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1st wasn't traumatic mentally, but physically hard. 3rd/4th degree tears, episiotomy, nearly ruptured my cervix, born sunny side up with cord wrapped around his neck twice, vacuumed out.

2nd birth lasted about 15 minutes.

There was a lot involved with DS's birth pre-e/induction/back labor/vacuum/giant episiotomy 100+ stitches but he was big baby in a very awkward position and I'm pretty petite. We're not at #2 yet!

My mom had a similar birth with me, her first. I was a forceps baby in an awkward position, but I was small. My baby brother was a 10+lb-er and she had him naturally 20 minutes after checking into the hospital. I wonder if my second would be similar, too!

Elective C-section for my second!

@MrsBeluga: yeah but I didn't make it to hospital and had her on side of the road. Could have been bad.

Number 2 was so much easier, I had her, everything labor pushing in a faster time than I did pushing him. I pushed 4 hours with him and needed a vacuum.

#2 was way easier, and I think would have been super fast too if I'd have let them break my water when I got to the hospital (at 8cm) but I demanded an epidural because I was so scared it would be like the first.

I had a very traumatic experience first time around that ended in DS nearly dying, and having to be resuscitated then spend 8 days inNICU. 2nd time around I was open/interested in a Vbac, but dd was breech with cord round her neck twice (same as me when I was born randomly ) so it was a no brained to opt for a scheduled c section. So different to my first emergency section. She was born asleep and slept skin to skin while they stitched me up, and woke up hungry a while later, breastfed straight away. It was really intimate and a beautiful experience. No regrets! (Although the post op wound pain may have made me utter "never ever again" to my hubby the next day!!!

My actual labor was the least traumatic part. I was hospitalized at 23 weeks and LO was born at 25w3d after pushing a couple of times. I had an epidural around midnight and he was born around 9:30am. He even cried a bit (which was a good sign) and had decent apgar scores, but the entire experience was beyond traumatic and I won't try again since we don't know why it happened.