Tell me about your 4th labors/births! UPDATED with firsthand account :)

[kokotg]

You know, especially if it was awesome. My first was typically long and sucky--24 hours of contractions that started out 5 minutes apart and were at 2 within a few hours. Epidural 17 hours in, and after that things were fine. Second was 6 hours, again with contractions very close together the whole time--wound up with an epidural, but I think I probably could have had the baby by the time it was in, so probably not the best call, in retrospect. And then my third was surprisingly pleasant for the most part. Contractions 5 whole minutes apart until transition! Some of them didn't even really hurt! I finally understood what people meant when they said, "I just didn't feel like I really NEEDED an epidural." (Until transition; then I sure would have taken one if someone had been able to get it in right away, without making me getting out of the tub). About 9 hours, so longer than the second, but it was so lovely in comparison--an unmedicated waterbirth.

 

So anyway, I know it means little, but indulge a very pregnant woman (38 1/2 weeks!)...what was your 4th labor like?

 

Also, it's been 7 years since my youngest was born. Did I reset everything by waiting so long and now I have to have another 24 hour labor?! I hope not.

[Meriwether]

I slipped on the ice and landed straight on Dd2 the day before she was born. Contractions started soon after 4:00 the next morning. I had her at 5:36. From 5:15 until 5:36 I was just waiting for the doctor to show up. No medication, obviously. I felt great afterwards and went home around 5:00 that afternoon. She was my second to come in less than an hour and a half, though. I have to say I prefer it that way.

[hsmamainva]

I had a very easy, drug-free labor with my 4th.

 

I arrived at the hospital at 5:30pm to be checked by my OB...was settled into the labor room at 6:05pm...and she was born 20 minutes later.

 

(Had been in labor since around 9am, but it didn't get intense until after 5:00).

[Soror]

#1 Labor started over night and then was off/on for 24 hrs ish and really picked up the last 7 hrs, 3-4 hrs being pushing. It wasn't what I'd call terribly painful except the last bit (crowning). The last few hrs before pushing were very intense though. I was absolutely exhausted though, I remember thinking that the only thing I wanted was to sleep! Recovery took a bit as I had a small tear and my tailbone was broken or severely bruised I couldn't sit straight up for months.

 

#2 Labor started over night and then was about 12 hrs from wake up time, gradually building. Intense but not crazy. Pushing was 7 minutes, recovery a breeze.

 

#3 Lots of prodormal labor. It finally started for good at 41 weeks and was 5 hrs start to finish. Very intense. Pushing was 20-30 min iirc. Her head was big and she had an elbow up there. I had a bit of an internal gouge or such. Recovery was my worst. I did lots of laying around for a good while.

 

#4 Labor was off and on for 2 days (contractions going from 20 min apart to 3 min apart at times). It wasn't until about the last hr that I was even sure that I was really in labor, thankfully the mw stayed around as she was afraid I'd go fast. Once I got to that last hr it was pretty much nearly one continuous contraction. I couldn't move, even though my position was not optimal for pushing. I hate pushing. The only really super painful part was the pushing which was 11 min of that last hr. I hated my labor, although in ways it was the easiest. I really, truly and seriously wondered if I was going to make it. She was my 3rd homebirth and 4th unmedicated birth and I seriously thought I might end up at the hospital for an epidural or such for rest. I wondered if I would end up a c-section as I just wasn't progressing very fast (I generally do not have checks at all but I did this time just to see if there was any progression- it was painfully slow- then that last hr I went from about 7cm to baby). I was so exhausted I didn't think I could go on. I considered very closely having the mw break my water. I had though decided to try and rest one more time before trying that option. I was able to rest a bit, even though I couldn't sleep and then when I tried to get out of bed and eat that is when it started getting crazy. Thankfully God was merciful though and my recovery has been the easiest .

[2squared]

4th was the easiest ever! I labored at home in the morning, and went to the hospital when contractions were pretty close together. From parking lot to baby in arms was about 15 minutes.

 

Then I hemorrhaged. I don't recommend doing that.

[Soror]

I had a bit more bleeding this time as well. However, it stopped pretty quickly as the mw was kind of anticipating it from my labor pattern. I generally don't hardly bleed though and after more blood loss at the beginning it was back to normal.

