I've recently realized that my family tends to have quick labors. I say that because I always knew the amount of time my mom spent at the hospital etc. I just didn't know how long most people spent there.
My mom's first baby was born three and a half hours after her water broke. She didn't know she was in labor before then. Her second baby was born before my dad could make it to the hospital and I was born after 5-7 contractions. I must say, my mom is a bit of a superwoman because my youngest brother was born breech without any pain medication. Yeah, she rocks.
My sister went to her routine appointment at 37 weeks and found out she was dilated to a six already, didn't even know she was in labor and proceeded to dilate and have the baby a few hours later. Yes, it's true. *Don't read the above as painless. She did eventually have lots and lots of pain.
I don't know exactly what my expectation should be, but I have heard that labor length is somewhat genetic. I'm actually thrilled to hear this. I've heard it's more painful to be quick but it sounds nice to be done in a few hours. Maybe I'm just an impatient dork, but for what it's worth, I am now looking forward to seeing what happens. Just 16 weeks to go!
I start Bradley birthing classes on Tuesday. I'm a bit nervous but mostly excited. We have to attend two classes each week for three weeks so we can fit them all in before going back to Chicago. It will definitely be worth it.
