We are jolly well going to get preggers this month and keep it with some Rat smacking, pom pom waving, baking, visualising and brooking no argument. JUST FERTILISE!

Dream if you can wait till Wednesday that's a good idea, I drove myself mad with pee sticks last month. I now only have one CBD in the house which I have made DH hide from me. Anyway your only delaying the gratification you will certainly be getting on Wednesday

I am loving all the birth stories as I'm very nosy! I must admit to being so terrified of giving birth that everytime I think about pushing a baby out of my fanjo I feel sick. Also I can't get my head around the idea that I'm going to have to let so many people become familiar with my fanjo. I get stressed enough about having my smear test.

My solution to this problem is to simply get upduffed as then I will have no choice in the matter!

my only possible symptom is being bloody tired!

my birth story is fairly rubbish, disappointing emcs ending, but my DS is awesome and i want another small person asap, so i don't care!

night night...

So here you all are, how long have I been away for ?? This thread moves fast doesn't it?!

Loving the new place, mmmm lemon slices lovely :)

These birthing stories are great, thank you all for sharing. Positive visualisation is definitley the way to go

You ladies are all amazing! I'm in awe! I'm greatly encouraged. In addition to the independent midwife (and 8 week scan) I will also be booking in with a pregnancy hypnotherapist! (I'm sure DH will be thrilled, ahem).

Ha generic! I think refusing a section was temporary madness. DH was pushing for a section, Consultant was fine with that, DH really didn't think it was going to happen after 20 hours and NO dilation. I did have an epidural after 12 or 13 hours though. Was good but wore off and then the top up didn't seem to work. Plus they had 5 goes to get it in and I had 5 months of back pain afterwards- but that is SO unusual. I was just unlucky. And I'd STILL do it again, so can't be that bad. It's just one day of your life and you have the baby forever

I think refusing a section must have taken balls of steel lots of determination Dream - well done! At one point (which turned out to be transition) I thought 'if someone says epidural I am having one!'. Anyhoo, turned out it was way too late for all that so I did it with just G&A.

generic, yes, i think if you can do the positive birth visualisation you don't need the CD. I couldn't- i went straight to Panic Mode!!! Hence CD was my life saver and did save me a section, I am 100% sure

I know I probably sound like a loon but I spent a lot of time close to DD's due date doing positive visualisation about how the birth would go. I didn't read any books about this or do the hypnotherapy CDs (but I'm sure they would have been very useful). I'm sure it helped, because when in labour I went into a trance, just repeating the same mantra over and over with each contraction: it's just DC moving down. I've said to friends in rl that I enjoyed the pain, which I know sounds weird, but it was a good pain because I knew it was achieving something.

Scream and other first timers, you will be fine!

Ooh Dream I like your restraint and you're quite right - the result will be the same, however long you wait to find out!

Do the hypno- CD stuff scream to prepare you for baby-scream's arrival. Its all visualisation, and imagining yourself going through it scream I was SO scared i wanted an elective section for DD, but while I could have opted for section twice in my labour (after 16 hours of drip up and one-minute contractions, i was getting nowhere- not even 1cm dilated and was offered section) and i said no!!!! that would NEVER have happened without my CD . And meant I could lift things, drive after 2 weeks (i didn't want to before then!) etc etc. Natural birth is the way to go

scream One of my friends got pg accidentally on honeymoon- really didn't want children then- in fact, she didn't desperately ever want them but her DH did so they agreed in 4-5 years time. She was totally panicked from the word go, on the phone sobbing to her mum etc etc. She did hypnothreapy CD stuff during her pregnancy, is a tiny size 6-8 and had a 4 hour labour in the birthing pool with her music on and only midwife and her DH there. She said it was wonderful.

Another friend said it couldn't have gone more smoothly, very similar, painful but she felt it was managable and every contraction brought her closer to meeting her DD etc, no tearing nothing.... 6 hours total (or maybe 6 hours in hospital, 8 hours in total)!!!

And one of my best friends had a home birth for her first birth- her DD is 4 weeks younger than mine. She said the midwife arrived, she opened the door, the midwife looked her up and down and said 'no, you're not in labour, you look far too comfortable'. She was, and DD was born that evening. She said it was fantastic- an hour and a half after her DD was born, the midwife had made her have a shower and get dressed, and then she left and there they were, her, DH and the baby. She said they were looking at each going, 'errr, right, so what do we do now!?'

And little and generic, you put me to shame, I am in awe.... You are both my new heroes Though i COULD have done it better if not induced so i tell myself

Well, now I'm super broody, but as i have ONE pee stick, I shall not be wasting it early tmw but waiting til Wed AT LEAST!! After all, will make no difference to my BFP if its happening

have, thats a sign if ever I saw one.

Wow, some lovely birth stories there. Having ds was a little difficult (needed ventouse and stitches) but my midwives were fantastic and lovely and efficient and let us know what was happening all the time and quite frankly knowing this little bundle is being put in your arms at the end of it is amazing. We spent most of the labour (midwife led unit) with low lighting, on a medicine ball, listening to music until I needed pethidine and promptly passed out after being given it (think dp was rather glad as it gave his hand some time to recover from me squeezing it with every contraction.). Gas and air is great too although I refused to let go of it for the entire time. Felt rather spaced out for a good few days........
Loving the new home we have here and already there are loads of baked goodies (I love sausage rolls, thanks imps)

Wow those stories are great! Totally inspiring! Generic it's comforting to know you're not usually good with pain but you managed so well, I'm hopeless with pain usually! I will be focusing on my DC and brooking no argument! (once I clear the minor issue of the pee stick endorsement of course!)