 

My afterbirth pains were considerably better this time as well and they were absolutely horrendous with the last two. I didn't have any breast pain either, from engorgement or from beginning to nurse again. It really couldn't have hardly been better.

[fourisenough]

I had a long/difficult labor with first DD who was in posterior position, required a huge episiotomy and, obviously, an epidural. 2nd & 3rd DDs were very quick and unmedicated at 38 weeks each. First 3 babies were around 7 pounds. Reached 40 weeks with DD4 and thought/felt like I was 2 weeks overdue since first three were early! Begged my doctor for a pitocin jump-start, which she indulged and baby was born easily 2 hrs later after pushing through only one contraction. Only surprise was her weight: 9 pounds 10 ounces. Incidentally, she was no harder to deliver than the 7 pounders!

 

Here is to an easy/quick delivery and speedy recovery with your baby number 4!

[Veritaserum]

My fourth was longer than the first three (#1 7 hrs, #2 5 hours, #3 3 hours), but I was glad. It was the same amount of work spread out over more hours. I had no pain until after asked my mw to break my water. I'd been at 8 cm for 5 hours and wanted to be done. Baby was born not long after (1 hour? 2?). I pushed for less than a minute. I had no ring of fire and had no idea her head was halfway out until my midwife told me to reach down. No tearing. She was my second largest baby at 7 lbs. 11 oz.

 

Recovery was fantastic. I had mild cramping for 24 hours and felt great. Bleeding stopped after about a week. It was awesome.

 

I hope everything goes smoothly for you!

[chickenpatty]

My fourth was my easiest! We were trying to prevent damage to my pelvis (my 3rd baby was huge and tramatizing to my pubic bone & hips). So... I was induced (he was also big), got an epidural early on, watched the winter olympics in the hospital all day, and then let the contractions gradually push him into the world.

 

What's cool is that his personality is like his birth was - easy going. (And #3's personality is like his birth - very tumultuous!)

 

:D

[Jennifer in MI]

My fourth was my easiest too! My only home birth. I got scared at he end and refused to push. She came out anyway. On the second contraction where I had the urge to push, she literally fell out. All at once. None of this head out and then the rest of the body! Nope! She fell out! I couldn't believe it! I hope it is that easy for you!

[cathmom]

My fourth weighed 11 lbs. enough said!

[swellmomma]

Well it was not awesome. Labour water broke, spent 1 night in hosp. no labour so went home on oral antibiotics. That night at 2am first labour pain hit. Had contractions 1 hour apart until 6 am. I had a non stress test booked for noon that day so thought I would just time contractions and go to test if they were not closer together. By noon they were hitting every 10 minutes, but it was back labour. Nonstress did not record them, nurse told dr I had no labor (on the phone) he told her to send me home. I was in active labor. My dad picked me up at hosp and took me to his house, I called my regular OB(was having a prem so dr that sent me home was not my OB my ob did not work at the high risk hosp). My Ob had me come into the local hospital to be checked. machine still not recording contractions, but I was 5 cm. Dr calls ambulance to transport me from that hospital to the first one that sent me home earlier. They put me in ambulance at about 5.5 cm. We did not even make it to the edge of town before I felt the urge to push. I held her in as long as I could, screaming through every contraction. We never made it to the hospital I told them I could not hold on anymore, they check me I was crowning, they pulled ambulance over and I delivered her on the side of the road. We then continued on to hospital. Time of birth 3:15 pm. So in just over 3 hours I went from being told it was not labour just a little bit of irritated uterus to holding dd. Would have been sooner if I pushed when I first felt the urge. Had a retained placenta(likely due to her prem birth), and some hemorraging but luckily was in the hosp by that point. Though having a nurse lay across my stomach as they gave me pitocin was not fun. The morphine they gave me next sure helped. She was my most adventurous birth for sure.

 

 

BUT my first was a prem section and the pain meds never worked post surgery. 2nd was a vacuum extraction with extensive tearing. 3rd was my easiest, prem induction 1 week after my water broke. First contraction at 12:15 holding him in my arms at 3:30pm. And then 4th was the adventure. Now had the first hospital not sent me home I would have had a labour as easy breezy as the 3rd I am sure. They bent over backwards to kiss my behind when I was readmitted since their screw up could have me and my daughter our lives.

