labor in subsequent pregnancies

[emily]

How did your labor progress in subsequent pregnancies? Faster/slower? When did you go into labor? Earlier/later?

I am terrified (as in I haven't been able to sleep since I found out) that I will go into labor before my scheduled c-section next month. My Dr. has scheduled it for one day! before my due date due to hospital policies and his schedule. He did give me the option of scheduling it a couple of days earlier but DH wants to leave it as is since it's more convenient for his work schedule to have it on a Friday. (And yes, we both realize his convenience will go out the window if I go into labor).

A little background, DC1 was induced 5 days early due to complications and was delivered after 13 hours in labor via c-section. My labor just stopped progressing after 5 cm. DC2 was a scheduled c at about 39 weeks.
With both, at 39 weeks, I had not "dropped" and with DC1 would have probably gone past 40 weeks.

We are no longer local with our hospital or OB (both are about 45 minutes away). Both DCs are in daycare. It will take DH about 45 to get to the hospital from work. I am terrified that I will have to get the kids and drop them off at home with grandma (who will be coming to help out. She does not drive) then get myself to the hospital either by cab or driving myself. I can just keep the kids at home for that last week, I suppose. The dr. told me at the first sign of labor or something feeling irregular, to get myself to the hospital. I feel stupid but I've never been in labor. I'm not even sure I would know.

Pls share your experience and tell me all will be okay.

[lowrioh]

DD1 came at 38 weeks and I there was 27 hours between my first very mild contraction and when she came into the world.

When I was pregnant with DD2 I was totally prepared to have a baby in my arms at 38 weeks. I asked my OB about it and she laughed because her first born had come at 38 weeks and the second one at 41 weeks. In her opinion, second babies did not have a higher probability of coming earlier. But she did say that L&D will progress faster.

DD2 came at 40 weeks 4 days and there was 15 hours between my first very mild contraction and her birth.

So she was faster but came later.

Do you know how your mother's L&D progressed? My experience in L&D pretty much mirrored my mom's.

Do you have a friend or neighbor who you can have on call in case you need your DCs picked up and transported home?

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Most people have more than enough time to get to the hospital....you just hear about the exceptions to the rule because they are more exciting.

[wellyes]

In your shoes, to ease your anxiety, I would
- have grandma stay at the house every day with you the week you're due
- pull the kids out of daycare and have them at home
- when you go into labor, if there is no one to drive you, call a cab or an ambulance

You should not plan to drive when you are in labor!!

My 1st was a typical 18 hour labor. My 2nd, I went from "I think that's a contraction" to being fully dilated within 3 hours. There is no way I could have gotten myself to the hospital at that point.

[buddyleebaby]

DC3 was my longest labor of them all.
He was also twelve days past his due date. (The only one of them to be "late".)

[mommylamb]

It is really scary not knowing how it's going to happen.

With DS1, I went into labor on my own at 39 weeks, 1 day. I had real labor, by which I mean from the time that contractions became painful until his birth, for 6 hours. But, I knew I was going to go into labor because my water broke the night before and I just didn't start contractions immediately.

With DS2, who was born 3 days ago, I had to be induced because of gestational diabetes. I was induced on my due date, but I have reason to believe that my due date was a couple days earlier than it should have been. Regardless, he was 40 weeks or pretty close to it. I was very lucky with the labor though. I got my IV in around noon, pitocin started at 12:15, which caused very minor, not painful contractions. At 2 pm, they decided to break my water, which brought on powerful contractions that hurt a lot, but he was born at 4 pm, so I only had 2 hours of what I consider to be real labor.

Good luck.

[MoJo]

"all will be OK!"

Since I didn't go into labor on my own with my first, and had to be induced more than 24 hours after my water broke . . . of course my second labor was shorter.

But on my second labor, if I had gone "at the first sign," I would have had almost 24 hours. . . and if I would have gone when I was pretty sure I was in labor I would have had around 9 hours (and I was still driving myself and my two year old around at that point). . . and if I had gone when I was absolutely sure I was in labor, I would have had four to six hours.