Little you are my new hero!! That sounds literally perfect!

Thank you so much to everyone who's added a story, you've really calmed me down. This really has been worrying me a lot this week! (stupidly early I know!)

Wow Little your birth story is ace! Isn't gas and air wonderful? Oh and I am usually a bit of a wimp when it comes to pain, but it was totally manageable for me on just gas and air because I kept reminding myself why I was in pain ie to meet DD and, yes, I brooked no argument!

Oh wow - I go away for a couple of hours and you're all talking birth stories! Now this is what I was talking about with the visualisation!

Scream my birth story is a nice one (honest). Contractions started right on cue on my due date, nice and gentle so DH and I did a jigsaw because we know how to live! Gradually got stronger through the evening, during which I used my birthing ball (great invention). Woke up around 1 am with big contraction, leapt out of bed in dramatic fashion saying 'this is it - I'm in labour!', phoned hospital, went straight in. Examination showed I was 2cm so had the choice to go home or stay in. I decided to go home and continue with my plan of a nice, relaxed early labour. DH went back to bed, while I laboured on my hands and knees watching News 24 (it was the middle of the night). Woke DH a couple of hours later, back to hospital, in established labour. Got in lovely birthing pool - wonderful experience. The warm water was heaven. So relaxed and peaceful. Went quite quickly from there and DD born 12h after that 1st strong contraction. I did have quite a long pushing bit and needed ventouse because of back to back baby, but it really wasn't bad at all and the exhilaration of giving birth was wonderful! I cannot wait to do it all again.

Love the new place. Dream and Scream can't wait to see your BFP news tomorrow!

I shall be visualising birth with reference to your story little!

Scream here is the birth story you've been after:

Wake up with strong contractions at 3am.
Get to hospital at 5.55am.
Midwife tells me I'm fully dilated on first examination at 6am.
Gorgeous dd born at 6.40am, with just gas & air to help.

I just brooked no argument

Yep, I'll agree with you there have. Must be a sign.

Howdy ladies, today I saw a car reg BFP!!! It's clearly a sign!

Jen that's an awesome story! Did you rub up against her for good-birth-cooties? No? It's just me then...

Sorry, I hope that didn't sound like I was glossing over your experiences, they do sound truly grueling! It's wonderful that you've been able to bounce back from that and still continue to expand your families. Luckily your odds of a smooth ride the second time round are much much higher!! I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you (and no brooking of course!)

My ex colleague was in labour for the massive time of... 3 1/4 hours. No tearing, nothing. Jammy cow!

Okay those are the kind of stories I'm trying to AVOID! But really, that sounds really tough for both of you, I'm glad you and your DC came through okay.

My cousin-in-law has a first birth story that's even worse than both of those stories (4 days labour, 8 days in hospital, induction, forceps, tear, csection, 10lb5 DS, massive hemorrhage, intensive care)

I'd love to hear the nice birth stories your friends had Dream! right now I don't know ANY. Thanks also for the 6 hour one Scarlet!

lol scarlet, I was also 3 days, never went into labour after waters broke, induced, expected a failed induction so starved, nothing to drink throughout as unfavourable cervix etc etc etc etc for hours and hours and hours and HOURS. Then a third degree tear. Nice. I hope i will do it again.... the hypnotherapy stuff is good, i was so prepared for doing it my way and using the stuff but never got a chance stuck in hospital from the very beginning, attached to everything under the sun....

scream Don't talk to me then!! I did not have a lovely birth. At all. I still think I recovered faster and was generally better off than if I'd had a c-section though, judging from my friends who've had both experiences and their stories. I can opt for one this time though due to my humougous tear However, I know several people who did have lovely births, for their first babies. I can share their stories?!

scarlet I don't want to waste money on pee sticks to get BFN's!!!! I do think I should hang on til Thurs. Or Fri if no AF. Its not like waiting a day or 2 will do anything other than confirm even further! Def not tonight, would wait for FMU. And i'm not banking on it yet... NO symptoms, bar what i'd expect with AF due in a couple of days.... and i don't dare let DH see me on MN at all tonight.

scream, maybe you could try the coughing a lot? looking as infectious as possible? or burping loudly and repeatedly? SURELY he'd move then or at least stop wrangling for foot space.

babysade, i'm cd 31, but last cycle was my first since DD born and was 34 days. And i'm worried i've stuffed it up by upping bf as opposed to being up the duff.... and not 100% sure i'm ov at all- apparently you can have several infertile cycles when you get AF back and i'm not banking on anything now....

Well I won't detail my first birth for you on here scream but I'll give you some keywords

3 days, Back to back position, episiotomy, forceps.

It took me a long time before I could even consider doing it again. But now, I'm desperate to do it again. It's amazing the amount of pain you can survive and then at some point afterwards your brain still tells you "I suppose it wasn't that bad really..." That's the magic of babies. I'm just clinging to the belief that it can't possibly be as bad second time around.

I do know someone who's first birth was over in 6 hours. Start to finish, they said it was a breeze.