[mommy5]

My 1st sounded much like yours and my 2nd was 9 hours start to finish with manageable contractions until I hit "5cm" but apparently I was really hitting transition because as soon as that epidural was in I started pushing and out came baby. I went from 5 cm to baby in probably 15 min. 4th was almost identical to my 2nd ... it took me a long time to get to 4 cm and very manageable contractions the whole time and then once I got to 4cm I suddenly hit transition quickly. It took me 9 hours start to finish with both my 2nd and 4th births. I went completely natural, though, and it took me a little longer to push baby out because no one was directing my pushing. I actually had contractions stop for a while (15 min or more) and then suddenly ... I was either holding back because of being scared to push unmedicated or my body was doing that rest thing that apparently is normal in some people ... the next contraction that hit I pushed out baby in one push, though.

[KatieJ]

4th was my easiest.

lst was emergency C section.

2nd - planned C section.

3rd - 24 hour plus trip to hospital and then home, no sleep. Ugly.

4th - labor at home for about 6 hours, day of rest, sleep, etc..several hours at home and then at the hospital he was born in less an hour.

I got home 4 days later and made lunch for the family.

[butterflymommy]

Horrifically painful homebirth. I'd had 3 unmedicated births before so I thought I was the birth goddess. The pain was worse than all three previous combined. All my other births since then have been in the hospital with an epidural. It's been a miracle to give birth without pain since that 4th birth.

 

You will be fine though, don't let me scare you! I think it's the minority who feel agonizing, indescribable, traumatizing pain like i did. I was diagnosed with PTSD afterwards.

[Remudamom]

My second was really fast, (2 hours) and of course the trips came like lightning (45 minutes!!) but they were section. It's those first ones that are soooo slow.

[Whereneverever]

My fourth was my best birth! I posted to the Hive during most of it.

[FaithManor]

My health was very, very bad. But, it didn't affect labor and delivery. I had mild contractions for about four hours, they broke my water, and he was born four hours later. I don't even count it as eight hours of labor. Literally, the first two hours of contractions were so light that if I was moving and distracted, I barely knew. So, six hours of anything I could feel, and only two of hard labor.

 

That was not my shortest labor. First baby was 14 start to finish, second was 3.5, and third was 3.5.

 

I did not have epidurals or other analgesia.

 

I had complications with the third child, so recovery was very, very bad. I had a grade four episiotomy with the first one though I didn't need it...the %$@%$#% OBGYN had a policy that he gave ALL of his patients a grade four just because "he liked to have a lot of room to work!" Due to our HMO, I had no option of having a different doctor. GRRRR....wish I'd just squatted down in the bathroom and popped her out on my own. NO episiotomies or stitches with the other three. They were CNM births in the hospital and very, very low to practically nothing intervention births. I needed the hospital because I get very anemic and do not absorb potassium during my pregnancies so I have some blood clotting issues. It was wise to keep me near blood supply because after the third, I really, really needed it and pronto! Love those CNM's, highly trained, loving, nurturing, and perfectly capable of handling anything. Shoot, the one that delivered the middle two, used to do OB work in a very remote third world country. She talked about performing caesarians by herself in bush clinics! Great lady!

 

Faith

[lynn]

All my labors were similar even with #4 being 5.5 years after #3 All my babies were born within 4 hours of getting to the hospital and I had epidural at around 8cm with all four. #4 hard labor came on fast and I had the epidural about 20 min before she was born. The poor anesthesia guy kept yelling at me not to push, I guess he thought he and nurse would be delivering dd right after the epidural, she came that fast. She waited for my ob and all went well.

[myfunnybunch]

Mine was awesome. I mean, it wasn't easy because it was drug-free and ds was 10-1/2 pounds, so a lot of the details are foggy. But it progressed quickly and evenly, and ds was born within about 6 hours of going into labor. My fourth was my easiest birth.

