Due March 2010 - I'm a baby get me out of here!

[annamama]

New ante-natal thread... the post-natal thread is here

wow TLC abd scooby - sure you won;t be reading this while still in labour but hope all goes well and can;t wait to hear your news [samile]

henrietta at your cervix! and at your DH being in a cardboard box!!! Is he out now? Maybe a little DIY sweep might be in order? Look forward to hearing your news too..

mawbroon how disappointing but it really does sound as if you are very close. I suppose I am in a similar boat - was woken up again last night with very mild contractions but again they have come to nothing. And you probably are significantly (perhaps not quite 9cm!) dilated and when things really start you will have a lovely quick labour. Fingers crossed for you.

arnica I took arnica before and after labour with DS and was hardly sore at all so am doing it again (although who knwos if I would have been sore without it). I say if you believe anything will have an effect then why not take it? As long as it doesn;t do any harm...

Pacific - eek at a big day out just you and 3 boys - I am scared of going anywhere too far atm. Mind you I am now 41 wks pg and counting! Love your meeting DH story!

smac - what a difficult decision - and confusing advice - what are you thinking about the CS now? Is your next sweep on Monday and then CS on Tues? Could you postpone the CS by a few more days or would you rather just get it over with? FWIW I feel loads better now at 41 weeks than I did at 40+1 - think I have just adjusted my expectations and have actually been a lot more active/chirpier over the last few days.

I am very happy to wait until 40+15 for an induction as I would really like to avoid it if poss - strapped to drip and continuously monitored is not what I was hoping for - of course I don't want to out the baby at risk but 40+15 is what I was offered so am happy with that.

Right, off to read BPM's labour story for inspirarion...

crossed posts IWCAS - have a great night out - very very !

annamama at your big poo! Imagine if your baby had just popped out - I think my grandma was supposed to have been born in the toilet...

Really... I'm always amazed at hearing stories like that, you never know but I don't think it will be that easy! Also amazed at stories of people who didn't know they were pregnant until having the baby.

Oh yeah IWCAS good luck for tonight, sure you'll look fab. Try not to fart or burp... (very hard to avoid in late pregnancy!).

Re induction - I think I would want to avoid that if the baby is being monitored and still healthy. Have heard too many bad stories about induction... although some turn out good.

IWCAS cervix sort of feels like an boiled egg at least thats how its been described on here - this is my 4th pregnancy and the first time Ive checked for it - the bad influence of you MNers
drskid I had cont for a week before the last one so Im not really getting hopes up Im only 36 wks preg.
annamama at poo

I've just read BPM's labour story on the post-natal thread - was a quick one. Just wondering, but when people ask 'how long was your labour?' when do you start counting from?

I've been playing with my new camcorder which I bought to record little one for posterity, and EEEEK! - where did my double friggin chin come from? A previous size 10, and now a d chin. Perhaps it's water retention (Shroomer disappears off repeating that to herself so she can have another chocolate biscuit...)

Glad I made you laugh ICWAS. I am so crabbit that I have spent a lot of time hidden away in the bedroom on my own, away from dh and ds.

Have the ILs coming round shortly, they are bringing dutch pea soup (snert) for lunch which apparently brings on labour . I'll just humour them eh?

Heckle - our membership to Deep Sea World expired at the end of Jan. I thought membership was a good idea, but was fed up of going there by the end. Last time we went, I had to negociate round the places with a stookie, crutches and a huge bump. At least I only had to stand on the conveyor belt in the shark tunnel!

Re the cervix checking. I can't reach!! I can't get my arm round my bump far enough!! The comparison is that it feels like the end of your nose, but I guess hard boiled egg would also be a good description. Hopefully i will have that image out of my head before the next time I eat a hard boiled egg....

I let on to a few people that things were getting going the other day. Silly me, that was a bit dumb, cos now if I don't answer the phone, they are all getting excited.

Afternoon ladies

TLC and Scooby yay for waters breaking!! Am so excited for you both - more babies arriving! Hope you're both doing well (you may even be enjoying some newborn cuddles by now ).

Anna firstly at your soft play image and then at the poo! You have a way with words

Shroomer I've had the same question about how you measure the length of labour. Our antenatal teacher (who's a midwife) said it's active labour, so from when the contractions are overwhelming (so you can't speak, type, walk etc) and they're coming regularly (l0 mins or less apart). Anything before active labour is the latent labour stage which can go on for days (especially in first timers apparently).

