Is it true, that each delivery is faster than the previous one?

[Anonymous]

I am just wondering how much truth is in that statment if any. I am very lucky to have 2 speedy deliveries and a little worried that if that trend continious I might not make it to the hostpital. With my firstborn I was in labor total of 2,5 hours (counting from the first contraction) and with the second one about the entire process took about 45 minutes. I am petrified of not making it to the hospital this time around and beeing one of the women delivering on I495...

[Anonymous]

How about generally yes, but not in my case? My first was 24 hours my second was 42 hours.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who when through the same thing as you. Her first was born in about 2.5 hours and her second came in an hour. She was induced for her third at 38 weeks to avoid giving birth at home. That one came in 25 minutes. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Oh man you are lucky.

[Anonymous]

In general yes, but it varies. My friend had a speedy first, SLOW second, speedy third.

[Anonymous]

My first was 12 hours.
Second was five hours.
Third was nine hours.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes subsequent labors are quicker. Not always. You do have options. You can plan a homebirth; no need to worry about going anywhere. Hire a midwife who lives within a 30 minute drive from your house and leave it up to her to get to you in time. Other option would be get induced early. Another option would be to switch to a doctor who delivers at the hospital closest to your house. Most houses in DC Metro have a hospital within 10-15 minutes of them.

Once you have had two successful easy deliveries, the chances that "something" will go wrong are extraordinarily slim. Even if you deliver at home, or in the car, everything is going to be absolutely fine. Make sure you've read up on "emergency childbirth" (ie, don't do anything except let baby be born and keep it warm!) and don't stress out too much about it.

[Anonymous]

I had a quick first and an even quicker second (like you OP) - my OB told me that if I had a third she would absolutely induce. I was induced with #1 and not #2 and preferred my experience without being induced, however, so I think I would just take my chances (like PP suggested) and read up on emergency childbirth!

[Anonymous]

#1 = 4 hours
#2 = less than 1 hour
#3 = dr wants to induce

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the replies on this thread. I'm not the OP, and this is only my second, but my first was just over 4 hours and my dr. wants to induce (if I make it to 39 weeks...dd #1 was early). What I'm hearing makes me all the more inclined to do so because I want to make it to the hospital (we already discussed and decided not to do a homebirth because of some complications my dd had on arrival).

[Anonymous]

Generally it is faster. My first was 5 hours. Second was 2 hours 15 minutes. I barely made it to the hospital- was there for 20 minutes max before delivery. Doctor has already said for a third baby, he would induce for sure. I had no complications with #2 but did with #1. That's enough for me not to want to risk it if there was a #3. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Sooooo, with #1 it took 30 hours from the time my water broke and I am currently pg with #2. I am going to hope based on experiences posted here that I only go through 1-2 nurse shift changes instead of 3 this time!! woo-hoo!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:because I want to make it to the hospital (we already discussed and decided not to do a homebirth because of some complications my dd had on arrival).

I'm not challenging your decision at all, but your comment did make me want to mention something that many people don't seem to realize -- homebirth midwives are trained birth professionals. They are particularly skilled at anticipating potential complications and preventing them from happening in the first place. If some complication were to arise, they are also completely able to handle them. If you wonder about how a midwife at home might handle a certain situation, then you could easily interview a midwife and ask her. I think you might be surprised how competent they truly are, even in difficult situations. I think most people would also be surprised how good their outcomes are -- far better than many doctors.