Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how your labour started?

79 replies

Greywalls12 · 03/04/2019 18:51

Apologies, shamelessly posting for traffic!
I'm 38+6, and no idea if I'm in labour or just having painful braxton hicks!
Had bloody show yesterday morning and watery discharge this morning but I don't think it's my waters and there wasn't a lot of it at all and it's not really carried on throughout the day.
I had awful backache overnight and kept waking up every hour due to it, with some pain in my lower abdomen as well.
Baby feels super low but my stomach hasn't dropped.
I've been having back ache with stomach pains all day that comes and goes but I haven't timed them until recently and the pain's definitely got worse.
But they're quite irregular, and my midwife and in my antenatal classes have all said they would be regular if it is contractions and they've ranged between 6-12 mins in the past hour and a half, which makes me think it isn't labour!
They're not getting better with rest, walking or bouncing on my ball but I can talk through them. They're lasting between 50-60 seconds each and the last 3 have been 7 mins apart. I'm also hydrated and weeing loads!
I'm going to call triage if it carries on, but I want to stay at home for as long as possible if it is the real deal.

So can you please give me your start of labour stories and give me any tips to help with the pain! Grin

OP posts:
Peanut91 · 03/04/2019 20:43

Mine started when my waters broke whilst out dog walking. I felt like I was wetting myself even though I didnt need a wee. When I eventually got home I put on a maternity pad and was soaking through in 20 minutes. Contractions started about 6 hours after waters went

Nursejackie1 · 03/04/2019 21:42

I had lots of braxton hicks in the last couple of weeks but they just kind of got more frequent and stronger the day before the birth until they were actual contractions. Waters broke on the toilet and I went in to hospital only to be sent home in the early hours until contractions were closer. Went back around 4 pm the next day when pain got to the point I was on my hands and knees rocking back and forwards. Baby finally arrived 10am the next day. Good luck sounds like early labour to me.

Original poster
Greywalls12 · 03/04/2019 22:08

Well they did ease up pain wise for a bit but now they're quite painful again so not really sure what's going on! Grin

OP posts:
Crunchymum · 03/04/2019 22:21

Some women can early labour for days Shock

I dis 36h at home with DC1 and never got beyond contractions every 5 minutes. They fucking hurt though. They only had me in as my waters trickled (so I needed to be checked).

My advice would be if you are unable to get any sleep at all or eat any food or if TENS or pain relief aren't helping then ask to go in for an assessment if you don't meet the criteria for being admitted.

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 03/04/2019 22:26

Sounds like labour to me.

With my daughters my contractions were never regular. One of the reasons I wasn’t kept in first time round was because contractions were irregular... but they never became regular!

Original poster
Greywalls12 · 03/04/2019 22:44

If this isn't labour I've literally got no hope. This is so bloody painful now! No pain inbetween though thank god!
I'm so tired so might try and sleep, but not sure how successful I'll be!
So wish I bought a bloody tens machine!

OP posts:
willitbe · 04/04/2019 00:29

yes do try to sleep if you can, early labour can go on for days (sorry not what you wanted to hear!). With my first I got a bloody show on the Thursday morning, contractions started Friday morning, suddenly much more regular and more painful, less gaps 2am Saturday, delivered baby 5pm Saturday evening, exhausted. Ironically I had hired a tens machine, had a painful back-to-back labour, but forgot to use the tens machine!!! Got my mum, my husband alternating on rubbing my back for the pain for around 7 hours!!!!

I remember getting panic when I got contractions one immediately after another, but they spaced out to a minute or so apart again frequently. It is hard to take just one at a time when they hurt.

Hopefully right now you are getting some precious sleep....

Original poster
Greywalls12 · 04/04/2019 02:24

No sleep has happened GrinSad
Been mostly 5/6mins apart for the last hour apart from one which was 10 mins apart.
Still not convinced I'm in labour Grin

OP posts:
Middlrm · 04/04/2019 02:34

Sound like labour to me ... how are you doing?

My waters didn’t break until I was fully dilated so don’t worry too much if that hasn’t happened

Good luck x

Middlrm · 04/04/2019 02:35

It is just not regular send someone to a 24 hour boots the do a maternity tens machine x x and have a bath that helps lots x x

user1471426142 · 04/04/2019 03:04

My first my waters broke and then I was induced so I didn’t have to think about it (and was so drugged up I didn’t really have to). With my second birth I thought i was constipated until it clicked and even then I didn’t quite get that it was happening so there ended up being a bit of a mad rush to get our childcare in place.

I had tightenings like period pain with no back pain so I thought they were Braxton Hicks. Then I was going for 30 seconds every 6-7 minutes so thought labour was perhaps starting but I was still thinking I had a while because they weren’t a minute every 4/5 or whatever they tell you to look for. I even read my toddler a bedtime story in the middle of contractions (in hindsight I was a massive idiot!)

Then, very suddenly things ramped up: my waters broke, I puked and then started having contractions every 2 minutes (which made for a delightful journey to hospital) and I had a baby very soon after arriving.