Big waves to everyone else.

Funny day for me today. Had an utterly terrible night of sleep (or rather no sleep ) - for the first time in ages my hypnobirthing CD didn't get me off to sleep so worst night of pregnancy insomnia in ages. Luckily have had a nap now so feeling less horrible. Though am having odd period-y feelings. Kind of crampy pains and twinge-y BHs. But, this is going to sound very silly, but I don't ever get period pains so not sure if these really are cramps . They're uncomfortable though not actually painful and across my abdomen.

I sent DH off on his usual long cycle this afternoon and haven't mentioned the crampy pains to him. This is only because we went out for a curry last night (but I've already had a poo this morning, so don't think my cramps are poo-related ) and I had this epiphany that I'd end up hating the last days/weeks of my pregnancy if I behaved like a two-week wait symptom spotting obsessive. Hard to explain, but basically I decided to not check my cervix/desperately wish for BHs/sit uncomfortably and then wonder if the resulting back ache was meaningful/etc because it would be the pregnancy equivalent of being a two-week wait symtom spotting obsessive and then being upset when my period arrived. Sorry to ramble but it made perfect sense to me at half ten last night!

But then today I get weird crampy pains and start to think "ooh, maybe this baby will come out at some point!".

Maybe it's the full moon tomorrow - a friend in Japan went into labour on a full moon and says her Japanese friends were all like, "of course, it's very usual to go into labour on a full moon". So ladies, maybe we'll be getting some moon-inspired thread babies soon!

Aaaaanyway, sorry for self-obsessed ramble. I need to go and hang laundry, clean some windows while the sun is shining and then settle down to watch Ireland beat England in the rugby!! If that doesn't distract me from whatever's going on in my womb then I don't know what will

Just checking in - really do no want to miss any exciting announcements ! I think the MN record is a dad who posted at 10 minutes after wife had given birth at home to announce the new arrival ! So there's a challenge to Mr TLC and Mr Scooby ...

The excitement in Build-a-Bear-Workshop was almost too much to bear (pardon the pun) for DSs1 and 2; No3 was mainly overwhelmed by the noise and commotion and chose to stay in buggy, phew! We had gift cards from Christmas that were finally used. They chose identical puppies with identical dog beds and leads called Floppy and .....Flappy . Nil points for originality!!

I like anna's stance against obsessive symptom checking although often easier said than done.... All I know is when labour really arrived for me the last time there was absolutely NO WAY I could have mistaken it for something else !

I always thought active labour was defined as 3cm dilated or summat? As you'd have to be at least 1-2cm dilated to allow for a sweep and can be that far without any noticable contractions...?
I always assumed, maybe wrongly, that people who were 'in labour for 3 days' had that frustrating on/off uncomfortable contractions rather than increasingly regular, ingreasingly painful and stronger contractions.

DH still at work, DS3 asleep, DSs1 and 2 playing with new puppies - I might just have a nap on the sofa....
Wake me if anything happens!

Oh, yeah, forgot: IWCAS, have a lovely night out and enjoy wearing outrageous shoes - hope your baby daddy will appreciate them .
I had my (rather quiet) night out last night, wore silly shoes, home by 11.30pm, no alcohol - and could not wait to get stupid shoes off !!

I've read that a non pregnant cervix feels like the tip of your nose. A pregnant cervix feels like a soft donut. (?) I tried to check the other day but wasn't sure what I actually felt, I will try again as it would be good to try to self examine or get DH to do it...

In labour for 3 days... well, I was in really painful labour (and I'm not a wimp!) for about 3 days, to the point where I hadn't slept a wink for 2 nights... and then DD was finally born on the 3rd night. But I think I was very unlucky, it was my first and she was back to back too.

Caitni - cramp like pains could be the start of something, exciting!

mawbroon I look like Ive got a beach ball stuffed up my jumper - perhaps thats why i can still reach.
Pacific I had on/off labour the last time for about a week, but my first labour started at about 12midnight through that night, all through next day & night born at 5am next morning so 2+days labour with no breaks in contractions - coming every 5 mins from word go just getting longer & stronger.

active labour I thought you had to be over 4cm and regularly contracting to the point where you're uncomfortable with the pain to be classed as in labour, certainly my first labour (rack brain) was classed as just a few hours, but contractions had been quite painful for about a day.

feeling really uncomfortable today, still can't really convince myself that anything will happen but hope Im not like this for next 4 weeks finding it quite difficult to cope with picking up kids mess now. i get them to help pick up some, but some you just have to sort out yourself.

