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Hi All,
the midwife at our antenatal class told all the ladies to check with their mums to find out how long their labour was with us and siblings. They said that at the hospital they like to know this as it can be hereditary therefore our labour length will be similar. Anyone know how accurate this is or comments on it? I think they mainly want to know of quick labours in the family so they are prepared.
thanks
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I don't know about this one. My mums labours were 19 hours, 10 hours, then 2 hours.
My first labour was 9 hours. So a bit of a difference between 19 & 9.
Thanks Jodi. 9 hours was good for your first. I'd be happy with that.
Anyone else have comparisons like this?
I hope so! I was mum's only full-term baby, and was 3hrs from go to woe. So I'm hoping this 2nd one will be nice and quick! heh.
DS was born after 5hrs labour. I had a couple of days of prelabour with him tho, and was augmented with the drip - so could have been faster coz of the drip.
My mum's labours were both relatively quick (I think about 7 hours from go to woe for her first) so I asked my ob if this was an indication that I would have a relatively easy time of it.
He knocked that one on the head and said definitely not hereditary unfortunately. But I'm still secretly hoping (due in a few days).
Cheers
Fiona
I've never been asked that before, interesting.
Well my mum was in labour 29hrs (me) and a bit less for my sister.
Me - 1st 4 hrs, 2nd 4.5, 3rd 3.5hrs. Mum wasn't too impressed!
Hey
my mum had 3 kids and with all of us she was in labour for over 40 hrs with each one of us and were all forcep delivered
my oldest sister has 3 kids she was in labour for 28 hrs and ended up having emergency c- section, so the other 2 kids were ceasers
my middle sister has 4 kids and the longest labour she had was 6 hrs and the quickest was 2 hrs
and then there was me, i have only 1 child and i was in labour for 26 hrs and ended in emergency c-section, but will be trying a vbac for the next one
each pregnancy is different and so are there labours i think, but it is interesting to know if it is hereditarty
My mum told me her second stage was always barely existent. In my antenatal classes they said most first time mums have to push for about an hour. Mum said she always gave one push and the baby just slipped out. So I decided mine was going to be the same...
I can very clearly remember feeling ripped off half way through my second stage - I ended up pushing for 56 minutes. So I guess I lucked out on those genes!! LOL
Although, I think Mum had pretty uncomplicated labours (she had 5 kids) and mine was 9 hours from go to wo with no complications at all so maybe I do owe her some thanks??! :)
My mum had 5 hours and 3 hours for her labours. Mine with my daughter ws 9 hours which included just over 2 hours of pushing!!
Ooh - I hope so!! I was asking Mum about this the other day - her longest labour was 6 hours & shortest (me) was 3 hours. So I hope it's true!!!
Thanks everyone. Seems to somewhat dispel that myth. I am going to ask my ob on Wednesday what he thinks. I think it might be so that the midwives just have it in the back of their minds. i can only hope mine is as short as my mums.
My mum had really short labours with barely any pain, and I was pretty much the same. I too didn't find it that difficult and i had a 5hr 40 min from start to finish.
My mum was in labour for over 24 hours first time, and mine was 3 hours, my second and third were all about the same.
Hiya
My Mum was in labour with me for 7 hours, and 9 with my sister. I was in labour for 24 hours with my DS though! Hoping that this time around is a little nicer on me!! :)
I dont really believe there is much truth in the 'hereditary' myth.
I think there are so many other variables that have more of an influence on the progress of labour than heredity. Such as your age versus your mother's age when you first give birth. My mum was 25, I was 30. Women of our mother's generation were often made to labour on a bed; women these days are more free to be vertical and active.
These are the factors I think affect length of labour more than heredity:
* gravity
* freedom of movement
* privacy and a supportive, respectful atmosphere
* the position of the baby - anterior is optimal
* calmness & confidence of the mother, as opposed to fear, tension, stress (e.g. if her social situation is stressful)
* general health of the mother, nutrition, fitness, other health issues or complications
* attitude of caregivers and supporters to birth and towards the birthing woman
* warmth
* dimmed lights (bright lights & cold can trigger stress hormones that inhibit labour progress)
* minimal interruptions and monitoring
* good sounds - music of choice and gentle voices, not thoughtless chatter or scary comments
I do think that it's worth checking out your "birth heritage" with mothers, grandmothers, aunties, cousins etc. If they could do it, it's encouraging for you - that you can walk in their steps too! But I think when it comes to the actual length of labour, there's too many other personal factors that are likely to over-ride any familial pattern.
