I thought second births were supposed to be shorter!

SeaConquest

I am 40w6d and hoping for a natural birth. Started having contractions at 1am last night. They were coming every 7-8 minutes apart. It is 5:45pm and I am still having the same contractions, over 16 hours later, spaced 5-10 minutes apart. The intensity has increased, but I am still able to talk through them and move, I don't have to really concentrate or verbalize. Has anyone been in early labor this long with a second/subsequent birth? My first labor began with SROM at 41w and he was born 31 hours later (eventually consented to a hospital transfer from the birth center, an epi and pit because he was asynclitic with a caput and I was exhausted and not progressing beyond 4-5cm). I lost my plug yesterday and this morning, but my bag is still intact. Could this possibly be prodromal or do I really just have ridiculously long 1st stages? I'm so confused. Never thought I'd be in the same place again with a marathon labor. Thanks for any experiences. 

aylafsu88

I have not but the couple in my Bradley class did.  Her first birth was 10 hours.  Her second was way longer almost 24 hours.  She experienced the type of contractions you describe. Her MW had her do lots of walking at home, nipple stimulation and even sex to ramp things up (her water had not broken).  Eventually things picked up and she was pushing pretty quickly.  GL!

Arielle27

I had irritable uterus with my second, so on and off timetable contractions for just over a month before I gave birth. So the situation was a bit different... But I do have friends who had longer experiences the second time around, with a very long first stage.

I'm sorry it's frustrating! I how things pick up soon and it's quick from here on out! Healthy and happy delivery!!!

sschwege

crunchymama11 said:

A friend of mine found her contractions pretty much stopped when her daughter was awake, and picked up at night when her daughter was asleep. She found that she was so focused on her 2yo that her body wasn't focused on going into labor. I just talked to my MW about this and she said this is common.

Maybe it might help if your other child is away from you for a little while. Just a random thought- don't know if that is happening to you but thought I would throw it out there. I never even thought of that until my friend told me!

That is a good thought!  I know with my second there were two occasions where I woke up in the middle of the night, was sure I was in labor.  Had contractions for hours, but they fizzled out before the morning.  The day I had DS it was an uneventful day until DD went down for her nap, then contractions started and it was for real that time.  But all three times it was while DD was asleep, maybe there's something to that!

AmyRI

I'm hoping your baby is here by now... but I've also heard that you likely won't go into labor unless your 1st LO is asleep. Labor time is also dictated a lot by the positioning of the baby, so I'd be concerned that your 2nd LO is also malpositioned and it's keeping you from progressing.

A37licia

First thing I think of is baby is trying to get into a better position. try rebozo sifting, from spinningbabies (look it up there or on youtube). Be prepared for labor to advance quickly if it IS a position issue and baby can get situated. Your body is ready to go.

Sea Conquest

Just thought i should update. After 36 hours of contractions between 5-8 mins apart, my body would not dilate beyond 3 cm, baby had been tachycardic for awhile, and was showing signs of distress. We opted for a csection. Certainly not the second birth I had ever contemplated after having a "proven pelvis" with my first. There was no meconium present in my membranes, but baby's body was tangled in the cord. Normally, nuchal cords are not an issue, but we don't know if this was one of the cases where it was. I had oligohydramnios so it is possible that that played a role, causing cord compression. I guess, we will never really know. The csection was traumatic and scary, and recovery is painful and slow, but thankfully baby and I are otherwise doing fine.

WolFox

Sea Conquest said:

Just thought i should update. After 36 hours of contractions between 5-8 mins apart, my body would not dilate beyond 3 cm, baby had been tachycardic for awhile, and was showing signs of distress. We opted for a csection. Certainly not the second birth I had ever contemplated after having a "proven pelvis" with my first. There was no meconium present in my membranes, but baby's body was tangled in the cord. Normally, nuchal cords are not an issue, but we don't know if this was one of the cases where it was. I had oligohydramnios so it is possible that that played a role, causing cord compression. I guess, we will never really know. The csection was traumatic and scary, and recovery is painful and slow, but thankfully baby and I are otherwise doing fine.

I'm glad that the baby is okay, but I'm sorry to hear that the words "traumatic and scary" are associated with your birth. I hope your body heals well and that your baby is amazing!

robyn2201

Congratulations on your LO! Take time to heal and sort through the emotions associated with your birth and c-section. If you ever need to talk about it or vent, we are here!