Piggy Back Question: How Long Were You in Labor for Your Second Time...

Second was far shorter....

With the first, it was maybe 8-10 hours total, with only the last 3 or so in the hospital.. (we went in shortly after midnight, and she was born at 3:40 am...)

With the second, I didn't really realize I was in labor... I thought it was just Braxton Hicks contractions or a backache from cleaning that day.... I didn't tell my hubby, but went ahead and went to bed, and fell asleep.... woke up several hours later, and the contractions were about 6 minutes apart! Went to tell hubby (we were sleeping in separate rooms....long story about that), and we went on in to the hospital..... got there at 2:40 am, and daughter #2 was born less than an hour later!

Number 3 was much longer..... labor wasn't very efficient, and I needed Pitocin to get it going... but once they started the pitocin, I think she was born about an hour after that....

I'm not sure I really remember the details from #4..... I woke up and realized I was in labor, so we went in to the hospital.... (about 4 am, I think?) things were going rather slow..... but the contractions weren't that bad..... the doctor thought it would be a while, but once they ruptured the membranes, I think it took less than an hour..... it was one of those "Here, catch" moments.... (not really, but he had to sprint across the parking lot to get back to the hospital...) I think he was born around noon..... so total labor time, after I woke up, was maybe 8 or 9 hours....

My labors never really lasted that long.....

Each successive labor was shorter.

My first was 18 1/2 hours. The second was about 15 minutes, and she was born at home on the couch with about 15 construction workers looking on. It was fast, now there was some cramping before that but I slept, showered,did my make up and hair without any problems.....the boom.

All of the babies after were also very fast, with the exception of the last which was 12 hours, but she self delivered. No doctors, no nurses and no pushing. It was pretty strange.

I don't think my second should count, my doctor was at a different hospital delivering and the bastard gave orders to slow down my labor so he could deliver both!!

My last two were less than two hours! :)

Oh the first was nine hours and second fifteen.

#1 - 2 hours

#2 - 9 hours (but 11 years later)

#3 - 4 hours

How many years between your births Ephie? I think that once a mother goes over 5 years between birthing babies, it's almost as if the body has lost that memory. Under 5 years separation, the body remembers quite well, and knows how to assist. The closer the pregnancies, most of my friends have experienced faster and quicker labors. I have a girlfriend here now who's husband delivered her 2nd baby in the back of their truck on the way to the hospital, just last year. All because her first labor was over 12 hours and the doctor in the clinic told them they had time to drive 2 hours, as they were out in the Rockies. He had to strip off his jeans and he delivered the little guy in his boxer shorts.

Aw sweetie, both lasted 23 hours. The difference was that it took 20 hours of my first baby's labor to get to 4 cms. They gave me every chance to progress without pushing for a c-section, but they were very worried about me and only told my husband, who didn't tell me until after we got home from the hospital. I wondered why there were 20 people coming in and out of my room, LOL! The epidural is what helped - 20 minutes after the epidural, I was at 10, and pushed for 2 1/2 hours, thanks to the suction cup the doctor used to speed things up. Hurray!

With the second one, I made it to 4 cms, 8 hours into my labor. I thought that I'd go quick after that with my epidural. But though I labored and labored, I only got to 8 cms, and I had a lot of trouble with my blood pressure. (That was very scary.) Only after I got a new nurse who acted much more like a midwife (she was wonderful!) did I find out that the baby was actually face UP, and STUCK. While a doctor I had never met before who was on-call for my own doctor (he had been on-call the night before) was sleeping, this nurse turned my baby and he came shooting down the birth canal. The doctor got in the room just in time to catch him. He was actually born without a contraction (the guy didn't have time to sit down!) Whew! My husband said "Honey, it's 23 hours since you went into labor, just like last time!" He was right! It was just such a different process for this birth, though!!

First-
I started having semi strong contractions around dinner time. I was admitted into the hospital around 6 AM and was 5 cm. I delivered at 2 in the afternoon. so I was in the hospital for 8 hours before delivery. I pushed for 23 minutes.

