- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Two Under 2
Annie Marie
member
Labor always faster the second time?!
Annie Marie
member
in Two Under 2
I'm hearing story after story about how short second labors are and I'm terrified that we won't make it to the hospital in time especially now that winter is officially here. I'm so worried I won't know when to go in since I was induced last time and had a quick pitocin labor.
Please compare your 1st & 2nd labors!!!! Thanks!!!!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Labor always faster the second time?!
1st: I was induced. Started at 2.5 cm. They broke my water and started pitocin at 5 AM; DD was born at 12:59 in the afternoon, so 8 hours of labor.
2nd: I had my first (painless) contraction at 11 PM. They came 15 minutes apart and weren't painful at all. At 3:00 AM they started coming 2-5 minutes apart and were more painful. That's when I got to the hospital, and I was 6 cm. DD was born at 7:46 AM, so about 8.5 hours of labor.
Our family blog
1st: Woke up with contractions around 1:30 or 1:45 AM. Realized it was labor shortly after. At the hospital by about 4:30, but only dilated about 1 cm still. Got epidural around 9:30 when I was just past 3 cm. Eventually gave me pitocin and broke my water. He was born at 1:14 after about 15 minutes of pushing. Total time from realizing I was in labor to the birth - Just under 12 hours
2nd: Started having painful contractions around midnight, and they came at about 3 minutes apart from the start (I think I actually had contractions all night on the previous night, but was fine in the morning so I went to work and went about my day. Didn't feel anyhting else until midnight) At hospital at about 1:30 AM. Was already dilated 7 cm and almost completely effaced. Water broke around 6:10,.He was born after pushing through 2 contractions (5 minutes) at 6:24 AM. Total time from realizing I was in labor to the birth - Just over 6 hours.
1st: I was induced due to lack of fetal movement/distress. I had been at 3 cm for two weeks! From the time that they started the pitocin to when DD arrived - 8 hours.
2nd: Water broke at 12:30 am. DS arrived at 2:26 am. We barely made it to the hospital and didn't have time for an epi.
1st: waters broke 5 weeks early. Helicoptered to hospital for emergency c section. Had dilated to 8cm in 4.5 hours, then had c/s.
2nd: waters broke, drove to hospital (3.5 hours away!), contractions regulated, DS#2 born after 14.5 hours of established labour with ventouse assistance.
Very different births and second was definitely longer.
1st: Induced with Pitocin 4 days overdue because of low fluid. Start to finish 12.5 hours. Pushed about 1.5 hours.
2nd: Induced with Pitocin 4 days overdue because of low fluid. Start to finish 4.5 hours. Literally 3 pushes.
1st labor- Water broke at 7pm but didnt have any contractions. Pitocin started at 11pm. Contractions lasted all night. Started pushing at 10am, DD was born at 11:03am... So once I started having contractions to her being born was about 11 hours.
2nd labor- Had to be induced at 40 weeks 4 days. Went in at 6am, started cervidil. Started pitocin at 12 pm. Strong contractions started at 9pm, got epidural but was still only 3cm. At midnight I said I had to push. I was 10 cm and they told me to not push and wait for the dr..... well that didnt happen. I couldnt control it and pushed once. He flew out on the bed(it wasent broken down yet thank goodness). He was born at 12:20 am.
DD1: 30 hour labor with 1.5 hrs pushing
DD2: 2.5 hr labor with 6 min pushing - I had to push while DH was running through the hospital and pushing me in a wheel chair!! Barely made it in time!
My contractions started much stronger the 2nd time around. No build up.
This is where my excitement lies.
True story.
With DS1, water broke at 0200. Stayed home til around 0900; was 3cm when I got to the hosp. Walked myself to 6cm and then got stuck. Got an epidural; MD ruptured a forebag of water, and I was 10cm in an hr. Pushed for 45 mins.
With DS2 (12 days later than DS1...he was on his own timeline!), I had a tiny high leak. I knew it wouldn't put me into labor, and I was right. Went to the hosp, the MD broke it all the way, and I went from 2cm to holding my (bigger by one pound) second born in 3 hrs (pushed with one contraction). It was insanely fast and intense (no epidural), but looking back, it was an AWESOME birth.
I'm an L&D nurse and can tell you from the thousands of babies I've seen born, #2 is almost always faster than #1 (though of course there are some exceptions), but #3 is often the wild card.
Mine was, thankfully! Water broke with #1 about 8am. Got to hospital at 3pm and had no contractions and was not dilated. We walked and walked and went up and down stairs for hours. At 930pm we started pitocin because nothing was happening. Contractions began shortly after but by 4am was still 0cm dilated. Epidural was given at 430am and miraculously I went from 0cm to 10cm by 9am (in 4.5 hrs!). Even the doctor was surprised! Starting pushing at 930 but couldn't feel it through the epi so we turned it off and waited an hour. Began pushing at 1030am and #1 was born at 11:41am. (Basically I was induced and it was a very long process).
With #2 I felt what I thought was bad gas at 3am. By 4am I started to have low grade contractions about every 10-15 mins. By 5am they started to change to 5-6 mins apart. At 6am they went to 3-4 mins apart. At 7am it all got crazy! I started to have seriously painful contractions that were 2 mins apart. Got to hospital at 8am (accompanied by a police escort because I started to feel pressure and we were stuck in morning traffic) and she was born at 10:04 after 15 mins of pushing. Would've been quicker had the cord not been stuck around her shoulder. I couldn't believe how fast it went and how much easier it was the second time!! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!
I have had 2 inductions.
First was for pre-e at 39w2d and I was still very closed up (no dilation, effacement, etc.) I had a 28 hour labor (counting 12 hours of cervadil overnight as well as 2 hours of pushing)
Second was elective, also at 39w2d and I was already 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, she was at -2 station already. I had also been constantly but irregularly and not painfully contracting for a week or so (they called it irritable uterus). My OB broke my water, they started the pitocin and she was born 5 hours later (counting 30 minutes of pushing)
Typically labors get shorter but not always. My SIL has 4 boys and progressively got shorter with each until her 4th. She was in labor for 48 hours with him!