does your mother's experience of childbirth have any hereditary impact on your own?

[elportodelgato]

I ask as it sounds like my mum had a hell of a time when I was born and I really don't want to go through the same thing with my first!

I know a lot of the birth experience is down to the treatment you receive / decisions made by your midwives / doctors but is there any correlation between a mother's experience of birth and her daughters?

Come to that - is there any correlation between a mother's experience of pregnancy as well? My mum keeps saying "well I felt like xxxx when i was pregnant so I expect you will too" but actually I have had lots of side effects which she never experienced and vice versa.

Possibly this is just me wanting to have my OWN experience and not replicate hers, but perhaps people have examples they can share?

Thanks!

Not here.
My Mum hated chilbirth. I found it OK. Actually I sort of enjoyed it.
She had normal morning sickness, I had hyperemesis.
I'm sure you'll get a birth experience that's entirely your own!

Well, she was sick every day for seven months, and - whaddaya know, so was I.

I think it did in a subtle sort of way. She had me at the very last gasp of the 60s, laboured alone, on her back in a hospital bed. She said it was bloody awful. [didn't talk to me about it until after ds was born]. When trying to decide whether to vbac or ecs with dd, she said that if she'd had the choice, she'd go for the cs. So, I think that influenced me a bit,

"Like shelling peas" she said.

Pretty much my own experience too, I have to say - thankfully!

i was breech and my mum had to have a c-section although tried for a vaginal birth first - think it was all a bit traumatic for her. She had a long labour and heamorraged with my sister.. and she had morning sickness much wors.
i had hypermesis too (isn't it awful thursday?!) but have had one homebirth, it was a long labour but was a v positive experience. I remember asking my mw if there was any correlation between your mum's experience and your own and she didn't think so (and laughed!).
Do think my mum had babies at a time when you just did what the doctors told you, i think we are maybe a bit more empowered these days.. well i felt i was

I didn't have the same pregnancy as my Mum. I did everything I could to avoid her birth experience with me - she was induced and strapped on her back even though I was OP and it was the worst position to be in. I went into labour spontaneously and worked really hard to have an active labour. Sadly, both of us ended up with instrument deliveries and long recoveries.
I don't think that my experience is universal though. For most women, an active labour would make a difference. My lovely new MW thinks that the women in my family have anatomy that results in persistant OP because 95% of OP babies turn, and being active/correct positioning increases the chances even further.
If I were you, I would find out exactly how things went wrong with your Mum's birth experiences, and then you can put yourself in the best position to avoid going through the same thing.
PS Don't want to be cheeky and ask your age, but if you were born in the 60s or early 70s then the chances are that your Mum was shaved, given an enema, strapped to a bed with only pethidine for pain relief and given a routine episiotomy, which isn't exactly a recipe for a good birth experience.

As a midwife, it is useful to ask about the pregnancy and birth experiences of mothers and sisters. Some things do seem to be recurring in some families - but it is more to do with keeping an extra eye out for any problems so that they can be recognised and dealt with sooner rather than later. For example - hyperemesis and very quick labours run in my family, and I was glad I was aware of that, as it probably saved me from giving birth on the hall floor!

My mum had pre-eclampsia and as such I've been watched more closely for it, I also have placental issues but that's the pregnancy not the actual labour.

Not many similarities with me and my mum, except we both oput on 4 stone and both went 2 weeks + over dates with first baby.A after that the similarity ends:

My mum: Induction got things moving for my mum and after a long delivery with epidural, forceps + episiotomy she managed to give birth vaginally. She never speaks negatively about my birth. She says it was fairly hard work but not traumatic and she recovered quickly and was one of those lucky women who was back in her size 10s and up and out with a smile on her face within weeks of my birth. She also breastfed easily. She reckons the fact that they kept women in hospital for a lot longer in those days contributed greatly towards her feeling so good about everything. She was in for 8 days after a normal vaginal delivery and had loads of support from the midwives.

Me: Induction failed, c-section, horrible experience in hospital with shit after care, poor follow-up care at home after birth and bad advice from health professionals. Never got the hang of breastfeeding. Got PND. Found it very hard to shift the weight.

Thank God for my mum, though, as she got me through the hardest times and never assumed that she knew how I felt.

A little maybe. My Mum had us all between 10 and 20 days early I had my children slightly early too.

My mother had two premature babies, both forceps. I had absoltely no problems - full term deliveries and natural births - very different to my mother's experiences.

Having said that, I had awful morning sickness and she didn't have it so badly.

thanks all, this is very reassuring.

MrsTittleMouse you are right, I was born in the 70s and by all accounts my mum could have had a normal active birth if allowed to, but instead ended up flat on her back, given an epi which slowed everything right down and resulted in me being born by ventouse. The whole thing took 36 hours as well which i def would like to avoid if poss!

