2nd labor/delivery compared to the 1st?

I'm due next week with my second baby and I was wondering if any of you mama's could tell me if it gets any easier??? No pain meds for me last time with an 11 hour labor was INTENSE! I'm hoping to not use anything this time either but I'm really hoping it will be quicker and easier! Pregnancy was a little better this time, my body knows what it's doing now I guess so .. we'll see. I'm getting a little freaked out now cuz I know what's coming! Some reassuring words might help - thanks!

 

Well, for me, my labor was worse, but I was having twins and had to deliver one vaginally and one by c-section. Supposedly, the contractions are even harder with multiple babies in utero, and they gave me that dreadfull Pitocin to speed things along due to fetal distress (they did the same thing with my oldest son because I had been in labor for 23 hours) so that didn't exactly help pain matters. I went natural too, no pain meds or epidurals for both my oldest son's delivery as well as my twins. Well, except when they had to do a spinal on me for the c-section, then I was numb from the waist down.

From what I've heard, subsequent deliveries tend to go faster. Is the pain any less? I don't know. I thought that the pain was worse for me during the transitional phase of labor with the birth of my twins than with my oldest son, and the actual pushing seemed to hurt even more despite the fact that my little twin son weighed about 2.5 pounds less than his older brother had. Although I was told that he was in a sunny-side up position so that might have had something to do with it. But then again, it could be that my mind blocked all of that out from the first time. *lol* It's probably nature's way of ensuring that we are brave enough to have more babies.

Don't worry, women have been getting through it since the beginning of time. You will do just fine! Think positively, tell yourself that you are in control, that you can do it! And always remember the grand prize you will be holding after all is said and done. Think of each contraction that you have as one more step towards the end, and the blissful feeling of accomplishment when you hold your beautiful new baby!

Many hugs...

 

i've only got one, but my mama says the pain wasnt less for her, but it wasn't as scary, she felt more in control because she knew what to expect and she had a much better experience because of that. All labour are different and there are no quarentees, but second labours are often faster than firsts, partly i think because you have allready had one, and things are a little bit looser (no matter how many pelvic floors we do, lol) your body knows a little batter what to do and you can relax because its not so unknown to you.

other tips i have heard and tried to good effect are to learn the breathing and do it, even if you feel overwhelmed and cant think straight, and this one, which my mum said to me just as i got to transition and was struggling, "let it hurt", it sounds silly, but when you fight to 'cope' with the pain you tense up and it makes it worse, it hurts whatever you do, but by consciosly relaxing your self, letting your muscles go limp almost if you are still, or making your movements fluid and smooth if you are walking/swaying etc you send signals to your brain not to be scared and in turn reduce your stress and tention. the mind plas a big role in labour.

goodluck honey.....post us a pic of your new baby when he/she arrives!

 

For me, I had a vaginal delivery with my first and had to have an emergency c-section with my second, so my second was ABSOLUTELY HORROBLE!!!!!
But that's a different situation, so I'm sorry I'm not much help.
I have heard that they get easier, but I don't know.

Good luck. Hope all goes well for you and baby!

 

My second was so fast I hardly had time to get to the hospital. LOL. Both were natural. My second son was out in two pushes. I'd say it was drastically easier. They are a year apart though so my pregnancies were close... are yours?

 

. They are a year apart though so my pregnancies were close... are yours?[


QUOTE]


They are pretty close together ~ my dauhgter is 26 months.

 

Same here. Definitely was harder with the second. Even the labor was harder. Well, the second time I didn't freak out when I started to get contractions. I took my time and waited until the next day because they were very sporadic.

Once I got to the hospital I was already at 4 cm. So I figured it would've been a piece of cake! Nope. They had to pop my water, found meconium, put me on oxygen, had to have an internal monitor on Virginia's head! Then c-section. It pretty much was horrible.