To ask what people did in early labour?

[Indigochi]

So basically I've been experiencing regular contractions since about 1am, had bloody show but no waters breaking or anything. The contractions are only about 40 mins to an hour apart and whilst they do overcome me and take my breath away it only lasts for about a minute so I'm going to my eyelash infill appointment! I phoned triage & they advised only to come in if waters break for they get to 5 mins apart. Am I abit mad? Or is my calmness acceptable

With my first my contractions started at 4am, I was surprisingly calm, I woke my DH about an hour later, so he could let work know he wouldn't be in, we sat in bed together until 7am, when we phoned my parents and let them know and then phone his DM who came over. By 9am I was being sick with the contractions, so we went through to hospital, where my waters broke about 10am, not that they believed me as there wasn't much, they tried to send me home at 12pm as I was only 3cm, but I refused, as it was a 30 minute journey to the hospital on a good day, plus I had gestational diabetes, so I was supposed to be monitored throughout. My DD was born by 5.30pm that day.
I was induced with my second.

@Indigochi

Am intrigued to hear if you made your appointment?

DC1 was a very long early labour.
First evening (had started niggling) we went to a fireworks display, then I spent the next 36h at home, having the most horrific contractions that never went down to less than every 5 minutes (I wrote each and everyone down!!).

Had a few baths, had the best ever chicken shish kebab for dinner, watched TV, doubled up in agony every 5 minutes, stayed up all the 2nd night in agony. They only let me go in when my waters began to trickle at 6am into the 3rd day... so yeah about 36h after first niggles. I was 6cm and it was still another 15 hours (natural delivery I'm amazed to say!!)

DC2 waters went at 2am, I made tea and toast before contractions began. Went in at 5am, baby in arms by 6.45am.

DC3 was an induction. I had 22h of niggles after the pessary. We had a nice-ish day in our hospital suite - watched TV and movies, napped, had Mac D, then it all kicked off and baby was born not that long after.

DC1 was b2b. I went in, in agony, but had 24 hours of it and no progress so drip, epidural, ventouse.
DC2 - had a bath, went for a walk, went for lunch, bounced on a ball, watched a lot of tv, went to sleep
DC3 - made the kids dinner and put them to bed.
Good luck OP

I was induced and hospital encourage me to go for a walk, as long as I stayed nearby . I did have a painful contraction while I was out though, so glad to have my DH with me.

Both times I worked. First one was as a clerical assistant at a hospital. Didn’t realise what was happening - I remember stopping a couple of times whilst chatting to patients - and finished work at normal at 5 30 and got the tube to a friends. I was 29 weeks mind you. Second was being monitored at hospital - 31 weeks - and did payroll, invoices and general admin for h’s business. Once I get past 5cm then I had to stop but until then I find it manageable. Everyone is different.

I was having a shag with DH when my waters broke! We were miffed- DD1 wasn’t due for another week, and we wanted a final romantic weekend with just the two of us.
Sat on a rolled up towel all day, eating snacks and playing Trivial Pursuit, having mild contractions. Went to hospital after 12 hours at home, had DD 5 hours later.
With DD2, I was violently ill with norovirus, throwing up litres of vomit and suffering awful stomach pains. It was a while before I realised the stomach pains were now coming every 3 minutes...
DH drove me to hospital and DD2 arrived 3 hours later, almost dead and needing the crash team and a week in NICU to resuscitate her.

Bloody hell @Babdoc you didn't do things by half either time! Glad it turned out ok in the end.

I woke up at 3:30am with what I thought was a wee filled pad as I was huge and couldn't roll very well out of bed after a day of niggly period pains but as it was my first thought it was Braxton hicks. Turned out it was my water breaking but as I wasn't contracting on a regular basis,they sent me home from the hospital so when we got home,I fed the cat,checked my bag for the 8th time and then parked myself on the loo for 3 hours till my husband pulled me off the toilet and put me back in the car to go to hospital. 2 hours later, dd arrived with the midwives being impressed that I was 9cms when I came back in.

I didn’t realise I was in labour and went for afternoon tea with my mum then normal stuff at home. I was having period type cramps but didn’t think anything of it. My waters broke at 2.30am.

Baby #1 - I was home alone, DH was working away. My waters went, I had a shower and shaved then sat on my exercise ball watching clueless. The pain became unbearable so I booked myself a taxi as it was the middle of the night and I didn’t want to wake my family (stupid I know) but I swore it was a false alarm as my threshold for pain is usually rather low.

Baby #2 - home alone again, DH working away. This time I had an 11 month old. I rang my nan to come take me to the hospital, it was about midday. I cleaned the house before she came, bathed the little one and mowed the lawn as that was the plan for that morning anyway.
Went to the hospital and I was fully dilated, sent straight to the delivery suite and had LO 20 minutes later. DH didn’t make it in time to see the the birth.

