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Childbirth

What were you doing when you went into labour?

109 replies

bunjies · 09/02/2005 19:47

I'm currently 38 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and am curious to know what others were doing when they realised they were in labour and what time they gave birth. With my 1st I had a planned induction at 37 weeks as my waters started leaking a few days earlier but I hadn't had any real contractions so I was in hospital when I went into labour and ds was born at 4.20am. With my second, again my waters started leaking early at 37.5 weeks and was told I would have to be induced if labour didn't start naturally within a couple of days. However, I decided to take some castor oil (as I was going to be induced anyway) and my waters broke properly after an afternoon nap at 3.30pm. So I was in bed when it all started and dd was born at 12.30am. This time round I have managed to get past 38 weeks without leaking but I'm starting to wonder when things will kick off and what am I likely to be doing when it does! I would be very interested to hear others experiences and to know whether babies are more likely to be born during the night than during the day or if this is just my own experience.

OP posts:

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Bellie · 09/02/2005 19:49

I was watching Have I got News for You and had my first contraction, had my dd at 1.13pm the next day.

nutcracker · 09/02/2005 19:50

I had the flu, and had just got into bed fully clothed as was to exhausted to get undressed and then my waters broke.

Woke Dp who said "oh great, i had just got to sleep"

prunegirl · 09/02/2005 19:50

Message withdrawn

Eva3 · 09/02/2005 19:51

I am 40+3 today with my third baby. My first was frank (extended) breech and so had to have a C-section. My second was VBAC, and went into labout in Peter Jones buying a car seat last minute as we had to return the one we had borrowed. We went home, and put DD1 to bed and then rushed to the hospital. I was 5cm at 8.30pm and 10cm at 11pm. In the end, DD2 turned her head and got stuck so had a vontouse. I have had reflexology today and am wondering if tonight could be it, as back pain in escalating and baby VERY wriggly....

livvysmum · 09/02/2005 19:52

i was making tea and sandwiches for some work men we had around who were laying our patio, i wandered around with a hot water bottle stapped to my back to ease the 'slight ache' i had there. hadn't a clue i was actually in labour.
went for a snooze around 3 in the afternoon, slight ache changed to some what uncomfortable pain and as it was the day before due date, thought i'd best ring 'midwife on call', they said come in to hospital, we'll check you out. got to hospital around 4ish, pain quite severe by now, i was 4cms dilated, lots of pethadrine, a snooze and then hey ho! lots of pushing later, babes was born just after midnight. i can never look at cheese and pickle sanwiches the same way.

Eva3 · 09/02/2005 19:53

Forgot to say, she was born at last at 1.15am.

oops · 09/02/2005 19:54

Message withdrawn

Surfermum · 09/02/2005 19:56

Mine started about 10.30 at night. We were in bed watching a film starring the girl from ET. DH had jumped out of bed and started doing an impression of ET round the bedroom. I laughed so much that I'm convinced it set me off. Half an hour later the contractions started, and I went straight into 60 sec ones 3 minutes apart. No build up for me.

Donbean · 09/02/2005 19:56

Was chatting happily in between contractions to a friend who had come to visit me on the ward after induction.
I was doing this weird kind of rocking buisiness from side to side and she looked at me and stopped talking mid conversation and said to me "what on earth are you doing"?
Funnily enough, when some one visits some one on a labour ward you would think, wouldnt you that some one might just be in labour!

NameChangingMancMidlander · 09/02/2005 19:57

i was sleeping. i woke at 11.30pm needing the loo & my waters broke on the way to the ensuite. dd was born 3 hours later at 2.31am.

i'd carried dd's chunky flat pack cot upstairs and built it by myself !!!

piffle · 09/02/2005 19:58

1st Doing crossword over lunch with my mum in my living room - went to hospital at 3.15pm ds arrived 3.27 pm
Just made it!

2nd - Sleeping woke at 5.45am with decent contractions, dashed to hospital as they were one after the other, dd was born at 6.35
Just made it

Next time will not bother leaving home!!!

NameChangingMancMidlander · 09/02/2005 19:58

sorry, meant to say that i'd built the cot etc that afternoon ! i was 37+5

Amanda3266 · 09/02/2005 19:59

I was trying to sleep on an antenatal ward (induction at 12 days overdue). There was a full moon (so bright I could read by the light it sent in through the skylight). DS was born by caesarean the next day and it was the midwinter solstice. Oh fab and groovy.

