Due in Jan 2009 - 3 have popped, Christmas is coming and we're all fed up with this pregnancy malarky, bring on the babies!!

[LenniEd]

My friend said she waited until her contractions were 5 minutes apart and when the midwife went to her house, she was told to go to hospital and that she had probably cut it abit fine. So my friend said she was confused because she told the whole time to wait until 5 min apart contrations to go to hospital then when she did that was told she had left it abit late She only lives 5-10 mintutes from the hospital too!

Hi all,

Feeling very proud of myself. Downstairs done, plus, ran a cleaning solution through washing machine, sorted a couple of cupboards and cleaned and sorted the place where we kept the nappies last time and put the new nappies and wipes etc in place all ready. Have also washed and dried last few baby clothes and sorted which baby clothes need to go in hospital bag.

Upstairs still an absolute tip, but I'm not looking!

Am totally exhausted now, but much calmer and feel more in control.

About the contractions thing, I had erratic contractions from start to finish with both boys, anything from 5 mins to 60 seconds apart with no apparent pattern (probably due to babies being posterior). I would say call the labour ward as soon as you feel you can't cope any more. They will keep you on the phone until you have a contraction and judge from your reaction/voice whether or not you need to go in.

Anyway, just popping in, MIL will be here any second and have to collect DS1 at 3.00. Will check back later and see if we have any 'news' following on from this mornings posts.

Oh yes, and its not just how far apart the contractions are its also how long each contraction lasts for. The longer the contraction, the closer you are to having your baby in your arms.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I was told at NCT class to go to hospital when contractions are around 3-5 minutes apart, but I too am a naive first timer

MsSparkle- oops, mine didnt say anything about not using while pregnant. Can't see the harm?! Anyway, they worked wonders for me! I had never heard of them either, and frankly pulled a face at my friend as if she was a hippy! But i am proven VERY wrong. Definately recommend them!

survived bluewater, my GOD it was busy!!! (what exactly did i expect! )

Hello all big waves.

Busy catching up on thread, loads going on! Guess it will be like this till, ooo, this time next year!

Will have to read through properly and try remember who said what - but about the going into hospital bit and when to go, really it's cool don't worry. Just ring the unit. It's amazing how much we can gather from talking to you on the phone! We reckon regular contractions for a few hours about 5 mins apart. The bummer being they do need to be...er....nipping But if you have had them 20 mins and it feels like 'Oh my God this baby is coming' then go on in. If you have been doing the whole pain thing but feel settled, calm can talk through them and aren't frightened - ring the unit and let them know.

The whole idea is that it saves you the trouble of coming in and going home again if it's a false alarm/very early - but it's for you to decide entirely. There is no right or wrong time as how can you know what a cervix you can't even see is doing?

I went in after about 3 serious contractions!!! Couldn't have given a hoot even if they culdn't FIND my cervix! Felt bit of an arse when I was in really really early labour and I thought I wanted to push - hey ho!! Once I knew this was it and these were the contractions I felt more relaxed and in control so going in early worked for me, as I'm 'at home' in a hospital. If I'd taken the call from myself I'd have suggested a warm bath and ring back in 2 hours.

Long long post - sorry!

Will be up half night as slept all day [tried to get up but too tired after night shift] so will have good catch up. On long day Sunday so will have to get bodyclock back.
36 hours left to work!!!

I'd definitely say go in when you feel you need to - some people I know have found the pain really hard to cope with even early on and some people found the thought of a journey to hospital panicked them so wanted to get it over with so they could relax and get on with having the baby. You might find that you are having regular contractions at home but the journey and change of surroundings disrupts them a bit so don't worry if you get there and everything seems to go quiet for a while.

If you do end up in the situation I was in last time with your waters going but contractions not starting then it is worth going home again if that is an option rather than being kept in. I found I didn't sleep on the antenatal ward and was stressed out by the whole scenario - I think if I had gone home I would have found contractions would have started a lot quicker and I would have had some decent food and rest so would have been better prepared for labour.

Qumps and GTDAB - Thinking of you both, hope all ok.

Oops - just realised tree has given proper professional advice!

Would second part about not worrying about going in too early if you feel like you need to, just have it in mind that you might be coming homeagain.

Hi all, lots of messages to catch up on. Hope that all of you who have been poorly are feeling better - we've been passing a cold around our family, hopefully we've all had it now and don't get a 2nd turn!
Went to the hospital today to sign forms etc as I'm booked for c-section on Monday morning. I can't believe its so soon and after the weekend we'll have a new baby! I think we're nearly ready, need to work out how to fit the new car seat into the car and get the kids to wrap a couple of presents. Hopefully if everything goes well I'll be back at home Xmas eve - I have a freezer full of food and my parents coming to help so shouldn't have to do anything except lie on the sofa.
Need to go and cook dinner now, dh out at a work party so night in watching girlie telly

hi all, its very exciting on here now! I got some valuable advice from a girl whose baby is only 5 weeks old. She was told not to panic when labour started. It seems obvious and not only do you feel panicky and ready to go, but also worried as if anything is painful you think its going to get more painful.

She said she was councelled to think of the feelings as pushing, pressure and warmth. She also said that the pains were different at different times in labour, not worse or better . Oh, and that the actual contractions felt like a concentrated period pain in that region.

Hope that helps .

GTDAB - Glad all ok. Try not to worry too much and get some rest.

