Your mother's labour - is it true?

[Lemondrop09]

Is there any truth in the tale that your labour is likely to reflect your mother's? Obviously they won't be identical, and you might have complication etc. But for example, my mum was in the delivery room for just 2.5hrs with my brother and only 20 minutes with me!!! People keep telling me I'll probably have a quick labour. I was wondering if there's really any truth in that? Much as I'd welcome a quick labour, I'd also like pain control (probably an epidural) and I'm worried it'll happen so fast that I won't have time for pain relief

Not for me. DM had a planned c-section with me and was induced with my brother. I had three long, but spontaneous labours.

But my SIL had four fast labours, just as her mother did.

I had an emcs, after a long labour, my mother had 4 elective sections, my sister had 3

Nope. My mum had me in three hours.
I had 17.5hrs of established labour with my first.
Mind you I was under 7lbs and my daughter was 10lbs!!

Definitely not. My mum had very long difficult labours and I was done and dusted on both mine, from start to finish with eight hours.

Definitely not true for me, 2 hrs start to finish for DM 66hrs start to finish with me! Midwives thought my mum would be a lot longer but labour progressed loads faster and they had left her to it, DF ended up delivering me!!!!!

Nope. Mum had my brother in a hospital corridor and me in the car park.

I had a latent labour, with 3 days established and got an emergency section.

Not true for me either, thank god. My mum was about 36 hours with each of us, my son was out in 8.

Not for me
DM shelled me and Dsis like peas despot DSis being 9lb10oz.
DSis had an elective C section due to breech baby, I had EMCS.

In my case, it is true.

My poor mother had a horrific labour in the 70s. Thank goodness for epidurals when I was in labour.

Our labours were lengthy (both around the same length) and we had very similar complications, from which we both could have died.

She was so traumatised that she had no more children. I only went ahead with subsequent pregnancies after reassurance from my doctor that I would have c- sections.

I had a quick labour like my mother. My sister has a long labour.

Yes
For me & my sister

I have often wondered this. There's hardly a baby in our family who was born after 36 weeks.

My mum has me and DTS at 33 weeks in a painless birth. Still waiting for LO at 39 weeks

My mum had quick labours. So do I!

My mum had two very quick labours, but had to be induced with me. I had two very long (incredibly painful) labours, one culminating in a ventouse. My sister had an emergency cesarean and then a fairly straightforward vbac.

I think that there's no possible way of knowing and you just have to go with the labour you get.

My mother had a five hour labour with me but I was in labour for 60 + hours and ended up with emcs as I wasn't progressing enough

No not at all. DM had one 'hellish' v long labour with retained placenta, 16 days late etc, and one c section. I did go overdue like she did, 11 days, but was induced - 12 hours to get to 2 cm, then baby born 40 mins later. Very very very quick. Next one will be a c section, so that part is the same .

My mum died 9 years before I had DD but this much I know

• I was 14 days overdue
• they nearly had to (and I quote) "jump on your mum to get you out"

DD went to 42w and after three days of the induction failing I ended up with a CS.

So I'll tentatively say for me - yes.

Not for me, my DM had quick natural deliveries and I had 4 c-sections!

Yes, almost to the letter. We both developed high BP in pregnancy and were induced. Both inductions didn't go to plan - Mum's didn't get going, mine got going too fast. Both babies went into distress and needed intervention to be born.

Mum had an EMCS, I was prepped for one but they managed to get DD out with a ventouse at the last minute.

I dont believe my mum's story about my birth. She said she coughed me out whilst watching Victoria wood on the postnatal ward. I was early and she was already there for complications due to high blood pressure. In the next breath she'll remind me that birth is like shitting a football, that my dad never did get over the bite mark to his hand and that she had something like 100 stitches for internal and external tearing.

Not true for me.
Mum had 3 c sections.
I've had 2 vaginal births, first in birthing unit and second at home, so quite far from the medicalised births my mum had.

Nope. Quick and natural for dm. CSs for me.

Nothing like in our family - my mother (admittedly after several losses) had us at 35 and 36/40 with a "simple" induction (albeit 2nd stage complications); I went to 42/40 and failed inductions with both of mine; my sister went into labour near term x2, but also ended up with sections.

My mum had 3 planned c sections (I was breech so she had no choice with me. Then with her next 2 she chose to have c sections.
She even said I should have asked for one instead of having a vaginal birth.
I wanted as natural a birth as possible, no epidural. I used my tens machine as long as possible, then the birth ball and birth pool. Gas and air made me feel really sick so didn't use it after the initial tries. I did end up having a pethadine injection as I'd been in labour for 4 days and was at the point of physical exhaustion.
But my mum couldn't understand why I didn't want a c section instead.