, and I knew I was in labor from the first contractions.

Second labor was really mild - contractions off and on all day with no pain, just mild achey sensation. Took a shower to try and relieve the back ache, water broke, and I thought "oh good, now labor will start" because that's how my first labor started. A few minutes later I had a contraction and wanted to push! I had no urge to push with my first birth and was just overwhelmed with what a true urge to push is like - it was like a train barreling through my body with no way to stop it, not like a conscious urge at all. The baby was out within 20 minutes, in my living room, even with me trying so hard to hold back and make it to the hospital.

Third and fourth labors were similar to each other. Started again with mild contractions, but they then picked up slowly but surely to more regular, intense contractions. With the third, I birthed in a hospital "birthing center" and had a lovely experience, walked, showered, rocked and ate sherbet until my water broke on it's own, and then I had the same overwhelming urge to push as with #2, and pushed the baby out shortly after. With the fourth, I arrived to the hospital just getting in a labor groove, 8 cms dilated, and promptly had a big argument with the doctor over breaking my water. Things then slowed way up, then picked up slowly again, but somehow I got it stuck in my head that the baby wouldn't come out unless I let the OB break my water (I know it sounds dumb, but you don't always think straight in labor) Eventually I let her break my water and she said I was fully dilated then. I pushed the baby out with no urge in the next 13 minutes, because it was almost midnight and I wanted her born in May (it was the 31st.) I think #4 would have been like #3 if it hadn't been for the argument and the tension between me and the OB.

[jadzia's_mommy]

They were pretty similar. My first labor kicked in about 1 a.m. and the contractions came on very quickly. I had some trickling of water, but not a lot. It was about 5 hours with about 35 minutes of pushing.

With my second, my water broke in a gush about 9:30 p.m., and contractions started in maybe 45 minutes later. I had about 3 to 5 minutes of pushing and she was born at 1:35 a.m. The biggest difference was that I had the shakes during my second, as well as some other physical sensations during cx that weren't there the first time. I kept asking my midwife if every single thing was normal and okay. It was!

[Red Sonja]

The physical sensations were similar, but the first one was a lot longer and not as relaxed. Both times I didn't feel anything until transition, though, and both times the sensations were much, much lower than I thought I would feel contractions (very low in my belly, right above my pubic bone).

DS: 6 cm dilated, almost completely effaced at 39 weeks with a bulging bag of water and painless contractions. We were evacuating for a hurricane and we were unsure of how long we would be on the road, if the motel we were evacuating to would have power, plus we were sharing it with another couple, their 9 year old son and a total of 4 dogs and 9 cats. I went to the hospital and had my CNM break my water about 10 that night. DS was posterior, so I spent most of the time on my hands and knees or leaning over in the shower. He finally rolled over and then I hit transition pretty quickly. He was born maybe 1.5 hours later, after about 45 minutes of pushing. I was in labor for just over 9 hours.

DD: Woke up just before 1 am, hit transition about 45 minutes later. DD was born just over 2 hours after I woke up, after less than 10 minutes of pushing.

[Spark]

Fourlittlebirds, you are just wise wise wise. Steph, I totally agree with her that broken waters aren't in an of themselves a reason to induce. If a repeat of your first birth is something you're afraid of, you might find it comforting to research PROM & natural approaches to this version of normal. Here's a really nice current discussion: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=810976

1st birth - www.hypnobirthing.com for labor prep. Prodromal labor. Many false alarms. Finally my water broke at 38 weeks & labor started soon after. Baby was posterior & my labor was very stop/start. Back labor pain for 1.5 hours while in the birth pool. When I got out I was able to push him out still posterior with a compound presentation. Took 2 hours of pushing. No tears. 18 hour MW attended homebirth.

2nd - www.imagerybirthing.com for prep. Worked www.spinningbabies.com religiously to encourage optimal fetal positioning. TONS of prodromal labor. Water broke at 38 weeks and yet real labor didn't begin for another 40 hours. When labor happened it was a very easy pain-free 3 hours with an additional 1.5 of pushing. Total: 4.5 hour MW assisted homebirth.

3rd - Again did www.imagerybirthing.com and loved this hypnosis program! Water broke at 31/32 weeks & that's written up in the above link about PROM. Lots of prodromal labor. My mantra became, "If I'm not crowning, then it's not labor." My water broke at 41.5 weeks & labor started immediately. My baby was born in an intense, but pain-free 1 hour, 40 minute labor. Pushing for 10 minutes because my body was ready & I was listening to it! Unhindered homebirth.

Wishing you all beautiful peaceful births!

[OTMomma]

My first- water broke at midnight, no contrax until around 6AM, followed by a hindered hospital birth, and she was born at about 8 PM.
With my second, I knew labor was real at 11 PM, had a one hour break around 3 AM, and my water didn't break until about 1 PM, ds was born at 1:50 PM. Second labor was much easier even though ds was over 2 lbs bigger than dd. It also helped that I felt more in control of my labor the second time.

Make the choice that you feel will lead to the best labor. Don't plan for the worst, plan for the birth you want, where you want it.

[hippie_mommy]

My three births have all been COMPLETELY different from one another.

My first was an induction and completely medical. I pushed for HOURS and was in labor for 28 hours total. My birth experience was a nightmare with the exception of seeing my beautiful son.

With my second I went into labor naturally, but they broke my water and I had an epidural. My labor lasted about 7 hours. I only had to push for 20 minutes.

With my third my water broke first and I had a peaceful, unmedicated homebirth. She was out in 2 pushes and my entire labor was only about 2 1/2 hours long.

[Steve's Wife]

Thank you all for your replies. I had a big long response typed out, and it got lost somewhere in cyberspace. Blech. The links provided were helpful. I'll have to read more about laboring with ruptured membranes. With my daughter there was so little fluid left that the cord was being compressed and her heartrate was dipping a lot. Once they gave me intrauterin (sp?) fluids she was fine. So I guess I just feel a little worried about it. I was a wreck when I got to the hospital b/c I hadn't felt her move in hours. And you know how first time moms worry!

[Lissacamille]

All births are different. With mine, the first was 17 hours (pretty easy), the second was 6 hours (very easy) and the third was 3 hours (very hard with nonstop contrax). So it is all different.
My friend just had her tenth baby and wound up having a c-section - after nine natural births at home!
So you never can tell, just be educated and informed about what coices you have during childbirth.