Second-
Very different experience. I had extremely strong contractions on Saturday around dinner time. Strong but no consistency. When they were getting stronger, and I felt like I should get to the hospital, I took shower (about 3am). As soon as I took the shower contractions died down and disappeared completely by 8 am on Sunday. That night at about 5 they started again, mild at first, but no consistency. By 7 pm they were very strong, but no pattern (30 min, then 17, then 20, then 8 etc) The contractions were all over the place. Another hour and the contractions were bringing me to tears they were so strong. But no pattern so I tried to sleep. At 3:30 am I got up to take a shower because I could not take it and the pattern was still not regular. They went from 3-6 contractions each hour to 5 minutes apart the moment I got into the shower. They were so strong I knew I needed to get to the hospital. By the time I was checked into the hospital at 5 am I was 9 cm! They were trying to slow down my labor as much as possible so I could get the needed antibiotics. I couldn't last much longer though and I gave birth at 8 in the morning (at the hospital for only 3 hours) I pushed for less than 5 minutes! The labor was much more intense the second time around, but the delivery was much easier. Overall, I preferred my second labor and delivery.

Both of my deliveries ended up being vaginal deliveries without epidural or other pain medication.

Good luck!

The 2nd was about half as long as the first.
The first (from water breaking at home until baby in arms) was about 8 hours. But, I'd been having some achey low back for the entire day before my water broke. If you count those hours (which technically was part of labor, but I didn't know it at the time-- first labor and all that), it was probably 15 hours.

The second one, I figured out I was in labor before my water broke (that happened not long after arrival at the hospital). I was for sure I was in labor for an hour or two before we got to the hospital, and from then until baby in the arms was about 5 hours.

From water breaking with first... was 8 hours. From water breaking with the second, maybe 3 hours.

Full on hard labor pains/pushing? 3 hours with the first. May-be an hour, hour and a half with the 2nd. 2 pushes and she was out.

For whatever it is worth, both were unmedicated labor/deliveries. One was 10 days past due date, and one was a week before due date. None of the early labor symptoms were the same. Every labor/delivery is different.

I don't recall the exact amount of time. I do know it was only about an hour or so of active labor. This was after my first whom I was in labor with, unknown to me as I thought it was false labor, for days.

Definitely welcome whatever comes your way so long as you get your little one in the end. :)

About 5 hours with the first, 3 hours with the second.

I'm the oldest and my Mom was 36 hours of labor for me.
My sister was 6 hours of labor.
We're 22 months apart.

My Mom says your body just better knows what it needs to do once you've had your first (practice make perfect?), so subsequent births tend to go faster (and then even faster for 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc).
If you've had many births (my friend is one of 14 kids), by the time you realize you are in labor you don't even have time to make it to the hospital.
There are exceptions if there are complications but generally speaking the first is usually the longest labor.

10 days, no lie or exaggeration. I was miserable, constantly crying and in a LOT of pain. I have to have c-sections, so he couldn't fit through. I'm sure if he could've I would've delivered. He was early and my doctors were idiots. They didn't want to take him cause he was preterm, but they didn't give medication to stop the contractions. This was a practice where you saw a different doctor almost every time, and apparently they didn't talk to one another. Anyway when the finally took him, still preterm, but not as much, he was stuck in my pelvis and they had a really hard time getting him out.

Thank God he was okay and healthy.

First: I was induced and they took her after 10 hrs. I only went that long b/c I really wanted to try and deliver vaginally. Man, that is a whole other horror story! I have horrible pregnancies and deliveries, not sure why i want another:P

ETA: I am the second born and I came out while the doctor was washing his hands! One push and I was out!

My first I was in labour for 24 hrs, not progressing and ended up with an emergency c-section.
My 2nd was exactly 5 years later (to the day) and I decided to try for a natural birth.
My body reacted entirely differently. My water broke @2 pm, and I was holding my girl by 330 pm.
The nurses couldn't believe I'd had so much trouble the first time around, as the second time was so fast, so I hope that it is similar for you.
Good luck!

My first was over 30 hours, my second, about 12 hours.

8 hours the first time.
5 hours the second time.
They were speedy little guys.

1st =18 hrs
2nd =3 hrs
3rd =premature emergency c-section.
and Done.

1st 15 hours and the epidural didn't work and I endured a knee in my back for a long time and a 4th degree tare because my doc had delivered ok and she was the same size as me. He ended up with a broken clavicle, we found out at 3 weeks.

The second, 7 hours and not many real pains. SO much better!

22 hours with my first - 2 weeks overdue, induction with pitocin, epidural, and hour of pushing, vacuum extraction. Total nightmare, 9.2 lbs

6 years later...9 hours from first twinge to delivery. One day before due date, relaxing afternoon with an epidural, 10 minutes of pushing, 8.12 lbs

2 years after that...1 week early and 5.5 hours from waking up with contraction to delivery. Dilated to 9 when arriving at hospital, went for epi anyway, delivered an hour later after less than 3 minutes of pushing - the TV was on and I started pushing at a commercial break between the Today show and the local news and he was out before the commercial break ended. 7.5 lbs

Then 3 years later with my twin surrogacy...scheduled induction at 37 weeks, about 5 hours total labor from pitocin to second delivery. Baby #1 out in about 10 minutes, baby #2 was about 40 minutes of pushing because he was sunny side up. They were 5.8 and 6.8 lbs.

