Is your labour time related to your mothers labour times? - Page 2

[gitanamama]

I had a very similar labor experience to my moms' (fast and relatively easy...if easy is a word that can be used to describe labor :)  )

I wonder if some of it has to do with internalizing her "attitude" about birth-- if that makes sense. My mom always portrayed labor as almost pleasant...she never imparted any fear to me. I went into my own birth experience totally fearless and open to whatever it would be, and I think that helped me manage the pain and relax, making it a fast birth (I was shopping at the grocery store at 12:30 pm and DS was born at 3:09.)

Just a thought....

[ciga]

Originally Posted by Just1More 

My midwife says that women tend to labor more like their sisters, than like their mother.

 This was much more true for me. My mom had short labors. Her first was ~6hrs and the other 4 were even shorter.  My sister and I both had very long hard labors at 30hr and 23hr respectively.  I was expecting short easy labors like my mom but...

[treehugz]

Yes, my labors were similar to my mothers'... not to my sisters' though.  My mother delivered all 4 of us very quickly... my older sister was born at home because they couldn't get out of the house quick enough.  I was delivered in the hospital elevator with a nurse.  My first labor was under 4 hours... I didn't know I was in labor till probably 1-2 hours into it, so really more like 2-3 hours.  My second was 1 1/2 hours or so.  They were extremely intense, but over quickly.  My sister had 3 breech with c-section. 

[LiLStar]

I have no sisters to compare to. My mom was induced 3 weeks late with my brother and ended up with a cesarean. He was OP. I don't know how long she labored but I imagine it was a good while, considering they weren't so eager to cut for FTP in the 70s. She had 4 repeat cesareans. A vbac might have been on the table except with her 2nd baby she had guillian barre syndrome during pregnancy and they took that baby via cesarean about 3 weeks early. All classical surgeries. Actually, now I think of it, I have no idea if the uterine scar matches the skin scar. they very well may have done low transverse cuts on her uterus. I should ask my mom if she knows for sure one way or the other, and if all classical, if she is assuming, or genuinely knows. Hmm.. 

As for me, my mom only had one labor, and I always figured I was doomed to go to 42 weeks + and psyched myself out for that. I assumed that since I was opting out of the medical model and had midwife and doula care and was at home listening to my body and all that, that I would have vaginal births. I ended up with spontaneous labor at 38+4 with my first, an OP, asynclitic baby, a nice long labor and a cesarean. My 2nd & 3rd babies were HBACs. 39+5 weeks 15 hour labor (but only about 10 was active) and a 6 hour labor at 41 weeks. there was no early labor with that one! I guess the only thing I "inherited" from my mom is nice big babies. I wouldn't mind a nice 7lb baby...13.5" head.. perfect anterior position, tucked head, arms down away from the face.. that'd be lovely! (the midwife probably wouldn't make it! lol)

[monkeyscience]

Hard to say. I've only had one and my mom had 5. I know her first was about 31 hours of labor (no idea what she was counting as "labor", though), ending in a forceps delivery. My first was about 26 hours from first contraction to delivery (about 6.5 hours from arriving at birth center to delivery - not sure what to define as "active" labor). I know my mom's subsequent labors were shorter, but not sure by exactly how much. I know I am her second baby, and she said I delivered myself. She woke up around 5 AM with contractions, and I was born before 11 AM. I will say my mom said she had back labor with all of her babies, and I had back labor, too, despite my baby being anterior the whole time.

I have no sisters to compare to, either.

[Quinalla]

My Mom had ~24 hour labor with me (her first) and each got a bit shorter as they went. I had a ~6 hour labor, so nope not really all that similar! My Mom did not have any drugs for her first 3 births, she did try and epi for her 4th birth, so I think pain-wise they were probably similar as she seemed to think it wasn't that bad. Mine was intense being so short, but except for a few moments in transition, I didn't think about pain meds.