What's your blood type and what was labour like?

[RetroHippy]

At my 25 week check today the mw commented that I am A+ and it was a good blood type as in her personal experience A+ves have quick labours.

She was referring to her experience on the wards, just wondering what your experiences are and if they back up her findings? I'm intrigued!

I really don't see how the two could possibly be connected! She was probably just trying to make you feel positive about the labour.

For the record though, I'm A-ve and birth was textbook. Not sure I'd say it was easy though. It's called labour for a reason.

O
Hideous

(Great name for a musical!)

I personally think your mw was spouting bollocks. Bollocks to give you confidence and take away any fears, but bollocks nonetheless.

In my experience those with A pos blood group do tend to have straightforward quick labours, obviously not everyone but it's a widely repeated theory and does seem to bear out in practice. It's not evidence based as far as I know and I probably wouldn't say anything to a woman based upon it but amongst my colleagues when chatting in response to 'she laboured really fast' the response 'A pos?' Is often heard!

After I gave birth to Dd midwife said its a shame you are resus negative as they tend to have long labours.

Oh interesting - although I can't see how this would work.
I'm A+
From first twinge to birth:

Labour 1: 12 hours
Labour 2: 5 hours
Labour 3: 5 hours

All pretty easy including twins
Realise this proves nothing at all!

I'm A+ and had a great labour it was pretty long though - 35 hours from start to finish and 2 hours of pushing.

A+

Long (3 days) but not too painful

Sorry, I'm A+ and my labour was long, painful, and ended with diamorphine, epidural and forceps delivery... But I guess I could just be the exception!

I don't think she was trying to allay fears, I'd gone in very chirpy as I'm really enjoying pregnancy and hadn't mentioned labour at all. I do think it was a genuine observation and it's interesting to hear it backed up by other hcps.

No idea how It would work, but I guess I'll let you know how the theory holds up come January!

0-
Horrendous

Im o- had a very long Labour but think blood type has bugger all to do with it.

O+
Hideous

A+ too - first labour, back to back, 49 hours, ventouse delivery.

Second labour - just couldn't get going. Overdue by 2 weeks, 3 days in hospital with various methods of trying to start it & then in day 3, the drip was put in to get it going - started, but baby was distressed, so emergency c-section under general anaesthetic as the epidural didn't work.

Think my pelvis is not cut out for quick, straightforward labours.

A-. Ghastly.

Ooooh I'm AB+! Does that count?

A+ labour for 2 hours and 19 mins...

A+
3 quick textbook births/ pregnancies.7 hr labour, 2 hr labour and with dc3 waters were broke in hospital and he appeared twenty mins later. Ouch.
no stitches or problems. Never thought about it being connected to blood group.

AB-

Told by MW "well, this might cause some drama if you need bloods"

Thanks!

Awful birth - stopped cxns at 4cm, drip, epidural, prepped for csec, forceps and episiotemy. Oh and I had Group B Strep too was on iv antib's every four hours.

Crazy theory, don't see how it could be true?

I am A+

Labour 1: long, painful, hard and stop-starty - 30 hours from waters breaking to birth - pretty easy pushing stage only 30 mins - entirely straightforward however, at home, no pain relief, no tears etc.

Labour 2: like a steam train, 5 hours from first twinge to birth, at home, entirely straightforward, a small tear no stitches

Good recovery both times, up and about same day

O- Horrific

And its interesting as the other O's mentioned above seem similar!

I'm A+ too. My waters broke on the Monday....labour lasted until the early hours of the following Saturday morning.

Sorry!

I am A+ and had two quick labours and am hoping for a third...

BUT

This theory cannot be based on anything physiological! Perhaps it is much more likely to be due to the fact that around 30% of the population are this blood group therefore a lot of the straightforward deliveries that midwives see will be from women who are A+

But it's definitely a good 'old wives tale!'

A- and had four relatively short labours with no stitches. From first twinge to baby was;
Dc1 - 5 hours
Dc2 - 7 hours
Dc3 - 4.5 hours
Dc4 (induced) - 9 hours

I was up and about pretty quick with the first three, not so quick with dc4 but that was to do with having four kids under 5 rather than the birth. I was home the same day with DCs 1,3&4 and the next day with dc2 as I had to wait for his blood group to come back incase I needed antiD.

I've never heard about blood group being linked to ease of labour but I was told that third babies tend to be awkward to evict which was true for me as dc3 is the only one I went overdue with and the pushing stage lasted 30 minutes which was twice as long as dc1 & 2 combined.

Funnily enough I was chatting to my friends sister about her labour and she is also AB- and our labours were almost identical.