How did you go into labour ?

[Firstpregnancy2014]

I'm nowhere near that stage yet .. Just interested!
I'm 26 weeks with first baby, I'm working until the week before I'm due and everyone's said I'll be fine as first baby's are 'always late' so please tell me some stories !

[waceystills]

Contractions started the day before DD's due date, gave birth 4 days later (long latent phase).

I wanted a bit of time off before baby arrived so I finished work 4 weeks before due date, so it depends if you fancy doing that or not I suppose. The closer to your due date you work, the more time you have with your baby before you go back to work.

I was bloody uncomfortable by the end, I was glad I was not at work for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy.

Good luck!

[sillymillyb]

I woke at 5am on my due date and went to the loo where there was blood when I wiped. I had had many bleeds throughout my pregnancy, so was a bit blase, but called the hospital and said I would wander in when I had had a shower.

I was going to drive myself to the hospital, but just felt a bit weird, so i waited till 6am with period pain type things and called my mum to see if she could take me in. By time she arrived half an hour later I was on all fours and couldn't stand easily.

I arrived at the hospital, and they didn't believe I was in labour as I had called just before arrival and was totally fine. I stripped off naked in the examination room and the midwife laughed at me (I didn't know what I was doing at this point!) but when she examined me I was at 10cm.

Ds was born by 9am!

[Eatscones]

For me I was 40+6 when I felt first real contractions but they were every 15 mins or so. They continued like that for over 24 hours. Couldn't sleep, just in pain wondering how I'd be able to cope when 'real labour' began! Finally they started coming closer together. I didn't want to head to hospital and be sent home so I kept holding off til my mom urged me to go in (all her labours were super quick ...1 1/2 hrs was her longest, 20 mins for me coming out start to finish!) Anyhow I did go in and it was another 4 hrs before my waters broke and then another 8hrs til DD arrived, but just got in the zone and did what needed done :) Not looking forward to another drawn out labour so hoping DC2 will come quicker! (I'm now 36 +5 and getting excited to meet this lil one!!)

[Frizz1986]

I finished work at 36+5 having brought it forward from dead on 37 weeks. My first so i was sure i would go over.
Pm at 37 weeks i got uncomfortable but nothing major. Kept getting pains here and there but assumed braxton hicks as still so early.
Felt uncomfortable with on and off pains the next 3 days.
Day 3 i lost my plug but again this wasn't it was it?
No sleep and lots of pacing, rocking and heavy breathing overnight. Ctx all over the place so still thinking braxton hicks.
9am day 4 (37+4) waters went and ctx hit me like a tonne of bricks.
Went to mlu and already 6cm! 1hr50 mins from waters going my baby had arrived (2.5 weeks early)
I wouldnt rely on statistics and just do what your body tells you.
In my nct group of 8 (all first babies) One was 4.5 weeks early, one was 3.5 weeks early, one was 2.5 weeks early, one was 2 weeks early, one was 1 day early, one was 5 days late, one was induced as over and one was planned csection.
We didnt fit stats at all!

[RubberBulletKisses]

37 weeks dead on, waters started trickling about 8am. Contractions started about an hour later, very mild at first but always 3-4 mins apart throughout the day. Got much worse about tea time, went into hospital at 8pm, was 5cm, ds born half past midnight with a bit of help. I had planned to do a load of batch cooking in the last few weeks, but obviously that never happened!

[angelopal]

Not all first are late. Dd1 39+6 contractions started suddenly in the afternoon and she was born 6 hours later.

Dd2 contractions started on due date and she arrived in 3.5 hours.

Both times I finished work at 36 weeks. Was nice to have a few weeks off before they arrived.

[imme]

My first labour fits the cliche of first babies being late. I went over by 8 days when they started to induce me. My body was not particularly ready so the induction involved pretty much every intervention under the sun bar a csection, DS was born at 40+10 via forceps.
With my second I was convinced I would go overdue again but DD arrived at 37+5 after my waters broke. Her labour was very quick but they say that's quite typical for second labours.

[animaniac]

At 36 weeks had hospital check up and final growth scan (gestational diabetes). Blood pressure was very high so was kept for monitoring for a few hours, then told they were concerned about pre - eclampsia due to BP and some blood results. They agreed to let me go home and return the next morning for further tests (if pre - eclampsia indicators remained then I would need to be induced). Left hospital at 7pm, pretty nervous about what would happen. Decided to go to Pizza Hut on our way home for some dinner. Whilst DH was paying the bill my waters broke....yes, in the.middle of pizza hut. Went home to pack bag (didn't have anything ready, not a nappy nor baby wipe in the house). Had a shower, went back to hospital at about 10pm and lovely DS was born at 4.05am.

[Heatherbell1978]

I had my baby son on Friday:-) I was 41 weeks exactly. Had had no signs at all of labour happening soon and had a sweep on Tuesday. Contractions started late Thursday and through the night. Went to hospital Friday lunchtime and baby born 6 hours later.

