Has anyone ever gone into labour before date of ELCS?

[Nobhobs]

37 weeks with breech baby and booked in for a section at 39+5. It's my first baby and I have no reason to believe I'll go into labour early but it is in my mind. Has this happened to anybody, if so what happened?

[Roseability18]

Happened to a friend of mine who also has a breech baby - she just headed into hospital when labour started and they did the c-section as soon as they were able to.

[Nobhobs]

Thank you rose I wasn't sure. They've told me to ring instantly if I have any signs of labour but not what would happen.

[mynameiscalypso]

Mine isn't for a breech baby (so it might be different) but the consultant said to me that there's a very small window when they might not be able to do the c-section because the baby would be in the wrong place but otherwise, I'd be treated as an emergency and they'd do the c-section ASAP.

[Dinosauratemydaffodils]

Me with a head down baby so maybe slightly different. I booked an elective at 39+1 with dc2 because of various factors including what happened with dc1. I went into labour at the preschool art show at 39 weeks exactly. Contractions quickly ramped up so I called the hospital and was told to come in, they established that I was in labour and asked what I wanted to do. They were quite pushy but I think that's probably because I had a head down baby, had previously been fully dilated and pushing with dc1 and they were busy. However I said I wanted the section, they produced a doctor and dc2 was delivered by an amazing relaxed semi emergency section about 3 hours after we arrived at hospital.

I would imagine a breech baby would be higher priority than a head down one so I would imagine they would deliver him/her as soon as they could.

[Holidayrage]

Yes - me! Section scheduled for a Wednesday and I went into labour on the Monday night. I rang triage, they told me to come in and I was assessed there. I was only 2cm dilated so they were very unkeen to do an emergency section overnight... so monitored me then did it as soon as possible on Tuesday (which actually turned out to be lunchtime as the elective list was full and there were other more pressing cases on the emergency list)

[Buddytheelf85]

Like a PP, I have a friend who who was booked in for a section for a section at 39 weeks due to a breech baby, but went into labour at 38. She went straight in to hospital. They let her have contractions for a while in the hope that labour would slow down/stop, then performed a section.

[Nobhobs]

Thanks all! For those who ended up in labour and had to have EMCS before 39 weeks, was baby ok? No breathing difficulties or complications?

I don't feel the baby move, so it's very hard to monitor whether he's ok or not when I'm not in hospital. Due to this I asked for my section to be at 38 weeks and they said no due to the health implications so I worry how bad it would be if he did end up coming early.

[GU24Mum]

Me! Booked for c-sec on about 3rd Jan; waters broke on 5th Dec. After a few days in hospital, I was told I could go home and return 3 days later for a c-sec. Had baby in toilets an hour later.............

[Dinosauratemydaffodils]

No breathing difficulties or complications?

Not for me and I've had 2 babies born at 39+1. Dc1 did have to go in NICU but that's because they left me with broken waters for 81 hours, not because I went into labour at 38+4. Dc2 was absolutely fine, we were out of hospital the next day.

[Dinosauratemydaffodils]

Missed the before 39 weeks, sorry. I did have that conversion with my consultant and she said there is a difference between going into labour and an elective in that regard because I also wanted an elective at 38 weeks and was refused but told it would be fine if I went into labour at that gestation.

[Glitterandunicorns]

Me! I was booked for a C section at 36 weeks (elective due to mobility problems and also truly horrific PGP meaning I was housebound from about four months into the pregnancy).

The night before I was due to have my C section, I lost my plug and started having contractions at about five AM. I went straight to hospital but had to wait for a couple of hours as they were dealing with emergency C sections. At about eight AM, they took me in to theatre, but it was too late and I was ready to push. I had a super quick labour (back to back) with no time for drugs and baby was out by about nine. He was perfectly safe and well. I didn't need any interventions despite being crazy shocked and unprepared for a vaginal delivery!

[Hmmmbop]

Yes. Section booked for 39 weeks, went in to labour at 37+4. Had my section (she was breech). They did try to convince me to go vaginally and due to them being slow it ended up with an emergency section as she had a foot out but I did get my section.

You just have to be firm in wanting the section. I just kept repeating "look in my notes, I've been booked in for a c section and I still want that".

[Echobelly]

Like @Glitterandunicorns I went into labour the night before my second planned c-section (due to hip defect). I'd never been in labour, so didn't think it was bad enough, and so many friends had thought they were in labour but it wasn't it. Waters broke at midnight and they told me to come in when we phoned... they asked me when I'd last eaten, I said 9pm, so they said they'd go in about 5am. But then she checked and said 'Ah... I think you've been in labour a while now so we'd better go down now' (I wish I'd asked how far I was dilated!), so DS was born 8 hours ahead of schedule at 2am!

It was officially an emergency c-section, but a very relaxed one.