As it was, I waited until my contractions were 5 minutes apart or less. . . and had a hard time getting through the 45 minute drive to the hospital even though I wasn't driving. . . and had a baby in my arms VERY soon after we arrived at the hospital. The END of labor was fast (but actually, the end of my first labor was so fast it surprised everyone at the hospital by several hours).

My oldest was born one day before her due date, and my youngest was born three days before hers. As a PP said, look at your mom. . . my mom had such fast end-of-labors that she almost didn't make it to the hospital the last time, and two of her kids were born on their due dates and the last was four days early. My own story is VERY similar!

[emily]

You all are already making me feel better. Thank you. It's just that with DC2, OB was so adamant that it was a bad thing if I went into labor before my c. But this time, he's being so nonchalant about the whole thing.

Maybe I'm just getting nervous about everything. Cannot believe I will have 3 under 3 soon. Yikes.

[swissair81]

Labor with my oldest was 8 hours. Labor with my second and third was between 2-4 hours. My labor was augmented with my 4th (I live far from the hospital, and my contractions were regular before I got to the hospital. They were afraid to send me home. I was on the lowest dose of pitocin and I had her in 2 hours after they started.)

That's just me though. I have a good friend who goes 2 weeks overdue with each of her kids (she has 6) and she has to be induced. Her labors take forever. I think it must be familial though. Her mother has 14, and I'm pretty sure she had the same problems with #14 that she had with the first.

[Kira's Mommy]

First - right on due date, 13 hours of labor
Second - 2 days late, 2(!) hours of labor, we barely made it to the hospital

[AnnieW625]

With DD1 I was told I was measuring at 4+ cm four days before I delivered so three days later when I started having what it thought we're contractions (they were probably just Braxton Hicks) I thought it was the real thing. The contractions all but stopped at 5 am and at the hospital so they convinced me to have my water broken because I was only 5 cm. Three hours later at 8 am the doctor started because I was still 5/1/2 cm. I had Dd1 four hours later. What I learned from that labor was that for future pregnancies I wanted to stay at home until my water broke on it's own, and that pitocin is evil painful stuff. My labor was 13 hrs from the time I arrived at the hospital until I delivered DD. DD1 was born at 37 w 6 d.

With DD2 my water broke at home 7 hrs. after my internal exam at 38 w 6 d. I went to the hospital and had DD 8/1/2 hrs. later. My labor progressed slowly overnight so I was able to rest and thought that I would need pitocin (and an epidural) but all of a sudden by 7:45 I was 8 cm+ and no more chance of needi pitocin or getti an epidural so 20 minutes later I told the nurses and doctors I wanted to push. I pushed for 20 minutes. DD was born at 39 weeks exactly.

[citymama]

With DD1 I was nearly 2 weeks post term, and had to have membranes stripped and many non-pit. induction methods before labor started. And it stalled while I was in labor. And was $@#% long and ultimately ended up in a c/s.

With DD2, I went into labor spontaneously, a day before my due date. Labor wasn't short, but it was shorter and more "productive"/effective than with DD1. I had a successful VBAC!

[klwa]

With DS, my water broke on my calculated due date (1 week late per OB, but they didn't take into account my longer than average cycles nor the fact that he consistently measured about a week behind on the ultrasounds) with mild contractions about 10 minutes apart. That was about 12:15 in the afternoon. Went to the hospital & things progressed slowly until about 9 that night when the OB "rebroke" my water, since the first break was high. That sped things along & DS was born about 2:45 am, 14 1/2 hours after my water broke.

With DD, I was fast asleep & awakened in the middle of a much less mild contraction than those I started with with DS. Once again, about 10 minutes apart. (About 12:30 am. I got to watch the gold medal Olympic basketball game that night....) Went to the hospital about 10:15, arrived by about 11, and she was born just after 1pm. So, 12 1/2 hours. ETA: She was born on her OB calculated due date, one day after my calculations.

I was very worried with DD that I might not recognize labor if my water didn't break, but actually, it was MUCH more obvious with her what was going on.