Due November 09 - 10 days left, who will be next?

[longwayaway]

Last chance for a Scorpio, after this weekend they'll all be Sagittarians!

ps where is Grace??

Ninja congratulations! Alfred is a great name, if Millie had been a boy she would have been Alfred so glad someone else on this thread has used it!

Good luck to all you people left, hopefully by the end of the week we will all be on one thread. I wonder if that one will be as chatty, if we have the time with our newborns?!

I've just cried my eyes out at this thread Six Word Memoir on Motherhood

Congratulations ninja and welcome Alfred. Great name. We have a whole list of amazing names actually, very impressed!

sass exciting news, you go!

I definitely echo laugs advice about the contractions being like a hill to get up and come back down the other side. One of the midwives explained it to me like this in order to help me use the gas and air - start to inhale when you feel it's approaching, in and out up to the summit and then use your breathing to get down the other side. The coming down is such a relief it's almost not even sore anymore and on the way 'up' it really helped to have something to focus on other than the pain.

Good luck labourers!

Aw laugs you have set me off directing us to that thread - shall we show postnatal too?

I love

My heart is outside my body now

Thanks, ladies.

laugs that's how I'd like to approach things as well. Even now I'm not really that bothered about it all and think she'll come in her own time.

The only times it really bothers me is when I receive yet another call or message. Honest, it's similar to a kid in the back seat going 'are-we-there-yet-are-we-there-yet' at 150 decibels. Just leave me alone you people, stop reminding me that, yes, I AM OVERDUE!!! Breathe...

I'm still looking forward to the birth and still not scared of it. Just can't wait to meet this lazy munchkin.

I don't really think about this induction lark, too far into the future for my current liking.

sass things are moving then! I'm off to scrub the bathroom.

I had a look at that thread earlier today. Looks great, but I'm not going back to it as don't want to cry.

sass hope this is it for you

laugs great news from the bf advisor, keep up the good work!

Fingers crossed you waiting ladies are not waiting too much longer

Can I ask a gross question? Sorry...

Is it OK for the show to look like old blood? Like at the end of a period, brown, not pink?

Sorry, don't know what's normal.

skorpion mine had old blood in it, definitely. No pink, but brown scattered through the...other stuff. I think that's all normal. I'm wondering if there's more to come, or if that was the job done. Not that it matters, just curious about what to expect.

And thanks for the encouragement everyone! Having sporadic contractions of different length, not worth timing them yet I don't think, too ad hoc.

skorpion Mine was a combination. Had some red blood and brown blood on the same pad and phoned the hospital as I was worried the brown might be waters with meconium but waters would have been much greater volume.

Sounds like babies are on their way now, best of luck!!

Ooh this thread it's getting so close to its final chapter! Really excited for you both. Skorpion I think my show was more of the pink and red than brown, but I know when I had bleeds during the pregnancy and rang the hospital they were never concerned by old blood. You could always ring in case if it would put your mind at ease. Sass my first pregnancy my whole show came out in one great big shocking blob, but this time it was much more spread out over a day or so, so I guess you just have to wait and see.

This sounds insane, but I'm almost jealous of both of you going into labour again. Not that I want a repeat of the pain, but that experience of meeting your baby for the first time is just unreal. There can be no high like it. (though gas and air was fun too for a while )

I'm sitting here wearing James curled up in a sling on my chest. I've known him for less than 36 hours, but already feel like I know him so well. No 1 thing he hates: being put down. (Ha, you can tell it's day 3 because I am a big bundle of raging emotions)

I've just remembered, Skorpion, the first time I wiped, my show was very pale brown. When I went to the toilet the next time it was pinker, then gradually became more pink with red bits.

Is there such a thing as TMI any more on this thread?

Good point, laugs, no inhibitions anymore. And it's only just the begining of labour. Well, I hope.

Aw, I can't wait for that feeling.

Thanks for reassurance, ladies. I'll leave it for now as I'm seeing the midwife tomorrow anyway.

