The United States birth rate fell to its lowest rate in 40 years in 2023¹. That’s right, the birth rate declined to its lowest level since 1979. And according to the most recent statistics, the average number of children per woman is down to 1.66! What does this mean? If you have two or more kids, you are now ahead of the average. Congratulations!

After just four short months, I found myself staring at another test with two little lines. I was shocked. Our little girl was only four months old and now we were going to be adding another little one to our family. We knew we wanted to have more kids after our daughter, but I had no idea we would be adding a second so quickly. But all I can say is we are so happy that the timing worked out the way it did. Our first two children are just shy of 13 months apart and they could not have a better relationship.

My Second Pregnancy

If you read my first birth story, then you know that I started off at a birthing center and was transferred to the hospital. For my second pregnancy, we decided to go with a different midwife group and birthing center in the area. I had considered this one when switching providers with my daughter, but ultimately chose the other option instead.

This new group was smaller than the previous group we worked with. The midwives were great; they were very kind, and because they were a smaller practice, I was able to meet and get to know the midwives a bit more than the previous group, but still less than I would with my third birth experience where I worked with an independent midwife.

Despite the pregnancies being so close together, I was blessed with another smooth pregnancy. And overall, I really couldn’t complain about the care I received at this midwife practice. Unlike my previous experience, my birth experience with them is what truly made my experience amazing.

The Second Birth

Throughout my pregnancy, I could not count the number of times I heard or read that the second baby often comes much faster than the first. My first birth experience, including early labor to birth, was a total of about 34 hours, with active labor lasting approximately 8 hours – this is pretty typical of a first time labor. Just wait until you hear how long my second experience lasted.

The Fake Out

At 40 weeks and 5 days, mild contractions began in the wee hours of the morning and I went ahead and started to time them. By about 3:00 AM, I woke my husband up because they seemed to be getting closer together but not necessarily any stronger, but in order to err on the side of caution and not end up with a car birth, we headed to the birth center around 4 AM, after my in-laws picked up our daughter.

This time around, we did in fact decide to hire a doula in the hopes that we could avoid another transfer with the additional support. Our doula lived approximately 30-45 minutes from the birthing center and agreed to meet us there. Unfortunately, as we were on the way to the birthing center, my contractions completely stopped in the car. They resurfaced at the birthing center but they were fairly easy to breathe through and eventually spaced out to 15 minutes or more apart. By 7:00 AM, we were all heading home as the contractions had completely stopped. I was disappointed, and honestly it felt like I had just wasted everyone’s time.

We went over to my in-laws house to pick up our daughter and have a cup of coffee before heading home for the morning. Feeling totally normal and not like I was going to have a baby anytime soon, we went about our normal routine. I put my daughter down for a nap around 11:00 AM and ended up falling asleep with her only to be woken up around 12:30 PM to contractions.

Labor: Round 2

The contractions were still decently mild, not unbearable, and after waking up, I continued to go about my normal day until we headed to the birthing center for a sonogram that I had scheduled the week prior. I even remember doing dishes while my daughter continued to nap and stopping periodically to sway at the sink. That probably should have been my first clue that things were slowly progressing, but after the morning fake out, I wasn’t particularly hopeful. But really, they weren’t bad, and they were nothing compared to my first birth. I let my doula know, and she suggested trying to get in to see my chiropractor incase an adjustment could help labor progress. Despite it being my chiropractor’s day off, she was able to meet me at the birthing center at the same time I was going in for my sonogram.

We dropped off our daughter with my in-laws around 1:30 PM and headed to the birthing center for the sonogram and chiropractic adjustment. At this point, the contractions were stronger, but they had no consistent pattern and they were still only 6-8 minutes apart and pretty bearable. At the birthing center, it was surprisingly busy for a Friday afternoon. The midwife-on-call was actually having to see clients because the other midwife was getting a crown fixed that broke the night before. I still remember sitting in the waiting room for the sonogram and having to breathe through what was probably my first strong contraction, while also telling my doula to wait on coming until I talked to my midwife.

God’s Timing is Always Perfect

Once we arrived at the birthing center, we thought we would be able to see my midwife and the chiropractor before going in for the sonogram, which might not have been necessary with the start of labor. But, with the midwife so swamped filling in for the office visits that day, we ended up being called in for the sonogram before either of the others appointments.

