"Oh you will have an easier birth then"

[ollieplimsoles]

I'm just over 20 weeks pregnant with my first DC. I've had a pretty difficult pregnancy so far- really horrendous sickness, acid reflux and I just started getting pgp and have been referred for physio.

Lots of ladies (normally older ones like mum and gran's age) have told me that a difficult pregnancy= an easy birth. Now midwives who skim my notes and see I've been having a rough time have started telling me "You'll find the birth so much easier" and "Women who suffer through pregnancy are usually pleasantly surprised at how easy labour is".

A friend gave birth last year, she had a terrible pregnancy but a very traumatic birth- I wonder if they said the same thing to her??

Still, AIBU to think this might be something to hold on to in the run up to labour? !

Obviously it's complete chance, but I had a horrendous, awful pregnancy, hospitalised throwing up blood multiple times, on a drip for days at points, all sorts of anti sickness tablets and injections, then had a very easy labour, 16 hours, just pain not anything unbearable, didn't need any pain relief.

Might be that the more pain you go through during the pregnancy, the more your bodies toughened up to cope with the labour in a way?

I'm sure that I read somewhere that a miserable pregnancy is often due to an over abundance of hormones, which in turn can make the labour easier.

Good luck OP!

KnitFastDieWarm I could have written your post! I felt exactly the same, my sickness only started easing off at 16 weeks. I despise being sick- the feeling of it coming up just makes me even more sick. So I found it extra hard, but I was always cheerful!

My DH has also been amazing, I have never lent on him so much in our whole 7 years together. Glad you are getting on ok despite feeling rough.

I think they were just trying to make me feel better tbh! but been so ill has given me a bit of a 'bring it on!' attitude towards labour haha!

First pregnancy, pregnant first month, easy pregnancy, hard labour, slow recovery, easy baby.
second pregnancy, fertility treatment, horrific pregnancy, easy labour and one easy baby and one not so easy baby!
good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!