Miaou · 09/02/2005 20:04

First one - I went into labour at about 10.30pm, 5 days before due date, just as I was going to bed. dd1 was born at 1.30pm next day.

Second one - Felt my first contractions at 10am, following a night without sleep because I had been up all night with sickness and diarrhoea - needless to say I was not impressed! I was on the phone to my mum at the time, whilst having a bath, and I burst into tears and wailed "Oh no, not today, I'm too tired!" She yelled "Get off the bloody phone and ring dh, your contractions are less than 4 mins apart!!" Good job someone was on the ball.... dd2 arrived at 6pm that evening, 10 days overdue in all.

Oh and incidentally, both times my waters didn't break until I was in transition!

emmatmg · 09/02/2005 20:05

Ds1, I woke up at about 7am and had the first teeny weeny contraction, he was born at 1:16pm the following day. hospital birth, 6 days late.

Ds2, woke up at just after midnight again felt the tiniest of pains....he was born at 3:45am. 3.5 hours labour. Unplanned homebirth, 6 days late.

Ds3, waters broke, will trickled at about midnight, on and off very mild pains for an hour or 2. Everything stopped, went back to bed at about 3:30am pains strated again by 4am. He was born at 6:45am. Planned homebirth, 2 days late.

Lonelymum · 09/02/2005 20:09

Ds1 - induced in hospital, so I was panicking.
Ds2 - watching TV. I always remember it because Eddie Izzard had control of Ch 4 that night and I stayed up watching him.
Dd - didn't realise I was in labour until Iwent into hospital bored with the discomfort and wanting something interesting to do - well, I got something interesting to do: I gave birth to dd!
Ds3 - asleep!

oooggs · 09/02/2005 20:13

In bed asleep when waters broke at 3.30am and woke me up, DS born 3.44am (24hrs & 14min later).

pleaserewind · 09/02/2005 20:24

hoovering up, had just switched it off when my waters broke. It was my due date (ds has always had to be so precise) and he was born 4 and 1/2 hours later.

suedonim · 09/02/2005 20:27

DS1 - we'd been out and dh drove a bit too fast over a hump-back bridge and I immediately felt a small ctc. Didn't deliver until next afternoon, though.

Ds2 - was induced but dh said afterwards that I'd been complaining off and on about backache before I went into hosp, so maybe ds was on his way anyway. 4hr labour

Dd1 - induced, which took a few hours to get going. My companion on the ward and I both had two lunches and two puddings that day, as they'd over-ordered, so I thought I had indigestion! 8hr labour

Dd2 - had had a haemorrhage so was in hosp being monitored. For some bizarre reason they woke me at 2am and hooked me up for an hour then pronounced that nothing whatsoever was happening and to go back to sleep. Within ten minutes ctc's started. 9hr labour.

Gobbledigook · 09/02/2005 20:28

DS1 - induced so, er, sat on the bed!

DS2 and DS3 - sleeping!!!

tammybear · 09/02/2005 20:30

I was suppose to go shopping when my waters broke, my mum was suppose to go the cinema with my brothers. this all kicked off about 10am, although I had my show at 6:30am. I gave birth to dd at 5:47pm that evening.

maddiemo · 09/02/2005 20:32

DS1 Woke up with contractions, 1 week late and after loads of false alarms.

DS2 walking in the woods with ds2 and dh.

DS3 Preparing the food for my birthday party on my birthday.

DS4 At hospital having a scan on my and ds3's birthday.

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Lonelymum · 09/02/2005 20:33

suedonim, my dh took me for a drive in his MGB in the hope of getting me started with dd. It didn't work but I had a bloody uncomfortable afternoon being bumped and rattled around!

logic · 09/02/2005 20:33

I was sitting in the GP's surgery waiting for a check-up while 9 days overdue. He said 'Have you had any contractions at all?' and I said 'Yes, 2, 15 minutes apart in your waiting room just now'. I think the response was something like 'Ah. you won't be needing to be induced on Wednesday then!'.

maddiemo · 09/02/2005 20:33

Ooops meant walking in woods with DS1

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