I wanted to warn you that It can suddenly go very quickly from the point you are now. I must have been in some sort of denial that I was in labour. Even when I got to the hospital, I hadn’t realised how far gone I was until they examined me and I was fully dilated.

SleepingStandingUp · 04/04/2019 03:07

My waters went, just hours of gushing. Then nothing. 23 hours after my waters went my contractions started at ~ 5 minutes, never really speeded up and I had an emcs 7 hours later

PregnantSea · 04/04/2019 03:11

Sounds like labour to me!

Poppins2016 · 04/04/2019 03:24

That sounds exactly like my labour. I never did have regular contractions! I kept being told to wait until my contractions were more regular before coming in, but they continued being irregular. Eventually I started needing to push... I got to the hospital at 9 cm dilated!

Echoing other posters... I'd call triage as it can ramp up very quickly.

Original poster
Greywalls12 · 04/04/2019 03:38

Oh christ, think I'm going to call triage now!
They're still a bit irregular but have stayed mostly 5/6 minutes apart for the past couple of hours.
The last few have been really really painful.
Everytime i tell myself 'I'll call when another one's 5 mins apart' it's 7 or 8 minutes!
But I'm definitely going to call now they're super painful.
Just worried I'll go in and I'm not even dilating!

OP posts:
Jakethekid · 04/04/2019 03:44

Good luck OP. hopefully the next time we hear from you, you will he holding your newborn!

Poppins2016 · 04/04/2019 03:48

Glad you're calling! Good luck Flowers

mcjx · 04/04/2019 03:49

Good luck @Greywalls12 ❤️

Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 04/04/2019 04:00

Hopefully by now you've spoken to triage, but I just popped on to say don't let the irregularity trick you.

My first labour was so text book, when people used to be uncertain I would knowingly say "oh don't worry, you will know when it's truly labour".

My second, in hindsight I was in labour for hours before I realised. I was at a child's birthday party so was a bit distracted and I definitely felt uncomfortable and breathless every 20 mins or so. But it was so different to my first and even once I realised they were contractions and even when they became strong, they were spaced far apart and irregular. By the time I decided I probably should go to hospital (still fearful they would send me home) I was actually 9cm dilated.

My point is, if it's been going on for a while and if they're getting stronger, worth getting checked out even if they're irregular pains.

Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 04/04/2019 04:01

Hopefully by now you've spoken to triage, but I just popped on to say don't let the irregularity trick you.

My first labour was so text book, when people used to be uncertain I would knowingly say "oh don't worry, you will know when it's truly labour".

My second, in hindsight I was in labour for hours before I realised. I was at a child's birthday party so was a bit distracted and I definitely felt uncomfortable and breathless every 20 mins or so. But it was so different to my first and even once I realised they were contractions and even when they became strong, they were spaced far apart and irregular. By the time I decided I probably should go to hospital (still fearful they would send me home) I was actually 9cm dilated.

My point is, if it's been going on for a while and if they're getting stronger, worth getting checked out even if they're irregular pains.

Original poster
Greywalls12 · 04/04/2019 04:13

I spoke to them but they were adamant it will still be ages yet as she said they've only been kind of regular for a couple of hours Sad she said to focus on my breathing and see how the next hour goes.
Don't think I can cope another hour, I'm so exhausted Sad

OP posts:
SugarfreeMe · 04/04/2019 04:31

If you can try and rest as it definitely sounds like early labour, it's going to be a long day I'm afraid. Did you tell them your waters had gone? Often the sac bulges infront of the head as baby descends so you can get just a small amount of amniotic fluid released, it happened with my second.
Do you have a Tens machine? Also a nice warm bath will help, but rest as much as you can in between contractions as you will need your energy.
Alternatively If you just can't rest get up and move about, if you have a birthing ball use it, it will help advance your labour.
Good luck and congratulations it sounds like your little one will soon be joining you!

BelulahBlanca · 04/04/2019 04:47

Good luck OP. I found the Tens machine useless, though I have friends who swear by them. I started getting contractions at 11pm, waters broke at 4am, went to hospital at 6am and she arrived at 8:31.

fiadhflower · 04/04/2019 05:00

Just wanted to say good luck.

I had slow labour for days and it was quite painful. When it ramped up, I cried with frustration because I thought I wasn’t in proper labour and couldn’t believe how bad the pain was. Anyway, it was labour. My contractions weren’t like clockwork. But they did get to three in 10 minutes and I called triage. I also thought my waters might have gone. Triage hummed about whether I should come in. Initially told me to hold off but to call again if I felt I needed to. We were on our way to the hospital shortly afterwards. When I got there, I was over 4cm dilated and my waters had gone. But it still took a very long time before I gave birth!

(I had a bloody show about two weeks before I gave birth, and then on a couple more occasions before I gave birth too)

Hope it goes well for you!

DinosApple · 04/04/2019 05:16

Good luck OP! Definitely sounds like labour.

My first labour started with constant pain which completely confused me. Followed by vomiting. The journey in was horrible I was shouting at DH to not drive over the bumps and drains!
24 hours later DD arrived.