I've been going up and down the stairs too to get things moving. Just realised how unfit I've become.

sass Keeping my fingers crossed that the contractions become more regular and lead to something soon.

No word from grace? Hopefully she has her hands busy.

Here's to a good night everyone! xx

I don't think there's TMI when it comes to these things! Something odd happened to my lady garden the other day and DH (interested in military history) said to me, "I think we can expect commando raids and other diversionary tactics before the main invasion." Let's hope all these shows are part of the main invasion and not a commando raid!

That was a lovely thing to hear laugs, I read it out to my DH (about meeting your baby for the first time). Made us both smile and look forward to it more.

Hope your stairs work skorpion, keep us posted! We're off for a late night walk.

Sleep well everyone.

My brain is disconnected but just wanted to at all you lovely ladies.

Laugs indeed we are now connected

Hi, just wanted to check if there's anybody patrolling the thread this late into the night. I think I just started contracting. Very irregular but stronger than your usual period pain. I think I'll give timing a go.

Hey skorpion, I was going to get online in the night as well, but wasn't sure if anyone would be around. I had them about every 10 minutes (abot20 seconds each) all evening, then i decided to try for some sleep and they got milder but longer, and came every half hour throughout the night. So I did get some sleep in between them, but not exactly restful sleep! How was your night in the end? Did you start timing?

I called the hospital and they told me not to use the tens machine until I was 2-3 cm dilated (and I'm supposed to know that how?!) but I thought I was supposed to put it on as soon as things started. Had it on for about 20 mins, didn't seem to do much, but I gather it needs to build up. Anyone got any Tips for Tens?

So just sitting here with Raspberry Leaf tea waiting to see if things are going to pick up or slow down!

Hope all the new mums got some rest last night.

My contractions started around 5pm and I went to the cinema then had a bath about 11pm with the aim of relaxing & getting some sleep. About 1:30 realised there was no chance of sleep and put my tens on. As far as I know you should use it from as early as possible as it builds up the endorphins in your system. Like you say, how can you know how dilated you are??
Best of luck guys!

Hi sass - the server went down anyway just after I logged on. Mine came in when we were in bed, not regular at all. They got milder and fizzled out while I was having a cup of tea (raspberry here, too), but got stronger again back in bed. I managed to get some sleep, though, and am just on my way out to see the mw.

They feel really strange at the moment - not frequent but really painfull very low down, not the whole belly. And my back is painful, too. I'm just hoping this develops into proper labour.

Sorry, no tips for TENS - I thought you were OK to whack it on straight away (didn't do mine, as it's in the boot of the car). Yes, how would you know how much you're dilated, eh?

Anyway - sending you some good labour wishes. Let's hope we can wrap this thread up nicely and quickly. Have you started writing your closing speech yet?

Thanks, claire, that's making much more sense.

Oh I should have come on in the night! I was up with James doing his 3.30-7am feed (looks like it's becoming a fixture )

I found the contraction master really useful for timing, if you generally have the computer on anyway. (Before that I was sort of cheating and rounding up/down to make them closer together and longer - only cheating myself, obviously!)

I started using the Tens when I was having contractions about 10 mins apart and I definitely found that helpful, even if just because it gives you something to fiddle around with at that stage.

I hope things pick up for you both! Remember to climb the hills etc

Not wanting to jump the gun, but since they'll be busy, I'm wondering if we can round up one of our resident poets to finish off the thread when the time comes?

Becky? Ninja?

That sounds perfect.

Right, off to the mw, hopefully for some good news.

laugs i'm using your hill climbing, it helps a lot! Poor you with the immense nighttime feed. I'm trying to get rid of the idea that day and night are different - they are just going to be jumbled into one for a while. But DH isn't working right now and we have no other kids so that will be easier for us.

thanks claire. I'll crack out the Tens soon.

Good luck at the MW, skorpion, let us know what happens. Will work on closing speech!