 

Recovery seemed much easier. I went home after 6 hours and cleaned up the living room floor. (It was Christmas Day, so I just picked up the wrapping paper and made things a little neater). I'm not sure whether it was because I was pretty relaxed during the whole process because I kind of knew what to expect, or whether it was that the birth itself was easier on my body, or if it was something else altogether. :)

 

Cat

[GraciebytheBay]

Labor with #4 was definitely the easiest. She was born after a gradual day of labor, and I had an epidural, so I wasn't in a lot of pain. I pushed three times, and there she was. She only weighed 6 lbs 12 oz, so that probably helped. Maybe #4 is the lucky number. Hope your baby's birth goes smoothly! Let us know! :)

[lexi]

#1 HELLP syndrome, preeclampsia, hemorrhage, and a preemie. Horrible recovery.

 

#2 Hypertension, placental abruption, hemorrhage, another preemie

 

#3 beautiful homebirth and full term baby

 

#4 awesome water birth and full term baby

 

#5 Preeclampsia and placental abruption. 37 weeks. Major hemorrhage.

 

Numbers 3 and 4 were awesome. Labor was only 4 hours! No drugs. The other labors were terrible. Yuck. Placental abruption=crazy bad pain. Hemorrhaging is super scary.

 

I hope your fourth is as wonderful as mine was!!

 

I think everyone's posts just go to show you that every labor is very different. Faster and easier is always better though!

[Murphy101]

My fourth was my second easiest delivery of all 10. Completely unremarkable and comparatively easy.

[chickenpatty]

Horrifically painful homebirth. I'd had 3 unmedicated births before so I thought I was the birth goddess. The pain was worse than all three previous combined. All my other births since then have been in the hospital with an epidural. It's been a miracle to give birth without pain since that 4th birth.

 

You will be fine though, don't let me scare you! I think it's the minority who feel agonizing, indescribable, traumatizing pain like i did. I was diagnosed with PTSD afterwards.

 

 

 

Do you have any idea why it was so much harder?

[Forget-Me-Not]

Placental abruption=crazy bad pain.

 

Interesting. Did you have pain like that with both your abruptions? I had an abrubtion with my last baby. I remember having some mild back pain and uterine irritability in the day or two before, but nothing that I even thought to ask the doc about (I just attributed it to late-term discomfort). At 38w2d my water broke in the middle of the night and I was hemorrhaging. Even before they put me under and did the c-section, the pain was bearable. . . but my uterus was hypertonic and just sort of staying contracted, so I didn't have the peaks and valleys that come with normal contrax.

[Sarah CB]

I was induced, as usual, for high blood pressure. Labour progressed very quickly. At one point, the resident checked me and then went and called the OB in to see as she thought I was fully dilated. The OB didn't believer her. As he was checking my cervix, he told me to give a little push so he could feel something better (I can't remember exactly what it was he wanted...) and Charlie came out. That was it. The OB said he'd never seen a child delivered in one push before.

[happypamama]

I've never had a particularly difficult labor/birth; the longest was 11 hours of labor and 1.5 hours of pushing (the first). They've gotten progressively faster. My fourth baby was a home waterbirth, four hours of labor, a week and a half before my due date (and about 16 days before we even thought he'd arrive). And one push. Seriously, one push. No crowning burn at all, just one big push. (My third was about two pushes; the head came out, and then the rest of him just slid out while I was waiting for another contraction so I could push his shoulders out, so I wasn't surprised that #4 was really fast too.) I got in the tub and wondered if I could feel the head since my water had broken. Yup, I could. I wondered if I could push. Yup, I could. Hi, Baby! It was amazing! My big kids missed it because it was so fast; DH nearly missed it (I barely managed to call him back, because he stepped out to call the big kids). *I* almost missed it. ;)

[Amy in TX]

Fourth was the fastest and easiest, for sure. (Although he was 10lb 7oz, ten days overdue, and induced. And epidurals don't work for me.) But it was fast and uncomplicated, thank God. He was so big, the nurses told me I didn't give birth to a baby, I gave birth to a toddler. :)

[texasmama]

Baby #4 - Woke up to go to the bathroom at 4:45 am and laid in bed - heard and felt my water broke. Got to the hospital at 6:15 am (had to wait for my dad to come stay with the other kids), met the doula at the hospital. I was 5 cm dilated and in active labor. I labored intervention free (no IV, no meds, no nothing) until 7:40 am, when I was laboring next to the bed and realized that the baby was crowning. Dh got the nurse, and I pushed twice and she was born. The doc missed it. The nurse didn't call her when I told her to. The nurse caught her, and only the nurse, dh and the doula were there. It was intense but really just about perfect. Enjoy baby #4!

