For the pregnant mother all stages of birth probably feel interminable! However, it is the final stage that is shortest. However, we are talking of vaginal births. Where the vaginal tract is too narrow for the baby to pass down, or there are other complications, a caesarian is necessary.
In this case, surgery may be carried out before contractions begin, and in any case, the removal of a baby through surgery obviates a third stage. Of the other options, it is untrue that mothers producing a second or later child usually have a longer first stage. It is normally the other way around.