Mothering Forum banner

Tell me about how your birth went with baby #3

920 views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Rikki Jean 
#1 ·
So I'm having a little birthing anxiety, which is pretty unusual for me. I keep hearing the first is the hardest, the second always much easier, but that the third is a wild card. What was your experience with your 3rd compared to the other 2? I'm just curious. For some reason the memory of the pain of childbirth has really stuck with me, even though we had a fast, normal waterbirth at home last time.
 
#2 ·
My third was a wildcard... But only in the best most unimaginable way ever!

Pretty fast and different feeling for labor because... He flipped to footling breech just before or during labor!!! :D It was my most amazing and wonderful birth to date and it healed me in areas that I didn't even know needed healing. :heartbeat

If you want to read a birth story of a third baby, here it is. :D

It's funny you say that about 3rds. You know what?! People are telling me that 4ths are just such long labors and so hard and are always in bad positions. You know what? Phooey on them! They don't know! I think they are just trying to scare us like they did with the first ones, "the hardest labor"; the second ones, "You'll see how hard being a parent really is"; the third one, "Wild card labor" or "wild child" or "will screw up your family dynamic"; the fourth, "Long and hard labor, often posterior." For now, I am going to blame it on the anti-birthtrusting culture. My 4th labor will be amazing just like my others and yours will, too!!! :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: mama2toby
#3 ·
My 1st was my quickest (2.5 hours), and I had to labor in bed and birth on my back, but he came quickly and easily.

My 2nd was more what I was expecting my first to be - 4 hour labor (my family has fast labors). I labored and delivered on a birth stool. Nothing difficult about it, for labor (I mean, ALL births are hard work).

My 3rd was an 8 hour labor because he had his arm up across his forehead for much of it. I think he moved it after I got in the water (and he was then born within 2 hours). When my midwife checked me before getting in the tub, she said it felt like a butt, though he had been head down during prenatals. He did come out had first, so that was probably that muscle of his forearm that she felt. :lol Thankfully, he moved it before coming out. He came out easily and it was a wonderful waterbirth. So the only weirdness was his funky arm. It was bruised, but fine.

I've also been hearing that #4 is the wildcard. :lol
 
#5 ·
First one took ~12 hours, second took ~11 hours (my OB manually pried the cervix open with her fingers for that one, which did start labor, but I'm thinking if I had just waited another day-week for my own body to start labor, it would have been much faster), and third one was ~6 hours from start of contractions that wouldn't quit with rest to actual delivery. That third one, though, from active labor pains that I couldn't talk through to delivery was more like 3 hours. No issues, though. He had been breach for a long time and then flipped to head down within a month or two before he was due. No idea what to expect with this one, but not really expecting anything except health, hopefully.
 
#7 ·
Third was the easiest! Fast labor, contractions only 30 seconds long till transition when they started doubling up, and active labor was just over an hour. He didn't drop till I started pushing. I still remember how much it all hurt, but at least it was over quickly and no complications! I'm having some birth anxiety over #4 though. But I'm a pessimist!
 
#8 ·
Here's my two cents: my first was a cs for breech, so I can't speak to that, but the following four were easier and a little faster with each consecutive birth. I am interested to see how this sixth one goes since it's the longest I've had between babies and I'm wondering how much a difference that time might make.
 
#9 ·
Oh, my mom's labors just got progressively faster... 4 hrs, 2.5 hrs, 1.5 hrs. She almost had me (#3) in the parking lot. No trouble at all.

For mine, I'm mostly concerned about the fact that I'm on meds for hypertension that are also used to stop preterm labor. Not sure if that will slow down real labor when the time comes! I hope not. I like the fast labors. I was bored during the 8 hour one. :lol:
 
#10 ·
I've had three births, but my first two were ten years apart so in some ways my second one was like another first. but my first was like 12-14 hours active labor. My second was a week of prodromal and a 3.5 hour labor with 30 min pushing. Easy-ish. My third was so identical to the second that I felt pretty comfortable with how things were going when it happened--2-3 weeks prodromal labor then 3 hour active with like 15 minutes pushing. I like the short and intense labors too now because I know what to expect with them and I'm not so tired after ward. I am hoping this one is similar. We'll see. I am not really having any anxiety over it though. I know it sucks for about an hour and pushing hurts for a bit and then it's elation and wonder. That is great. It is AFTER the birth that I am anxious about. My PP healing is f*ing painful, way worse than labor, and each time it gets worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gabeyho
#11 ·
My first was about 20 hours total. 5-6 hours active, 45 min. pushing. Second was 5 hours total, with about 1 1/2 active, 30 min pushing. I'm not sure which I liked better. The second was more intense, but it was nice to have it over quickly. I think what's screwing me up is that, the first time my body totally took over, and the second I was really aware. I would much rather have my body take the lead. We shall see.
 
#12 ·
First was 6 hours, second was 4 hours. With third I started leaking fluid at 39+5 and then took castor oil the next day because my MW was threatening transfer and she was born in a little over an hour. I wasn't even sure I was actually in labor until the last 15 minutes.
 
#14 ·
My third was my fastest labor and birth. The fastest birth part was...not pleasant. It was scary or awful, but it was the first time I said, "I don't ever want to do that again!" She just shot out of me like a cannon. There's nothing like your midwife saying, "Well, the left side of your perenium is now on the right side." Thankfully, my fourth went much differently, likely due to a few differing factors, including Hypnobabies. I wish I could know what my third would have been like with Hypnobabies!

My fourth was my wildcard, though. Flipped breech right at the beginning of labor, just like @jodieanneanton's third! 2.5 hours later, and I had the most amazing birth I could have imagined. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top