That was the case with me, anyway. My mum had 4 babies in hospital and I had 3 at home, so our births were quite different. One thing was similar tho - she did it. And I did it. But we think mine were less traumatic because I had the luxury of giving birth in a nicer, more supportive environment. I won the record for the longest labour in three generations in my family with baby #1 (it was only 24 hours!?) but then I blasted the records again by having the quickest labour next time round: 3 hours.
LOL, this made me laugh because my mums labours we...well:
#1 DS, 7 hours in a nursing home
#2 DS, 8 hours in a bursing home
#3 DS, 6 hours at home
#1 DD, 93 hours at home (she just DID NOT want to come out!)
#4 DS, 30 minutes, emergency c-section, placenta praevia at 31 weeks
#2 DD, (ME!) no labour, elective c-section (no VBAC in those days, single-layer suture) at 38 weeks.
My labour was 14 hours 20 mins from waters breaking to birth but actually under 4hours if you count from when i was in "real" labour - before that was pre-labour even though my waters had gone.
Bec
My mum was in labour for 36hrs with me, ended in c-section
With my sister, her water broke at 34weeks, ended in emergency c-section
Me
DS#1 induced 10 days overdue laboured for 7hours,(emergency c-section fetal distress)
DS#2 pre labour 4 days, (c-section 38 weeks)
DS#3 spontaneous labour 9hrs (c-section 36 weeks)
Hmm I wished I took after mum. Well in some ways. Apart from her first labour, mum apparently has no labour pains. The only way she knows she is in labour is by the hardneing and softening of her stomach !!
Her first labour 36 hours, ended with epidural and forceps
2nd (me) 15 minutes
3rd 15 minutes
4th too fast - they stopped the lift to deliver him, but the cord was pulling him back, ended up emer c section.
My first 2 1/2 hours
Second nearly 2 hours
Third - c section
Forth - 10 hours
Number 5 better go back to being a nice quick labour for me.
My mother had 4 hour labours from beginning to end with all three of us. I was hoping for something similar but unfortunately had a 25 hour labour. I don't think there is much truth in it but maybe I'll have better luck next time!!
OK. You ready for this?
My mum: in labour with me for 32 hours in 1976
Me: in labour with my son 4 hours - start to finish - in February
Definitely not hereditary!!
My mum had two quick labours - 5hrs and 3hrs and 1 posterior baby with a long labour (40 hours).
I was the 5 hours labour and my labours were 8 hrs (but slowed down by epidural) and 3 hours.
My sis was the long labour and just had a 48 hr labour with posterior baby.
It seems hereditary in my family!
my mum never had a labour longer then 6 hous with all 6 of us kids!
meanwhile my first was 30hours!!!
My mum was in labour for 12 hours with her first but that ended in an emergency c/s. It was quite dreadful because she had had an x-ray saying her pelvis was too small & she would have a c/s but they wanted her to labour for a while so she didn't reject the baby - WT???? Then the other 3 were elective c/s.
My first labour was 36 hours from my first contraction, but around 25 hours in active labour before having an emergency c/s.
Mums first labour with my sis was 36 hours, then 28 with me.
My first labour was 10.5 hours.
My sister always had extremly long ones as well (20+) with all 3 of her kids.
It's hard to know if there is truth in that old wive's tale or not. I can't really compare, since my mother had a c-section with all 8 of us. Her mother delivered 7 naturally (haven't heard the story - should ask sometime!) Her one sister has 6 by c-section, and the other has two natural. (Labour under 10 hours, I think.)
My sister has two so far, with about 14 hours of hard labour, for each.
I have two so far, with about 7 hours of labour, each. (I have a much easier time than she does.)
I think they are figuring that you might be built like your mother, and so have a labour like hers. I am not built like my mother, but my sister is. (Which makes me wonder if c-section was necessary for my mom. That was 1980.) Anyways, I don't know if that helps you at all. Hope all goes well for you! :)