My worst labor and delivery was at 24, best at 43. So there! Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!

Oh Nursey Poo, this falls into the category of “There May Be An Element Of Truth To This Comment But Why The Hell Would You Say It To Someone Who’s Been In Labor For Five Days, You Jerk?” Remember when they talked in your nursing school classes about bedside manner? Yeah, dismissing your patients’ difficult labor with a tidy diagnosis of “it was all caused by advanced maternal age” (which, FYI, isn’t even your job) is basically the definition of poor bedside manner.

Way to generalize! I think your labor, delivery and healing depend on the person. I had an easier delivery/recovery at 36 than many of my friends had in their 20′s. Each person/case is unique.

I had first at 22 and second at 39. Both were natural births, but I chalked up the bigger fight for the second one to changed attitudes from 17 years ago instead of AMA. It helps that my prenatal care was done by a nurse midwife who didn’t have those kinds of prejudices, but the OB who wound up attending me when she wasn’t available was totally freaking out that I wanted to go natural and gave me every argument against it. But now that I think about it, I think she did break out the “but you’re so much older now, you can’t base this delivery on your first one” argument.

Does anyone know, is this comment in any way based on something resembling fact?
OP, you are brave, and a trooper. 5 day of sticking it out. Many 22 years olds aren’t that determined.

We have so many examples in Thoughtful Thursdays of GOOD things to say to a mother while you’re opening up her abdominal cavity. This doc could have a look-see at them.

It’s true that my baby at 39 years old was in OP and wouldn’t turn so was born OP, she was bigger by over a lb too than #1. My body has changed, I’ve had 7 babies. However, I would not say it was harder than my first born at 26 years. In fact, it was quite similar. My firstborn was OP also, and turned when the OB moved him. I had one stitch with #1. With #7 I tore but didn’t have a stitch due to the midwife choice…tore in the same spot though. I pushed for about the same time. Recoverey was a bit harder with #7, but I pushed VERY hard and my stomach was sore, and the muscles are no longer together. So it’s not so much age as it is that I have had many babies before. Also, with fears of bleeding with a grand multipara, I was very much pushed on by the nurses (much harder than the first several babies) and this postpartum care hurts. I think they may have bruised me, and that made for difficulty sitting up for a few days. Othe than that, recovery wasn’t worse. I would say birth was about the same, recovery a little harder. My easiest birth by far was #3 at the age of 30. My most enjoyable was likely #7 because I had a midwife. Hardest emotionally was #6 because I had a nurse bent on keeping me on the monitor and in bed…and doing cervical checks every 20 minutes. Then she had me pushing for an hour an 1/2 with no urge. Baby was OP all along. My recovery was worse with all that extra pushing too. I was 37 then…but by 39 with a midwife, even still OP…it was better.

Labor for FIVE DAYS? My God that woman deserves some sort of major, lifetime, amazing, unimaginably great prize. Five DAYS????

I agree with Dianne. I know we don’t give out medals (Jane) put seriously. Five days?! I don’t think I could do that.

If my labour had been any easier when I was 35, my daughter would have shot out like a cannon ball while I was watching TV.