Okay, ever since DS was born (only 3 months ago) the concept of HOW women have a 2nd baby has been on my mind. I had pitocin during labor (really wish I'd said no, but I was a bit scared and the notion that it was my CHOICE didn't cross my mind at the time). Pushed for 3.5 hours and had a 2nd degree tear. Had HORRIBLE problems healing from the tear, with 3 visits back to the OBGYN to put silver nitrate on the area (OUCHHHH!). Only when I was 6w PP could I sit down normally.
Since then, everything has gone back to what seems like normal. I've heard that wearing tampons can be a problem, but all went fine with me.
So, my question is: Was the second birth any easier than the first? Just wanting to hear to reassure me that a second need not be as traumatic physically as DS! (He was 8 lbs. 1 oz. at birth).
My 1st birth was harder than my 2nd...I pushed for an hour with DS whereas w/DD I pushed for all of 20 mins (albeit she was a full 1lb smaller than her big brother so that might have helped)...
I've heard stories of the other way too...so who knows...
Wife to Jimm, 2001*~*Mom to Austin, 2003 & Ashley 2004 It's Official...I can add MBA to my title!!! OH YEAH!!! I'm DONE!!!
OMG. I could've written your post about labor.... only I had back labor and fentanyl and morphine on top of my epidural because the pain was so bad and I honestly, thought I was a person with a high pain threshold.
My second time was a dream. Was 1 cm dilated Thursday afternoon. 2 hours of labor at home on Saturday in the very early morning (2:30 am) - similar to menstrual cramps at first and then they felt like stomach flu type cramps. I sat on the toilet (thinking maybe I had food poisoning), walked around (hoping they'd go away), sat on my yoga ball, got on the computer, woke DH. After 2 hours, they started getting faster and more furious. Went to the hospital at 5am, got an epidural at 7am, baby born at 10:21am after 1 MINUTE of pushing. I could feel my legs while I had the epidural, so I could also faintly feel contractions and push along with them.
My second was much easier than my first too. My first really wasn't that bad at all though. With my first I pushed for 14 minutes with no drugs at all because I got to the hospital fully dilated. With my second I dilated without knowing also and only pushed for 4 minutes. I didn't even realize she was born until I heard her cry. When I have a third, I'm kinda scared the baby might just fall out!
My second was quicker. I guess she was easier than my first in some ways. With my ds I was in labour from Monday afternoon to early Wednesday morning. I didn't feel any contractions at all with him because I had an epidural early on(went into hospital Tuesday) Then I pushed for two hours and he got stuck. Doctor had to reach in and pull him out(ouch) With my dd, I had to be induced. I was in labour from Friday night at 6:00pm until 12:25am on Saturday(7 1/2hrs) I felt all the contractions because they couldn't find the doctor to do the epidural. I cursed like a sailor, cried and ended up backwards on the bed to try and relieve the pain. But she popped out in about 20 mins. She came out so fast that the nurse caught her. Doctor wasn't even in the room!
Proud mommy of Tyler~September 18, 2002
Proud mommy of Megan~April 16th 2005
my second was much easier than my fist as well. With my first I was in labor for 21 hrs and pushed for 1 30 min and with my second i was in labor for 10 hrs and puched for not even 5 min. It was so much better the second time around and i would imagine the third one will be even easier (not ahving 3 so I'll never know).
I went with a repeat C-section with my second baby, and it was a cakewalk compared to my first. Holy mama, how different it was! I had three hours of regular labor with the second birth, versus 15 hours of back labor with the first culminating in a c/s.
With the first birth, it was a good 3-4 weeks before I felt like myself again. With the repeat C-section, it was so much less taxing on my body that I was pretty much back to normal a week after giving birth. I actually went out and had our first expanded-family outing on Wednesday (gave birth the preceding Friday), only a day after leaving the hospital. I felt fantastic. I'm now 4 weeks past childbirth, the incision has healed over, and it's like nothing ever happened except that I've got a cutie-patootie baby in the next room.
My 1st birth, my water broke first and I was not having contractions, so pitocin was necessary (so infection wouldn't set in ), but I also had an epidural and once I was 10 centimeters I pushed for 1/2 hour. I also had huge tears and they took a long time to heal. The baby was 7 lbs 2 oz.
The second baby came with "normal" labor. Contrations that started first and got faster, water was broken in the hospital and I also had an epidural for this birth. The baby weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz and I pushed 3 or four times and she was out! Also had some tearing but not as badly as the first. I was feeling like myself in about 4 days.
first was tough. 24 hours, hard contrax that double-peaked.
second was a dream. i would have babies every year if they all came that way. maybe an hour of harder (not like #1) contrax, 16 minutes of pushing (90 minutes with #1).
generally speaking, 2nd labors are much easier-- i was afraid i'd be the one to break the mold, but i wasn't!
ROs...Second birth compared to first...
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