Had another thought for early labour - really really important to try and relax, even though I'd had that drummed in to me at NCT classes when labour actually started in earnest I started panicking about the pain and it made it a million times more painful. Tell yourself to be calm and honestly it hurts a lot less if you do.

x-posts there FLF!!

lol lenni. great minds . you can tell who has had labour scares this week!

evening everyone,

argh what a grim day. ds still very poorly, he was crying totally inconsolably this morning, really unlike him, with horrid high pitched squawks. Sounded like he was in a lot of pain, and when he started hitting himself on the head and trying to bang his head on the floor we went straight to the GP - there before the doors opened. Turns out he has an ear infection, and has been prescribed antibiotics and a suppository painkiller cos it's been so hard to get Calpol down him. Trouble is, the painkillers seem to run out before we're allowed the next dose, so we've had 2 spells each of an hour when he's been in horrible pain, with the screaming and head banging and hitting us. It has been heartbreaking not being able to do anything more for him.

Sorry about that. just needed to get it off my chest.

just to add to the when-to-go-to-hospital thing - my experience was that I felt most comfortable at home and wanted to stay there as long as possible. Having a doula really helped with that as if it'd been just us we'd have been too nervous to leave it as late as we did. I went when my contractions were about 3 mins apart. The down side of that was that it felt really disruptive and was the most stressful part of labour for me - I can imagine that going earlier and bedding in might be less so.. but I see the 5 mins thing as a guide, which you can kind of superimpose your own preferences onto. If you know what I mean.

Mammoth post. Sorry.

MM - go girl! sounds like you were a bit of a whirlwind. Hope you're relaxing now.

Oh Spink - crappola day for you and your poor wee man!! all my sympathy. Have you tried brufen with the calpol? Sure you have but just in case.

Excellent advice from LenniEd!!! People who have had babies know WAY more than midwives [1st lesson for a student midwife!] I've had a baby and I'm a midwife but turns out two positives make a minus and I feel totally out of my depth with this pregnancy! Bizarre.

Great point from LenniEd about when to go in - I knew I just wanted to get there and get setled, that suited me. Tip, if you get there and feel it's all died off it's the adrenaline of travelling etc thats squashed your endorphins and oxcytocin. Take a long walk around the hospital, suss out the shop, do the stairs 3 times, then go to delivery suite. Acclimatise and take it slow. And savour it, like a wedding day, you may never do this again, and if you do it wont be the same. Talk to and reassure birth partner as his anxiety will rub off on you too, so take time for a cuddle and an excited last look at the car seat hopefully soon to be filled!

With dd1 I just couldn't wait for labour. Really. I wanted to know what it would be like and what my story would be. This time, I want to get a big bucket of sand and stick my head in it. Possibly whole body. Sigh.

My other advice, particulary 1st timers going into labour. WELCOME the contraction, sigh out with a smile and say 'good, another one, one less to have later, another rush of endorphins, another step nearer'. This really assists the process. Inwardly screaming 'nooooo I don't want to and I'm frightened' can have a very powerful effect. Your body can really flick into living in a cave and the tigers are coming mode, in which case labour can slow and be delayed for safety reasons!

It's bloody tricky for some people, or in some cases, but the good [?] news is your body gives you ages to practice. Hours usually and occasionally days of niggling and practising.

Can you hear me trying to enthuse myself and get some energy behind me!? Actually it's working, feel quite emotional when I remember me and dh stood under a cherry blossom [strangely in bloom in Oct] having contractions and texting everyone! I kept leaning on it and pushing on it really hard, I'm sure I pushed it over a bit.

Got 3 11 and 1/2 hours shifts left [day, night, day] then leave work. BRING IT ON!!

God what a longwinded bore I am.

Many apologies

thanks treedelivery we're doing the brufen orally, main problem with that is that so little of it actually goes down, I'm sure a bit gets in but not sure it is an effective dose..

Anyhow, enjoy the last few bits of work and then it is you and baby time! woohoo!!

Hi from Jan 2008!!!

Just wanted to say good luck to all those who have their births to come and congratulations to those who have had.

Ooooo just checked him our on your profile. What a cutie!!! Having hormonal surge.

We used to put calpol or brufen in milk. It was the only way. Only a bit so she got it all in one go.

Now she's realised it's lovely stuff and asks for it

Hows you moosemama? Is downstairs still a show home?

DH building drawers for dd1 bedroom. They are going to share [cue hysterical manic laughter] so storage solutions a plenty needed.

Might get to unpack 2 great IKEA bags of baby stuff and do a bit of nesting.

It's Christmas on Thursday and my house is a tip! The shower hasn't worked since June and think I'll get stuck in the bath one of these days. If anyone gets a manic nesting trip can you come round to mine please?

Poor you. Remember - a box of chocolates. They really do help!

Baby did mega crazy things, lots of them to do with sticking her hands through my cervix I'm sure, last night when at work. Had to keep squeking and sitting funny

Hope you sleep. rescue remedy and audio book on the ipod for me tonight.

...

Morning ladies

I had the trace yesterday, babies heartbeat was too fast again (peaking at 210+ bpm) they questioned whether we should go back in the afternoon for a repeat trace but then decided it would be OK for me to keep an eye on it at home with the doppler, which suprised us since they've ignored my doppler all the way through. So next step is Tuesday morning for another trace, and then Friday evening for the induction. It seems so strange to think that by this time next week I might will either already have had him or at least be well on the way to doing so! In fact if it all goes very quickly and very well, we could be just waiting to come home! Seems so unreal at the moment!

If I can add my 2p's worth of advice to get through contractions, it sounds a bit lentil-weaverish, but it works, when they start getting a bit much, your reaction is to tense up at the start of another contraction and think 'no no no no no more please' etc. but if you physically make yourself relax and think (or saying it outloud is even better if you're past the point of caring!) 'yes yes yes' to the contraction and imagine the baby coming lower with each pain, it really does help your state of mind, and IMO and E, the progress of the labour. If you welcome them instead of fighting them it really does help, and for me it tricked me into thinking I had more control over it, instead of wishing it all away(which it obviously won't do), wishing it would hurry up really helped.