Do early/late babies run in the family?

[purplesquares]

...and if so, is it the mother or father's side? My mum was 2 weeks late with me and my brother whereas my husband (only child) was born 3 weeks early. I know it's impossible to do predict when your baby will be born but I'd love to try to guess! Does anyone have any ideas based on my/my husband's family history?

My mum was 3 weeks late with me (ended up c section as I was breech), 2 weeks late and induction with sister 1 week late with brother, due date with brother and 2 weeks late with other brother. My sister was 2 weeks late and induced with her first and 11 days late with her second.

I therefore predicted I'd be late and looked forward to the couple of weeks pre-baby maternity leave I'd booked. DS arrive 2.5 weeks early, before my mat leave had even started!

My mum was a week- 2 weeks early with voth me and my brother. Dh's mum was overdue with all hers. I went nearly two weeks over my due date with both my dds.

My sister's DD was born 3 weeks early, mine was nearly 2 weeks late, I think it's one of those things that's just impossible to predict,l.

My mum and gran both had late babies and I had one late baby then 2 emergency sections.

I don't think there is any correlation to be honest. And even if there is, there are too many exceptions for it to be anyway meaningful.

I was born 3 weeks late. My first was 10 days early, second 1 week late and third on her due date.

My midwife said there is a link on the mother’s side. We have a lot of 42-week babies in my family.

I had my two daughters 5 & 6 weeks earlier and my mum had my sister 3 weeks early, me 5 weeks early, my brother when she was 28 weeks gone and my sister at 31 weeks. My midwife told me they do find that women go earlier if they're born earlier themselves but she was an older midwife who I think followed all the "old wives tales" x

This research paper suggests that it does run in the family, on both father’s and mother’s side: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16582127/

I heard that it was your MIL that influenced it rather than your mother - can't remember where now.

My mum had 3 premature labours but they were all for specific, different and non-hereditary reasons, whereas DH and his siblings were all born within a day or two of their due date. I'm kind of expecting to be late as all my friends have been.

Nearly all the babies on my mother's side were at least a week late, with my brother being the standout - induced at 43 weeks!

My DS was 8 days overdue.

All MIL's babies were a couple of weeks early. DM had a C-section with me after going into labour on her due date, and was induced a couple of days early with my sibling. Between me & all my SILs on both sides of the family we have 14 children, and only one of them was born after their due date - my DC2 who was five days late. The rest were between two weeks early and bang on their due date.

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like there is a correlation for some people, not for others? Or maybe it's all just fluke? I guess I just need to be patient...but that's hard when I'm normally such a control freak hehe

My ME said there was nothing in it, but no woman in my family has carried a baby past 39 weeks, usually closer to 36.

MW not ME

My mum had me 3 weeks early followed by my two brothers who were 2 weeks late

MIL had 2 boys who were both over due.

I guess it was no surprise that my 2 DSs were 2 weeks late.

However, my SIL was 3 weeks early with both of hers. (1 boy, 1 girl)

My mum lost a baby before me due to early labour. I was born 10 weeks early, 1 sis was 6 weeks early and the other was 1 week early, my brother was 5 weeks early. My OH and siblings were all late

DS1 was 6 weeks early (not my partners and DS2 was 3 days late and would've been later had I not been induced. Pregnant with no3 and could go either way

On my mums side all our babies are early mine included. All born between 34-37 weeks. My cousins baby at 24 weeks

My dp was born 6 weeks early and my ds was 5 weeks early. No idea of it's coincidence or related