[jenn-]

I was induced for all 3 of my pregnancies. I would say kid #4 (pregnancy #3) was the easiest though. It was probably more of a combination of getting my epidural nice and early though and not having to take a clotting test to get it. I was having a grand time just waiting around when a nurse came in and checked on me and found out that I was 10cm. She asked if I wanted to start pushing. I told her, only if she wanted to be the one delivering the baby, otherwise I was good to wait for the doctor. He came over pretty quickly from the office and he was born with two pushes. All my children came out that quickly though, so even though he was nearly 2 pounds bigger than my next, it was still easy. Total time from induction to kiddo was about 15 hours for all.

[milovany]

My fourth (of seven) was my easiest, most peaceful birth. Total labor was about an hour and 15-20 minutes (the previous had been one hour start to finish, so it was a little longer, but it was not as intense/painful). I didn't yell or even groan loudly at all, just banged the bucket I was leaning over one time near the end. Quick as a wink, baby was in my arms. There you have it! :)

[blondeviolin]

From ease of labor and delivery:

 

Second

First

Fourth

Third

 

 

[staceyobu]

I felt more in control during my fourth labor than I ever had before. I really felt like I knew how to stay on top of the pain and felt like I stayed aware of what was going on. It was one hour longer than my third labor (which was my shortest) for a total of 6 hours in labor. We chose to deliver at a very medical hospital for financial reasons and DH timed it perfectly and got me there at 8 cm. I thought we should have gone sooner but he kept encouraging me to wait it out a bit. After arriving at the hospital, they did not want to let me move around much and I got stuck at 8cm for 2 hours. It was miserable but still manageable. So, I think it might have been my easiest labor if we'd had a better hospital scenario... but even with the annoyances, it was pretty good.

[8circles]

Fantastic! Each birth has been more exciting than the last. It was about the same length as the prior 2 (first was 36 hour nightmare ending in emergency c/s). Traumatic at the end as we realized the cord was wrapped around his neck. But wonderfully blissful. I LOVE labor & delivery and would go through it at least yearly if I could chose. I just don't want any more children. Really, I'd be a surrogate if I could do it without attachment to the child (or my family).

 

I envy you. Enjoy it! :D

[twoxcell]

Well I was induced for all 4. The first because he was late, and the other 3 because of Cholestasis and Macrosomia. My fourth induction was strange because it felt like nothing was really happening for a few hours. The contractions were there but not very strong. In fact when I got into the spa they stopped. After several hours of that and the my CNM doing a couple of things the labor started getting very strong and within an hour I felt like I needed to push. Of course I started pushing and he was posterior, so I had to do hands and knees for a bit and such. He turned fairly quickly and ended up being the fastest pushing of all of mine. It still was a good 15-20 minutes of pushing once he turned. I had to work to get all of mine out. ;)

[Izzy]

My 4th a completely normal and easy birth. My only problem was I was overcome with anxiety the whole time. My babies come quick and #3 came 45 minutes after we got to the hospital, I wasn't even checked in yet. I kept telling the nurse I needed to push and she didn't believe me because she was new and the OB was in another birth. It was awful. Sooo I showed up extra early for #4 (I had my first contraction at 5 pm and we got there at close to 6). I was a nervous wreck so they gave me Stadol...worst stuff ever! Made my anxiety worse. Anyways, after the Stadol wore off I was fine and he was born at almost 2 am. My longest labor ever. lol. So I was my worst enemy. If I would have skipped the anxiety and stayed home a little longer I would have had a nice uneventful birth. :D

[gaillardia]

The best. Dh pulled up to ER, waiting nurse whisked me into a wheelchair and ran down the hallways, I was actually laughing about it. (The doc's office was very nearby and he had examined me, said I was ready, broke my water, told me to get to the hospital). I had my first daughter 15 minutes later. What a dream baby.