Another quick labour story (3 hours). Started contractions at 5 mins apart so walked to the pizza shop up the street for some distraction. Only distracted my husband when the contractions started coming faster and other held onto the street lights and grated through them. Started holding onto and gyrating around the light-poles. Called the mid-wife who said the contractions would stop. They got closer. DH tried to stop me from going to the hospital. I made it very clear that I was. Got to hospital, asked for some drugs and the midwife said, uh-uh, time to push. As she said that, my waters broke and my husband later said DS shot out like a rocket. So, you never know how it is going to go.

My labours weren't too long. Longer with my first but was just at the hospital, in the pool for a bit. With the second I got sent home when I went in as my contractions hadn't started but waters broke. So went to the co op got some food, quickly cooked it and hardly had time to eat before I had bad contractions close so had to go back and she came after less than an hour.

I cleaned out our numerous pets so I wouldn't need to do it for a week after giving birth. It kept me busy at least!

First labour was came about spontaneous, after realising the contractions were real I sat on a birthing ball feeling very excited in front of the TV. Potterered about for a while coming back to the birthing ball when a contraction came along, then had a bath and got clean and fresh ready for Labour.

Hung round as long as I could before going to hospital. Stand firm once the pain gets too much for you though; that’s my only regret. Labouring at home was great fun until I had to try and journey back from hospital after being told I was only 2cm dilated. After that the internal examination ramped everything up and I should have refused to go home.

Second time I was induced and I watched films, had a bath again when I was getting stressed which really worked. I think baths are great for early Labour!

With DD I woke up having contractions every 5 minutes at around 1am, couldn't sleep through them as the back pain was exhausting so continued watching the box set I was half way through, woke DH at 7am and told him what was happening. Was up to 1 every 4 minutes now but nothing too bad. We pottered around the house and did last minute bits all day, contractions kept speeding up and slowing down again. Had my tens machine on and was quite happy. Around 9pm they started getting much worse, by midnight they were every other minute so went into hospital. They stayed like that for hours, had my waters broken at 8am, gas and air but was only 5cm. Started pushing at midday. Was taken to theatre for episiotomy and foreceps, DD arrived at 3.20pm. so 39 hours in total. She was back to back but I didn't know this until my debrief 3 years after her birth.

First time: Slept, watched films
Second time: got other dc to school

with first dd i was already in hospital on bed rest and had to be induced. this was the time they preferred you to lie flat on the bed with monitors so didnt get chance to move at all
second dd i was sat on the garden path planting carrots! she was not due for 6 wks so it was a shock when by tea time i was getting pain and a lot of it. was taken into hospital at 9 she was born just before midnight

First baby I was told I was in labour, they put me on a machine and showed me the contractions.

Second baby was back to back and I woke at 3.30 having contractions 3 minutes apart so phoned the hospital and they asked me to go in, I was 6cm when I got there about 4:30

Looking back with my second I had felt a bit achey for probably about 48 hours but just had a long soak in a lavender bath the night before she was born to relax me, not realising I must have been in the early stages of labour - she wasn’t due for another 5 days

First woke having regular contractions in the early hours, got a bit more sleep then got up, did breakfast and played Scalextric with my lad, then made dinner and went for a walk.

I played Ratchet and Clank on the PS2 whilst bouncing on a birthing ball

Oh and had a couple of baths

Started on a Friday, we were visiting a city an hour away from home, contractions were mild and every half hour or so, so came home, but no rush. By that night they were every six minutes apart and too painful to sleep...I really thought it was happening...

Baby wasn't born to the following Wednesday night (!). Just 5 days and nights of pain, not sleeping, constant baths and paracetamol, til my waters finally broke, at which point I went to hospital but the contractions still stubbornly stuck at 6 mins apart and they finally induced me.

Back labour. Not recommended!

Cooked a shed load of food because its planned to spend the first week of mat leave filling the freezer, and then DS came early. DH ate said food when I had to stay in hospital with a slightly jaundiced DS - apparently I should have been grateful because it meant he could spend more time with us as he didn't have to cook...

I was in early labour from the Tuesday afternoon until the Friday afternoon eke I had me sweep, then went to hospital on the Friday night, at 9, was in the birth centre from half 10. I was at home doing the same as normal, just having contractions at the same time, including through the night.

With my first they were very quickly 5-10 minutes apart but that went on for hours, there was no pain so I didn't do anything but watch the good wife pacing. I thought they were weird Braxton hicks. This was at 8pm at midnight they started to hurt so I was more ok this is real then at 5 am we went in as was quite painful 4 mins apart I was 6cm at 5.30 he was born 9.20am. My second I didn't know I was in labour no painful contractions, I had 2 strong non painful ones in bed went to sleep again. Normal morning went to drs appointment for 37 week check up examined me at 12 and I was 6cm again. Born at 4pm

I didn't have early labour, just waters going then full on contractions.

Ds1 was 2 hours from 1st contraction, I couldn't have done anything other than exist through them and catch my breath in between.
Ds2 was 15 mins from 1st contraction, I had time to think "Oh god, I can't do this again" and that was pretty much it.