Q: My mother had a very difficult time delivering both of her children. She was in labor for many hours. Should I assume that this will be the same for me?
Answer from Dr. Larry L. Veltman, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center: It is somewhat difficult to relate the course of labor and delivery to heredity. Obstetrics is practiced differently today than it was 20 or 25 years ago. Today, obstetric anesthesia is practiced differently, epidural anesthesia is used more frequently, and C-sections are more common.
There may be structural similarities between a mother and her daughter, but there are other factors besides the size of the pelvis that determine whether the baby is going to have an easy delivery. Among them are the size and position of that particular baby, and the mother’s condition as she goes into labor. Is she exhausted after a night of false labor? Is she fresh and going into labor after a night of good sleep? Is she in good physical shape? Is her nutrition and hydration appropriate? All of this may make a difference in the progress of labor.
There is no strong evidence that shows that if your mother had a particular problem that you will have the same problem during pregnancy or delivery. Neither is it safe to assume that you will have an easy pregnancy or delivery because your mother did.
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Last updated: July 2003
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