When I was pregnant and nearing my due-date with my first baby, I remember my mum telling me that chances were I would have a quick labour, as both of hers had been super quick and complication free.
And her predictions came through.
Being 12 days over my due-date, when I did go into labour with my little girl, from start to finish, meaning from my water broke in the middle of the night until she was born, only seven hours went by. When my little boy arrived three years later, it was much the same, execpt his entire birth lasted only four hours.
My sister, who has three little girls, also had super-quick and easy peasy labours, so I guess that how you give birth does indeed have a lot to do with genetics.
However, if you end up needing to be induced to speed things up,
research suggests that women who are induced, labour longer than women who aren't. Keeping in mind that there may be many reasons for needing to be induced, at the end of the day, all that matters is that all goes well and mum and baby is safe.
The good news? A study is in
progress to determine if melatonin pills can speed up labour after an induction – and the results so far are seriously impressive.
US mum Meagan James, 41, was expecting her second child and needed an induction due to gestational diabetes, 9News reports. After her induction — and a dose of melatonin pills — James' son Josh came into the world faster than she'd expected. "I was declared in labor at 10:15 am and he came out at 11 o'clock. It was quite a ride," she told 9News.
There is no denying that
Josh's speedy delivery is promising, but experts are keen to stress that it's too early to tell if the melatonin pills his mum took are the reason for his short arrival time.
Dr. Miranda Davies-Tuck is the lead researcher on this project. She says melatonin may help women who are induced have "shorter labours, maybe less painful labours." The reason for this being that
melatonin is a hormone like oxytocin, which stimulates uterine contractions. Research suggests that melatonin may enhance the effect of oxytocin on contractions, making the contractions more synchronised and powerful.
Note: You should always talk to your medical provider before taking any kind of supplement or medication during pregnancy or birth.
