To ask if there is any truth to this?

[mcjx]

I've had a shit and difficult pregnancy with lots of problems. Whenever anyone asks me how I've been coping, I tell them it's been the hardest few months ever and they say "difficult pregnancy equals an easy labour".

Is there actually any truth to this in any of your experiences? I'm genuinely intrigued

And I hope it is the case!

I had a horrendous pregnancy- sick every day for 8 months - then birth was 2 hours from first twinge to delivery, waters broke conveniently on bathroom floor, pain was totally manageable AND the minute he was born I didn’t feel sick any more!!

Labour is hard. No matter how your pregnancy is.

The harder the pregnancy, the more medical issues and you end up being consultant led, with less birth options available?

@SmileEachDay I bet you were relieved! I had terrible sickness until about 20 weeks. I wouldn't have been able to cope having it all the way through.

Glad to hear you had a good birth

I sincerely hope it's true for your sake OP! To be serious... I suspect it's an old wives tale trotted out regularly to cheer up new mums who are having a rubbish pregnancy.

I had a fairly easy pregnancy, and a fairly easy birth.

It worked for me. My pregnancies were both really hard and labours both easy.

@LEDadjacent gosh I'm hoping that's true in my case

@AlpacaLypse me too, lol. I'd have loved an easy pregnancy, it isn't anything like i thought it would be to be honest

My pregnancies were both easy. First birth was horrendous, second birth was easy.
Bad pregnancy doesn't always mean easy labour and good pregnancies don't always mean difficult labour.
You just have to wait and see.

I had an easy pregnancy and hard labour!

it's an old wives tale trotted out regularly to cheer up new mums who are having a rubbish pregnancy.

This. Of course there isn't, OP. It's on the level of people who think you carry boys or girls differently so you can tell from your bump height or shape, or that pregnancy heartburn means a baby with lots of hair. Sorry you've had a miserable time, and ignore about 98% of things people say to you during pregnancy -- it seems to be a time when otherwise comparatively rational people go into full on old wives' tales/something I read on the internet mode.

You might also just want to start saying 'Oh, all right' and changing the subject when you get asked how you are. It tends to cut down on the tales of haemorrhoids the size of a bunch of grapes, or orgasmic waterbirths following on months of vomiting and SPD.

2 super easy pregnancies and 2 super easy and quick births for me 🤷🏻‍♀️

@SnowyAlpsandPeaks I am envious!

A really easy pregnancy, got to 28 weeks and had to have him out due to many issues. Easy pregnancy with a shit start to his life!

I too had an easy pregnancy, followed by 5 days of labour pains and evmergency c/section.

Hmmmm probably an old wives tale, but I had a really easy pregnancy with dc1 and quite a tricky birth. Slightly harder pregnancy with dc2 and easier birth, (though it was an ELCS, which happened to go swimmingly).

I had a horrendous pregnancy so giving birth was wonderful because it meant it was all over!

Easy pregnancy and easy labour equals...

Baby who doesn’t sleep until they’re a university student.
😆

Easy pregnancy easy birth no sickness labour was 2 hours just gas n air! 1st and only child.🤷‍♀️

I bet you were relieved!
I was almost as pleased to not feel sick as I was about new baby 😂😂

He didn’t sleep for a year though, so...

First pregnancy was easy, no sickness or issues, gave birth in 4 hours with no pain relief.

Second pregnancy was horrendous and I was sick daily for 7 months, labour was 14 hours and ended in emergency C Section.

Please don't set your heart on an easy labour, it really, really doesn't work like that and thinking it will may set you up for some very difficult feelings if things don't go well.

I had a horrendous pregnancy so giving birth was wonderful because it meant it was all over!

This! Was so fed up by the time I went into labour that even a relatively long and painful labour was welcome!

I don’t think there’s any correlation. Just something people say, it will be true for some but not others.

Nope. Not true.

I'm a midwife.

I’ve definitely heard people say irl that their labour was better than pregnancy, so in that way, maybe your perception of it is different if you’ve had a difficult pregnancy.