[Veritaserum]

Interesting. Did you have pain like that with both your abruptions? I had an abrubtion with my last baby. I remember having some mild back pain and uterine irritability in the day or two before, but nothing that I even thought to ask the doc about (I just attributed it to late-term discomfort). At 38w2d my water broke in the middle of the night and I was hemorrhaging. Even before they put me under and did the c-section, the pain was bearable. . . but my uterus was hypertonic and just sort of staying contracted, so I didn't have the peaks and valleys that come with normal contrax.

 

 

My placental abruption (third baby) was horrifically painful. It was like someone was stabbing my uterus with a knife. I kept myself together because I needed to get my baby out, but wow did that hurt. She was fine and I was mostly fine. I lost a lot of blood and could have used an epidural for the after pains afterward. The abruption site was very sensitive I think. I had virtually no after pains with babies four or five.

[Forget-Me-Not]

 

 

My placental abruption (third baby) was horrifically painful. It was like someone was stabbing my uterus with a knife. I kept myself together because I needed to get my baby out, but wow did that hurt. She was fine and I was mostly fine. I lost a lot of blood and could have used an epidural for the after pains afterward. The abruption site was very sensitive I think. I had virtually no after pains with babies four or five.

 

 

Wow, I've read that pain like that can be a symptom. I guess mine fell more into the "silent abruption" category.

[Melissa in Australia]

first was very long labour- nearly 4 days, most of it in hospital, his head was born with waters intact.

2nd went into labour but stopped as soon as I arrived at the hospital, happened 3 days in a row, so Dr. broke my waters and he was born about 10 hours later.

3rd same as 2nd, but I had him about 7 hours after my waters were broke.

4th well over 2 weeks late, fully induced with that drip thingy. born 3 hours later. Baby was 9 lb 6 oz, and was way too big for me, she got stuck at the shoulders and then the hips. I was pretty torn up internally.

5th easiest by far. woke DH up to tell him to quickly milk the cow and take me the 100km to hospital. Got there and had him 40 minutes later . The labour was almost pain free. I remember telling the nurse I had a long way to go as I could hardly feel any pain. She replied I see the head crowning!

[fairfarmhand]

Mine was pretty easy. No epidural, induction at 39 weeks. 4 hours labor. 3 big pushes.No stitches. Baby- 7.5 lbs.

[kokotg]

Thanks everyone! I'm enjoying all the "it was short and easy" stories and ignoring the rest ;). Big babies do not worry me; my last two were 9 1/2 pounds....although this one is measuring smaller, so I'm wondering if I'll actually get a normal sized baby this time. It could happen!

[AKshanmar]

LOL... after I told my easy birth story to my friend at your stage, she said she spent her whole non-easy delivery thinking, "I thought it would be like Shannon's". Augghhhhh! The guilt!!!

 

I really don't count.

 

#1 (7 weeks preemie) 2 hours

#2 12 MINUTES

#3 30 minutes

#4 30 minutes - 1 push. (I don't recommend that one, she was in the hospital for a week with amniotic fluid in her lungs because she didn't get squeezed enough!)

 

Best wishes! And you'll forget it all once you have the little cutie in your arms!

[HappyCrazyMama]

Shockingly fast. My 3rd was 8 hours and my 4th 3 hours, very surprising and the midwife nearly missed it. I was very shocked and scared when my water broke and I wanted to push! :scared: I was trying with all the power of my being not to push, which was interesting, lol. I gave up on that about the time my midwife pulled in the driveway and my lovely daughter was born 5 minutes later. My advice is don't delay going to the hospital or calling your midwife when the time comes. And good luck you're very close!:)

[mommaduck]

You know, especially if it was awesome. My first was typically long and sucky--24 hours of contractions that started out 5 minutes apart and were at 2 within a few hours. Epidural 17 hours in, and after that things were fine. Second was 6 hours, again with contractions very close together the whole time--wound up with an epidural, but I think I probably could have had the baby by the time it was in, so probably not the best call, in retrospect. And then my third was surprisingly pleasant for the most part. Contractions 5 whole minutes apart until transition! Some of them didn't even really hurt! I finally understood what people meant when they said, "I just didn't feel like I really NEEDED an epidural." (Until transition; then I sure would have taken one if someone had been able to get it in right away, without making me getting out of the tub). About 9 hours, so longer than the second, but it was so lovely in comparison--an unmedicated waterbirth.