[VeryLittleGravitasIndeed]

DD took her time. Pre-labour started when I was 40+5, and went on for six days... (my TENS machine was my favourite thing in the world while that was going on). Then it finally started to get going properly, and DD was born after a straightforward 10 hour labour, mostly in the pool.

[NeedaDiscoNap]

Went to hospital on the Wed, told I was being induced on the Monday (at 37+4). Rushed around Thursday finishing up things as was still at work (had planned two leisurely weeks off before my due date!) and my waters went as I was eating my breakfast on the Friday morning.

Was admitted because of various ongoing concerns about my pregnancy and as no contractions twelve hours later they started me on the drip. After twelve more hours I was only 1cm dilated and DD had to come out so I had an emergency c-section.

It was all a bit of a rush. I was a mum before I knew it!

[butterfly86]

I was 37+5 and had a few twinges my baby was breech so told to ring up at any signs of labour, got to labour ward at 9.45pm was put on monitor to check baby everything was fine so they were about to send me home with braxton hicks I said I'd had another couple of tightenings so decided to examine me I was 5cm dilated and the doctor could feel a foot, dd was born by cesearean an hour later!

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

It was my mums birthday meal with "The Girls" the night id have been 40+1 so.id declined the invite. By 40+0 I was so symptomless that I decided to tag along the next night. Chinese meal and a couple of glasses of wine and a dance on the dancefloor. Left at ten pm as was so tired, woke at 3am with contractions every 2/3mins.

Managed at home til about ten am, was 4cms on arrival and remained that way til about 4pm when they decided to hook me up to The Drip (or That Bastard Drip) as it shall now be referred.

A spiral of intervention followed and dd was dragged out with the forceps at 4am on what would have been 40+3.

[elQuintoConyo]

I was booked for induction Wednesday morning so went in the night before for monitoring.

I think i was so freaked out by the thought of inductions (I'm in a country not my own and the language barrier and different way of doing things scared me a bit) that things kicked off about 3 hours after I got there. DS arrived 9 hours later. I was 40+12.

Congratulations OP

[Mrsgrumble]

At 40 + 5 I had a show (pinkish red) at lunchtime. I felt ok dh went to a football match.

Didn't sleep well that night, had more staining at 6 am. Slight aches/ period pain and felt wierd all day. Wanted to be on my own. 4 pm pains came stronger, by 7 pm we started timing them and went to hospital after eight.

They monitored me, said there was no point going home and gave myself and dh toast and tea and our own twin room. By midnight, really strong pains so went back into labour room and dh broke my waters and gave me something to speed up delivery. At 4 am they rushed an emcs due to complications and baby was born soon after.

[SouthDerbyshireMamma]

I'm a first time Mum. I planned to work til 38+6 but I had raised blood pressure so broke up at 37+5. My waters went at 38+6 at 8.30pm, contractions started at Midnight, contractions were 2 minutes apart by 5.15am, hospital by 6.15am when I was 6cm dilated (where I then discovered there was no space on the MLU) and I delivered at 8.32am in the consultant lead area. No stitches, gas and air nailed but pethidine was administered too late to get full effect.

My main tip is to stay at home as long as you can hack it Hospitals are BORING!

[kamikami]

I finished work at 39 weeks. Went into labour at 41 + 6. I was sitting with friends and had my first contraction as they were touching my bump. I drove home and had occasional contractions for the rest of the night. Things picked up the following day (42weeks) and DS arrived at 42 + 1.

I ended up having 3 weeks at home before baby arrived even though I worked up to 39 weeks. You can't really tell when or how things will get going!

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

[aphrodizzyac]

2 days after due date, contractions started like bad period pains in bed at 5am, timed and tracked them with a phone app my nerdy husband created especially for me.

Had a routine midwife appointment scheduled at 12pm anyway so went along and got examined, was 2 cm dilated. Pain got worse and worse until total agony by 5pm. Waters never broke. Delivered by forceps next day at 6am after every type of pain relief possible.

[FiloFunky]

I stepped on a wasp. It stung my toe. My waters broke. I was 36w

Good luck!

[LongTailedTit]

No Braxton Hicks until the day before my waters broke dramatically at 35+5 when I got out of bed in the morning (had finished work a few days before). No sign of labour, admitted to antenatal ward for monitoring, contractions started two days later, DS1 born at 36+0, all fine apart from a bit small.

((I had always thought that waters breaking was always followed by labour - in fact they keep topping themselves up, my midwife said that if I hadn't progressed they could have sent me home for up to two weeks!))

With DS2 I had a LOT of Braxton Hicks that got progressively more uncomfortable as the weeks went on. BH turned into actual contractions at 37+5, went to hospital when they got to 3.5/4mins apart, DS2 born 5hrs later (37+6).

