quick births, are subsequent births quicker?

LilacPixie

This might sound a bit garbled but I have been thinking alot about giving birth lately even although I have 18/20 weeks to go.

I am expecting my 3rd baby.

Baby number 1, born late 2006 was 6 days late I had in 4h 17m from first pain to placenta. Afterwards I heamorraged quite severly and needed a 5 day stay in hospital until I was ok to send home and it took a good 2-3 months before I felt human again.

Baby number 2 born late 2008 I developed pre eclampsia at 32 weeks. I was induced at 37+6 by rupturing membranes and the drip. ARM to placenta was 1h 56 minutes and despite being prepared for a possible bleed I lost over 2l of blood from heamorage alone after delivery of placenta. Obviously I was in hospital and they stopped the bleed and gave transfusion so all ok.

So here I am, pregnant with number 3, due in Febuary and I live in Scotland. From where we live now it takes 25-45 minutes to get from her to the hospital depending on time of day with decent road conditions. rushhour+snow who knows. Our home is up for sale at the moment as with 3 kids we need more space TBH with 2 kids we need more space too. Where we are looking at is more rural, we are talking 3-4 miles of twisty untreated country roads then another 5 miles over residential roads to the hospital.

I seem to be developing a fear of going into labour at home either in the middle of the night or during the day when OH at work (hgv driver so 200-300 miles away) and having a quick labour/birth then heamorraging. The actual birth bit does not bother me its the after part. I have a clotting disorder so really there is more chance of me riding to the maternity unit on the back of shergar than there is of me not having a bleed.

I can't make up my mind if I am being a bit hormonal and hysterical and over reacting or if my concerns are justified.

Last time I saw my MW was at booking appointment and I briefly touched on the subject of induction and she totally dismissed the idea out of hand.

So anyone have any advice to either calm my nerves or steady me while i prepare to do battle with my care givers?

My concerns are I deliver quickly usually so if this is the same it could be very quick to the point that if weather bad an ambulance could struggle to make it to where ever I am. I also have 2 kids under 4 so would also need child care of some sort.
I have no idea if an ambulance would be prepared to deal with a bleed. If an ambulance could not deal with a bleed could I realistically fall into the danger zone before they could get me to hospital? Obvoiusly and ambulance could get me to hospital quicker than a car but I have no idea on how long I would have KWIM. Last time i seemed to bleed out really fast but i went into shock quite quickly so what seems like 5 minutes could of been hours.

I just can't help but go back to the please induce me at 39 weeks. I really cannot see past that being the safest option but I seem to be getting ignored.

Am I being a bit hysterical?

onlyroz

Is there an option of a home birth? Medical professionals are more likely to consider it as it's not a first pregnancy.

I'm a "quick" birther - in my first pregnancy the last stage of labour was around 45 mins. With my second pregnancy I was induced and I gave birth around 2 hours later (at one point I thought I was going to give birth in the hospital corridor). I was advised by the midwife after my first birth that subsequent births would be quick as well.

If the midwife won't consider a home birth or an induction, could you not invite a member of family (mum/dad/auntie/sister?) to stay with you for the last week(s) of pregnancy? This might give you the reassurance that there'll be someone with you to help you get to hospital as soon as the contractions start.

vaio

I’m no midwife but I’d have thought with a history of 2 litre+ bleeds and a clotting disorder that the last thing she wants is a home birth in the middle of nowhere.

LilacPixie

Viao that made me laugh out loud.

Roz - with bleeds plus clotting disorder than means another bleed is almost a certainty no MW would consider a home birth to risky, not for the baby, for me.

Iris_Blue

All I can say is that it ALWAYS works out in the end. We worry about it so much then look back and think why?

No1, 4 hours long hospital birth labour,
No 2, hours home birth.
No 3, 1 hour home birth...
No 4, I panicked about having the baby too quickly and being on my own with the children so I went into be pessary induced at 37 weeks , that labour was 40 mins
No 5 was 2 weeks late, I had a syntocinon drip and it was about 3 hours.

and number 6 due in 13 days ...I'm just going with the flow...what will be ...

The professionals don't seem to like inducing when unnecessary now like I had with no4 but if you've concerned then at least ask if its an option as its more of a controlled birth then isn't it.


Good luck

LilacPixie

Thanks Iris

I think thats what I need, control. I panic that if this is a birth of about an hour I am not getting childcare here and me to hospital but the time i click that the first pain was actually the start of a very rapid pattern of pains

Iris_Blue

That's what happens to me , I always went into full blown labour extremely quickly, which is quite scary as there isn't a build up to it is there?

I know you already know this but ...You need to discuss your concerns with your mw and try to come up with solutions to it so your not feeling as anxious about it all.

TBH if you bleed so badly then you sound as you'd better off "going in" and it being controlled because of where you live. I can't see them having a problem with it under the circumstances.

vaio

LilacPixie wrote: »

Viao that made me laugh out loud......

Please don't laugh too hard, I'd hate to have a premature birth on my conscious.

On a serious point, I’d say that Iris Blue has it spot on when she says….

Iris_Blue wrote: »

….. if you bleed so badly then you sound as you'd better off "going in" and it being controlled because of where you live. I can't see them having a problem with it under the circumstances.

LilacPixie

I think its the MW that booked me. She was a right cow. She kept insisting on referring to my husband as my partner which annoyed me.

is this your first baby
No, my 3rd.
But this one is with a new partner.
no
an old partner,
well sort of, my husband.
and he is not the father of your other children
no he is!!
Ok then, is he white and british?
No ginger and scottish.

argh I wanted to slap her. I asked when I would be seeing consultant as I wanted to discuss induction and she was very dismissive so i think thats put me on edge, if she had been nicer or said oh not until after 20 weeks I think I would of been fine.

with DD2 induction was just super fast. DD1 I was fine, uncomfy but fine and in the bath thinking they were Braxton hicks as not hugely sore but regular and lasting a while so I phoned to go be checked because of clotting issues, was talking freely and waddling about, mw checked me and I was 6 cms dilated. I was put in a delivery room and OH sent to park car and get himself a snack as a sunday and everything would be closing. They had to send a student mw for him, they could see meconium in waters and when they popped them she was coming no matter what. literally one push and she nearly fell off the bed thing i was kneeling on.. The mw who delivered thinks my positioning sitting on the bed was holding her back and once waters gone and i got up there was no restrictions so out she came.

I think I worry that even an induction that is suppose to be painful and both girls were back to back I managed fine with only G&A in the final stages. it seems to be when my waters are broken then I start to think i might need G&A but before that i'm ok and that worries me as well because both times I have had ARM.

Ironic thing.... MIL is a MW and she says this baby will come like a cork out a bottle. Maybe i should move in with her about 34 weeks just in case.

Iris_Blue

You're right they hear what they want to hear! Last year the MW made out that we had relationship problems because I had pregnancy depression...that made me even more upset!

I don't think they like discussing births so soon in the pregnancy. Like you said try again nearer the time.

I've been seen 5 times in all with this one..which more than suits me..and dont worry this one will fly out of you. One push with mine and it's done .

Becles

It might not be as quick as you think.

When I had my first, I woke with labour pains about 4am, and he was born by 11am that morning!

With my second, I started labour pains around 6pm and he was born just before 10pm.

With my third, I had two days of strong Braxton Hicks, then woke at 2am with stronger pains. Went to hospital where they broke my waters around 8am, and after having labour pains all day she finally arrived just before midnight. What a long day that was!