 

So anyway, I know it means little, but indulge a very pregnant woman (38 1/2 weeks!)...what was your 4th labor like?

 

Also, it's been 7 years since my youngest was born. Did I reset everything by waiting so long and now I have to have another 24 hour labor?! I hope not.

 

Warning: TMI

 

#4...I didn't think I would live to see her. An intern freaked out and asked the nurses what she was supposed to do when the baby started crowning, the nurses told her rudely to catch the baby (because the poor intern was acting like an idiot), and I about told her to move it, I can deliver just fine on my own. My OB came in just then and took over (thank you, Lord!), but then let her handle the afterbirth...uhm, she PULLED the cord off my placenta while it was still in me and attached to me!!! My dear OB threw her out of the room (he was mad enough, that I know it took everything he had not to physically pick her up and toss her out, but he yelled at her pretty loudly). I was bleeding out and my placenta was stuck and it was in the middle of the night. The anathesiologist had to be paged at home. My OB wanted to wait for him because digging around would hurt and I would have to tire myself more by pushing at the same time. I told him to start digging and I would start pushing and we would see what we could accomplish till the anathesiologist arrived, because I certainly wasn't going to lay there and die without trying. I could see my baby across the room and I could feel my life draining, but dangit, I wasn't going down without a fight. The placenta delivered just as we got the call saying the anathesiologist was in the door and on his way up to L&D. I saw that intern later that night, in the hallway; she was pretty sheepish and embarrased. I smiled at her, because she needed to know that she can move on from this, suck it up, and do better. However, I would never let another intern touch me again (and I've allowed many student nurses and student midwives use me at a guinea pig for practicing their knowledge of dilation and other such...they have to learn somehow).

 

Okay, hopefully that did not scare you off ;) BTW, NEVER prejudge how your labour and delivery will be based on other people's. Every woman, every child, every birth is its own :D You do may or may not "reset" anything. You just don't know.

[UrbanSue]

My fourth was my second longest. First was an emergency c section afer 12 hours due to a birth defeat. Second was a horrific two and a half hours. Third was delivered by dh after about 30 minutes of labor. Fourth and after seven hours of mostly easy labor. I guess, in some ways, mine have gotten easier every time.

[garddwr]

Ya know, I think every birth is just so different you have to let go of expectations and just take things as they come. My third was a lovely water birth, I was jubilant. #4--well, pushing was sheer agony, no matter what I positions I tried. I was honestly grateful to my OB for getting very stern with me and telling me I had to get that baby out because honestly I didn't have the willpower to push myself to that point. Those two births were drastically different--but I suspect a big part of that was #3 being 11 days early and 7lb1oz, while #4 was 8 days late and 9lb7oz.

 

#5 was again really painful when it came to pushing, and I was scared from #4. He was only 8lb1oz, so I just don't know...I didn't experience that kind of pain with any of my first three, all were unmedicated births, I'm starting to wonder if my pelvis has become less flexible or something.

[kokotg]

An update :)

 

 

So my 4th labor was......super fast and (relatively) easy!

 

On his due date--3 1/2 hours start to finish, with only the last half hour or so being REALLY tough. It was a whirlwind from the start, though. I got a total of about 5 contractions 5-7 minutes apart, and after that they were all 3-4 minutes, so not a lot of time to rest. He was born a little over an hour after we got to the hospital. He was supposed to be a waterbirth, but there was no time to fill up the tub. Pushed through maybe 3 contractions, and out he came! 7 pounds, 7 ounces, so two pounds smaller than my last two (and a pound exactly smaller than my first), which I'm sure was a big factor, particularly with the pushing part. His name is Abe :)

[melbotoast]

Congrats! Beautiful baby:)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Welcome to the Hive, Little Abe!