[LongTailedTit]

Meant to add - on both occasions, light contractions started around 9/10pm and got serious around 3/4am. DS1 born at midday, DS2 born at 9am so labour was 3hrs shorter.

[Mummyscotland1985]

When I went into labour I didn't even know I was lol, I phoned my cousin to come and take me to the hospital cuz I thought I was in labour but had no pain js felt uncomfortable and when I arrived at the hospital I was 2cm dilated but was giving gas and air and abit of diamorphine then after that things escalated my waters broke and my baby was born 45 mins later xxx

[Kmi13]

My first labour was quick (5 hours all in all) and intense !
My little girl did not want to come out, she was born at 41weeks +5 days, and I had to have two swipes on week 40 and week 41. It was a Sunday morning. I was sleeping when I felt a 'pop' in my tummy and I immediately knew I was in labour. I felt I was having contractions although they were barely noticeable then. I got up and went to the loo hoping it would prevent me from having a bowel movement during the labour (it didn't!). I went back to the bedroom to wake my husband and that's when my waters broke. We went downstairs to call the hospital, my contractions were close together, every 4 minutes and I struggled speaking to the midwife but they told me to wait and call back when my contractions were getting closer. 5 minutes after hanging up I screamed to my husband and told him I couldn't wait anymore. We arrived at the hospital 5 minutes later, my husband went to speak to the staff, my whole body was shaking, I tried doing the breathing exercise but that didn't help at all. The room was arranged for us, I could barely speak to the midwife, they said I was 2 cm dilated and asked to get pain killers. I was given gas and air but all it did was make me sick. After that my memories are blurry, I remember my dad called back and wanted to speak on the phone but all I could say (or rather scream) is 'I want to die!' and ‘Never again !’ (I am now 32 week pregant with our second daughter ? ). I was sick a few more times, I had several bowel movements, and almost passed out because of the pain, my body was still shaking, the midwife then gave me morphine which helped a lot. I became sleepy but the pain was much more bearable. A few hours passed and when I was 2 cm from complete dilatation, I felt like pushing but knew I could feel I wasn't quite there yet, which the midwife confirmed. I asked for an epidural as the pain was once again unbearable and was only becoming worse and worse. Unfortunately the midwives didn't manage to put the heart monitor on my baby's head. They tried several times but it wouldn't work so I decided to continue the labour without it. I think that's when I started swearing in the 3 languages I speak but perhaps it was earlier, my husband told me to stop swearing and I felt like killing him; luckily for him I was in too much pain to act on my urge! Finally, about 4h15 after my labour started, came the time to push. I was gutted when my midwife told me this process could last up to 2 hours!! Luckily, it only lasted 45 minutes. I remember my husband told me to concentrate and pay close attention to the midwife's directions, which I did. I remember coming out of my body and being flooded with light, each time I pushed the pain increased and I thought to myself 'it cannot become more painful' and yet it did. I felt like an animal but also felt connected to the universe. Finally, my daughter was born and I felt an immense relief. She was put on my tummy and I will never forget the look in her eyes. I immediately fell in love with her and told my husband she had his nose and also couldn't help but exclaim 'Look how hairy she is (she was born with a lot of lanugo)! And how plump! (she was 4.3 kg)'. I wanted to nurse her and the midwife told me she would help me as soon as I had delivered the placenta, which was shortly after as I had asked to get an injection of oxytocin. Delivering the placenta, which seemed to have weighed about 1kg to 1.2kg, gave me another sense of immense relief. The midwife congratulated me for having done a great job pushing my baby, I did not need an episiotomy and I didn't tear either. I was relieved to see that the crippling pelvic girdle pain I had been experiencing during the pregnancy had completely disappeared. The hour following the birth, I had a bath (soon filled with blood!) and nursed my daughter for about 20 minutes.

[honeyharris]

Woke up a week after my due date having contractions every 4 minutes. Husband thought I was exaggerating and having Braxton Hicks but I made him call triage. 2 hours later I was in hospital 6cm dilated. This was a bit of a shock as I'd been told first labours could be very slow . Before that I hadn't had even a twinge, but had lost my mucus plug about 3 days beforehand.

[notadoctor]

My first was born 2wks early. We'd been to the Theatre and on the way home, I really felt every speed bump! I didn't think much of it but was getting twinges through the night and by 6am I had a show and I knew things were getting started! Contractions kicked in properly at around 11am. Stayed home and active for as long as possible. Went into hospital at around 6pm and she arrived at 11pm after a lovely water birth!

My second was totally different - my waters went suddenly in the middle of the night (4days early). I had no contractions at all so went to hospital to be checked out and the baby was in a bit of distress so I had to be induced. That brought the contractions on - it was all a bit fast and furious but 2hours later I had a lovely little baby!