So...my deliveries all were shorter, faster, better, and with smaller babies from one to the next. Hope you have the same positive experience!!

First = about 14 hours (it was rough, and I pushed for 2 hours)

Second = about 3 hours. She came so fast I had to wait for my doctor to show up. Once the dr showed up, I pushed 2 times and she shot out like a cannon, lol. I didn't even have time to get an epidural, which I really wanted because I didn't have one with #1.

There are 4 years difference between my girls.

Good luck with your labor and delivery! And congrats on the upcoming new arrival!

my first labor was about 20 hours. miserable. enemas, TWO epidurals, geez, i didn't think it would ever end. baby and i were both limp rags by the end.
second baby came lickety-split. i was in labor for a total of about 6 hours, only 2 of them hard. i'd have taken an epidural, but by the time we got to the hospital he was practically out! it was intense, but oh so wonderful. recovery is a gazillion times better with no drugs.
i pray that your 2nd delivery is as wonderful!
:) khairete
S.

1- 32hrs
2-9 hrs
3 - 10.5 hrs

My first: 16 hours of HARD labor (oh, thanks a lot, IV oxytocin).

Second: 5.5 hours.

My boys are just 18 months apart in age. I think that does make a difference, having them rather close together.

1st: Induced at 39 weeks. From first drip of pitocin to baby coming out 7-8 hours. (epidural, too)

2nd: From first contraction to baby coming out - 2 hours 18 minutes. I labored at home for 1 hour then took our daughter to my parents. Had him 18 minutes after getting to the hospital!

21-24 hours with each of my three deliveries.

non-productive progression, water broke....so ended up with pit drip on all 3.

1st: vaginal, with epidural
2nd: c-section, epidural
3rd: vaginal, natural all the way...& the easiest recovery.

EDIT: hey, how close are you? Prayers, thoughts, & wishes for a safe & speedy delivery!

My first was 5.5 hours, and my second was 4 hours. Both were very intense. I think labor varies for each of us, but from what I've read and heard from doctors, it is common for subsequent labors to be shorter than the first.

I was 41 weeks pregnant and went to a huge "fiesta" and was dancing merengue when I FINALLY went into labor with my first. That started at about midnight and I had my son the next day at 2pm. So, 14 hours from start to finish. He was a vaginal birth.
My second son I went in, he was measuring big, and they started my labor. (I was 41 weeks with him as well). I labored for two fracken days. I only got to 5cm and his head got stuck on my pubic bone (?!). His heart was stopping and it was actually getting pretty scary. By the time they rolled me in for an emergency C-section I had been laboring almost 50 hours. I was exhausted. He came out at 9lbs7oz with a big ol' goose egg on the side of his head from being stuck.
My third was a planned C-section, which was a good thing since she weighed in at 10lbs9oz!!
L.

My second started coming on his due date.

I had no clue he was even attempting to come. I had felt contractions but they were not bad.

We went in for my last regular check up and my doctor looked at me once and told me to get to L and D.

I checked in at 2. Had a baby by 8 p.m. He was not messing around.

My first was a nightmare.

Preterm labor at 27 weeks.

Induced a week and a half early due to tac. heart rate that was 160 resting.

That induction took over 35 hours. before they forced Pit on me to get things moving faster.

All three were out in four pushes, once we got to work.....I did not mess around.

1st: water broke at 5:30 a.m., he was born at 12:20 pm, so about 7 hours w/epidural.
2nd: water broke at 7 pm, first contraction at 7:11 p.m, made it to hospital by 7:30 pm, he was born by 8:20 pm. About an hour and 20 minutes after my water broke. Had to go natural this time and nurses had to deliver him. No time to wait for doc.
My boys are almost 8 years apart, so go figure. And doc said if we try for number 3, I better sleep in hospital parking lot so I will be close by! NOT! Not happening, Thank You!

My first was 56 hours and my second was over 12 hours. Both were hard labors and both we're drug free due to my blood clotting disease...no drugs allowed.

Peace and Blessings,
T. B

First about 16 hours
Second 2 hours
Third - longer than my 2nd but shorter than my first - don't remember how long.