Is labor faster with your second, third, or fourth baby?

You may have heard that your labor with a second or third child will be faster than the first time, but is this the truth or just an old wives' tale? Of course, the idea of shorter contractions and less time pushing would certainly be good news. To get to the bottom of this burning question, second-time BabyCenter moms share their experience. 

Read on for whether labor the second (or third or fourth) time is easier according to data and learn what BabyCenter moms have experienced when they went through it. Here's to an easy labor, no matter which number you're on!

Does labor get faster the more pregnancies you have? 

Your time in labor overall may shorten, but it's actually based on the length of each labor phase. The first stage of labor, which is the longest, and considered to begin at the onset of symptoms and go until you've reached 6 cm, typically lasts 12 to 19 hours for both first-time moms and those who have already given birth. But the second stage of labor, or the active phase of labor, from 6 cm to fully dilated, is usually quicker if you've given birth before: the average time first-time moms push is between 60 and 90 minutes with an epidural and between 40 to 45 minutes without an epidural. For those women who've experienced labor before, that time decreases to 20 to 25 minutes with an epidural and 10 to 15 without an epidural.

Your age might also help predict if you'll have a speedier labor. Women between the ages of 30 and 40 had the quickest labors if they'd given birth previously, according to a 2014 study.

Of course, there's no guarantee anything will be faster the next time around since every pregnancy is different. Your second baby might be larger than your first, increasing the difficulty and length of the pushing process. And if you're carrying more than one baby, you may have a shorter labor – a study shows moms of twins experience a much faster first stage of labor than those of singletons.

Most BabyCenter moms say their subsequent birth experiences were faster

Curious about what real moms actually go through when it comes to labor and delivery with their second and third babies? BabyCenter Community mom Amy Graff says she had a wildly different experience between her first and second birth: "Labor with my daughter was 12 grueling hours. But my second child shot out like a rocket in one hour – my husband barely made it to the hospital."

Other BabyCenter Community moms shared similar stories of second babies popping out really fast. Sometimes even too fast: "The second time my labor was under 3 hours," one BabyCenter mom expecting her third says. "I'd like a repeat of that but not much quicker. I've been considering a home birth, mostly because I'd rather not have the baby in the car!" Many moms do say that labor speeds up with each pregnancy."All of my labors have been reduced by half or more. My first was over 48 hours (twins, early). My second was 14 hours. My third was 7 hours. My fourth was 2 hours." 

Another mama related, "my labors have all been about the same length but the pushing was significantly faster. With my first, I pushed for over an hour, with number two I was told to not push but she came out anyway and number three was like four pushes. We will see what happens with number four!"

Only BabyCenter Community mom says she had a longer delivery. "It looks like I'm the only one who went the other direction," she shared in her Community Birth Group. Still, the take-away seems to be there's no guarantee your labor will be quicker with subsequent babies, but you might want to prepare for that to happen just in case. And perhaps the best advice is from Graff's OB-GYN – be ready for anything.