From my experience of my MW care so far I am sure that I will have many more choices than she did which will hopefully mean I can have a more active and less medicalised birth. Plus I am much more mouthy and clued up than she was when she had me which will help I am sure! However, she also went many many days overdue - much further than they would let you go nowadays - so I am prepping myself for almost certainly being induced.

My 3 pregnancies have been the same as my Mum's three pregnancies, i'm due db3 any time from now. All births have been the same - quick, no tears, minimum pain relief. Mum had a footling breech delivery vaginally too....all pregnancies easy, not sicky or anything.

Good genetics here i think, thankfully for me!

My mum had hyperemesis with both her pregnancies as did I. My brother was late - i was 2 weeks early (and pushy ever since she used to say) My 1st was 13 days over and who knows whats going to happen with my 2nd. I know I was breech and I am pretty sure she gave birth naturally. But thats all I know - sadly she died 10 years ago and at 23 babies weren't on the cards - I'd only just met my now husband and never thought to ask her about babies and childbirth - my dad can't remember - typical man of his generation I suppose, plus he says 33 yrs is a long time ago!

I think you may have some similarities to your mums experience - but I wouldn't focus on it - if you go into childbirth thinking it will be a wonderful magical experience - it generally is - if you think its going to be the worst experience of your life - you know it just might.

Debs

My mum had no sickness and very short (but painful) labour, I was sick as a dog and had a textbook labour which i actually quite enjoyed.

I was just discussing this yesterday.

I was induced via a drip which they started at 9.30 am. My birthing partner was making their way over that morning and my mum told them to go as early as possible because my baby would be born before mid-day. Baby arrived 11.50 am. Its too late to ask mum now but I wondered if maybe she had very short labours.

I think the actual labour is a very individual experience as is most of the pregnancy certainly in our family.

Mum had me 4 weeks early, every pain relief available, not too long, ended in forceps delivery no morning sickness but had pre-eclampsia

Me sick as a dog every day from 7th week other than that exceptionally healthy, 1 week 2 days late, 20 hours in labour but natural birth with just gas and air

couldn't be much more different!

novice, my mum also says that she thinks it would have been very helpful if my dad or another birthing partner could have been present in childbirth. She didn't feel anyone was on 'her side', and as you say flat on your back deliveries were normal, where as I was encouraged to find comfortable, active positions.
I think there are lots of reasons why our experiences may be different from our mothers. Pain relief is also loads better if you need it!

i think the only thing me and my mum shared was pretty good & fastish labours for a first time and each time our waters ahd to be artifically broken, other than that not the same at all lol!!!

mu Mum thought I made a "bit of a fuss" with DS1 (was born by forceps 30 hours after induction) as she popped her 6 out all pretty easily (or so she told me - I think they forget )

My second and third labours were fairly straighforward but I'm sure that was just chance. I'm not sure that we inherit ways of giving birth really

My mum nearly died when she had me (pre eclampsia at the last minute and massive hemorrhage during labour) and then had a very difficult time in labour with no pain relief at all and a drip to speed things up. I don't know if I've ever heard a worse birth story than hers, and I've read a lot lately! Heh. She has also said that it was so bad if she had had a knife she would have cut her throat just to stop the pain.

So, needless to say, I'm REALLY looking forward to the birth of my first baby this summer It's very hard to not be influenced by what she says about her experience having me, and remind myself that although P.E can run in families, for the most part this is my pregnancy and will likely be different to hers.
I try to remind myself of that, but secretly I'm terrified...

Nope:

My Grandma - very quick labours after induction for pre-eclampsia (35, 34, 36 weeks)
My mum - easy pregnancies, unmedicated homebirths (one direct OP) (42, 40, 42 weeks)
Me - high risk pregnancies (PROM, placental abruption, APS), c-sections (35, 38 weeks)

my mum had two quite horrific births (both my brothers were christened in hospital because they thought they weren't going to survive, my eldest brother was really ill and needed an op immediately,and then a very easy third labour and birth with me.

I have had very normal labours, dd was born 2 days after her due date after a fairly short first labour, ds was born at home without any problems, I would say easy compared to most people I know, but I think I got better care than my mother did,(the doctor who gave her the episiotomy (sp) was a drunken butcher according to my mum).

I don't think heredity impacts on labour.

My mum's waters broke with her first then out the baby popped, bum first, 12 hours later. Second baby much the same but head first and a bit quicker. Two episiotomies, but that was just routine in the seventies.

My sisters waters broke then 12 hours or so later her dd was born normally. Second one 6 hours or so, third one 4 hours.

My first, 5 hours of established labour. Normal birth. Second, 2 hours of established labour normal birth. So yes all normal and problem free (well apart from awkward old me being breech) but not such a major similarity that you would think it was definately a family trend.

She had terrible times I did not. BUT I did get terrible pain immediately afterwards which is hereditary, so do check that out!