Baby boy looked great on the sonogram, and the biggest perk of going ahead and having the sonogram done was finding out the exact position he was in. This was just the information my chiropractor needed to know just how to make the perfect adjustment for me. It turned out, that he was in the LOP position, which means his little back was facing the left side of my back. This position isn’t a bad one for labor, but it isn’t the best one either.

Following the chiropractic adjustment, my husband and I were finally able to meet with the midwife on-call. I showed her the pattern of my contractions and she was actually going to send me home because there wasn’t a consistent pattern and she didn’t think I was in active labor yet. I asked her to do a check to see how dilated I was compared to that morning and she instantly changed her mind. She told us to go ahead and head upstairs because I was 6-7cm dilated and she could feel the amniotic sack, meaning baby boy was getting close. At that point, I let my doula know it was probably time, but of course on top of being 30-45 minutes away, she ended up getting stuck in a massive accident that she could not get around.

Active Labor Begins

When I say stuff picked up almost instantly, I mean it. The chiropractic adjustment must have done the trick because the contractions suddenly got much stronger and closer together. In the span of ten minutes, my husband went to get our bags from the car and the midwife began setting up the birthing suite, and while I was sitting in a chair in the birthing suite, I was nearly knocked out of my seat with my strongest contraction yet.

The midwife present was incredible, she recognized that things had suddenly switched over to active labor and got me into the bed, as they tried to finish setting up the birthing suite. The assistant midwife that had just arrived from getting her crown fixed, had recently learned about LOP labor positions at a conference a week prior, and suggested I lay down on the bed in what is called a side-lying release.

This position opens up the pelvis, giving baby room to rotate and move into a more optimal position and through the birth canal. And I tell you what, that definitely did it. In the midst of all of this, my doula was on her way, and I was texting her and letting her know that my contractions had gone from 6 or 7 minutes apart to one to two minutes. Unfortunately, like I said before, there was a major accident on the highway that she just could not get around in time. And I wholeheartedly take responsibility for her missing the birth since I had told her to wait on leaving.

Here Comes Baby Boy

So from having inconsistent contractions that were over 6 minutes apart, to having one massive contraction following my chiropractic adjustment, my contractions were suddenly one to two minutes apart. I remember timing one of them that actually lasted a minute and a half. Easy enough to guess, baby boy was on his way, and fast! Throughout this period, the midwife was incredible. She provided the physical support I needed when the contractions were particularly intense. She performed hip squeezes, explained to me what was going on when I felt like I was getting overwhelmed, and overall was just a much more hands on midwife than I had previously experienced.

Since I ended up with an epidural for my first birth, I had no idea what transition actually felt like. Up until this point, I was just on the bed, still in a side-lying release position and doing my best to stay calm during the strong and long contractions. At some point, while I still had my yoga pants on, I started to feel a different sensation, one that I now know is the urge to push. I said out loud that something felt different and I heard the midwife say in almost an “oh my” tone that I was already heading into transition. They rushed to remove my yoga pants, and while I do not know exactly how long it was between removing the yoga pants and baby boy making his debut, it was definitely a short amount of time because I later found out that he arrived so quickly that they nearly dropped him.

Baby boy was born in the sack, only rupturing when it hit the bed, and he was born at 4:20 PM on a Friday afternoon, 7 lbs 8 ounces and 20.5 inches long. If you remember, we dropped our daughter off at my in-laws’ house at 1:30 PM and within three hours, my husband was calling his parents, baby boy crying in the background, announcing his arrival. My in-laws couldn’t believe their ears, no one had expected us to call within three hours of leaving their house with the news that the baby was here.

The total time of my labor was only approximately 3 hours, with active labor lasting only 45 minutes. This was a huge and welcomed difference from my first birth. And the best part: we stayed at the birth center for only two hours before we were able to take our baby boy home.

Make a Plan, but Welcome the Unexpected

I never expected my second birth to go that fast. Like I said, a lot of people had told me that the second birth often moves faster than the first, especially if you have them close together. But I never expected my second birth to not only be as fast as it was, but also to be so much more bearable. Some of that I’m sure is because once you have done it before, you know what to expect. But even with my second birth, there were things that happened that I didn’t know to expect and I hadn’t experienced before.

If I could give one piece of advice: whether it is your first, second, or seventh birth, be open to everything. Have a plan for your birth, especially if you have experienced one before, but when things change, try your best to go with the flow, because the more open you are to God’s plan, the more free you will feel and the better your experience will be.