Good luck TLC and scooby! Pacific I love your story about meeting DH - he definitely sounds like a keeper (well he's want to be seeing as you're expecting DC4!

I had a terrible night sleep too with cramping - but think it was a malpositioned pillow and crisps before bed.

I can't reach my cervix so might get DH to check it later. High tides and full moon tomorrow so absolutely certain there'll be lots of babies.

Afternoon all...

...I can't even begin to catch up. So exciting all these babies all of a sudden! I've been glued to the birth stories over at the post-natal thread and am torn between really wishing babyHook would get a move on and make an appearance and wishing that the whole process of labour would vanish over the distant horizon

To try and bring on labour, I have been eating many bags of giant Cadbury Buttons. I am conducting a scientific study into the effectiness of this and will let you know.

Mmmm giant chocolate buttons - love them!

Off to bed now after a hard day of yoga and shopping with the paper and a bar of Green and Blacks mint choc...

JasHook, love your study design!

Pixie, you are a tease of the highest order !

Re active labour: I cannot think of anything more demoralising than having had sore contractions for hours/days and then be told 'you are 2 cm dilated, dear' - gah! So I think all of you with prolonged latent labours deserve a medal...
I think all things considered I'd prefer another fast and furious labour - don't quote me on this one though!

Chicken drumsticks cooking as we speak, DH still at work, DS3 had diarrhoea up to his chin (no, literally !) and is back in bed - I am scared to wake him as he will be sooooo grumpy but equally do NOT want him awake for the day at 4am - Oh, what to do??

Um, I think I'd wake him and put up with the evening grumpiness. 4am is a horrible time of day. (Says she who has been bedsharing with a sleepless toddler from circa 4.30 recently).

Choc buttons. Yum. Gooood research. Mine takes the topic of mini eggs.

Latent phase: urrggh. The memory of what must have been my latent phase is really putting me off the idea of a rerun. CXs every 10 mins from the word go. Couldn't rest through them, had to walk and it was 18 hours before they went to every 2 mins and we went in to birthing centre.

Still here. Went out to do the Sainsbury's shop earlier on. It was hard going hobbling round with crutch and ortho boot. I had four or five of these non contractions on the way round and then things seemed to start happening when I got home.

Got to them being less than 10mins apart, so phoned the hospital to see if they thought I should go in. She said if I was happy to stay home then that was fine because the contractions are still not intense, even though they were frequent and lasting 45 seconds or so.

So, I stayed home and then it all fizzled out. Just as well because the hospital was full and they were on divert to the other hospital 20 miles away. Obviously I will go there if I have to when the time comes, but given that we only live a couple of miles from the hospital we want to go to.

Poor ds. I think he is beginning to wonder if this baby is ever going to come!! And he's not the only one!!

Hi all-quick update on phone from hospital. As waters broke and have group b strep ive had 2 be induced into a strong enough labour with drip.meant no pool for me and too painful contractions. I now have a wonderful epidural-no natural for me. Hence quick update.baby be here by tomorow morn x

Well, Sariska, I did get him up: it was horrible! 45 min later he was back in bed and I have not heard a peep since... Pregnancy insomnia might be a Good Thing if he does insist on getting up in the wee small hours of the morning !

scooby, I think you deserve the prize for posting under pressure ! Hope everything else goes well for you. I soooo lurved the anaesthetist who sited my epidural during induced labour with DS1 I probably would've happily handed over said PFB to him - had he asked - or at least named him after him .

mawbroon, how frustrating!! Hope you get some proper action soon. Babe will come to play eventually...

We are back to every 10 mins now, lasting about a minute each time. still not especially sore tbh. Not sure whether to just go to bed, or phone the hospital.

Will dither for a bit.......

Oh I have just hunted you down Maw to see if anything had happened/was happening.

Will be expecting good news tomorrow .

or in the next 3 days at least..........

my my my - all happening here!

Trust me - they're easier out than in! DD spends her nights crying and feeding and days sleeping. Getting ready for years of partyin ahead.

Re Q v start of labour. The midwife told e that they count it from 4 cm.

Good luck with the births everyone - it didn't hurt at all (honest!)

Mornin all. Baby boy finally arrived today at 06.03am,8lb 2oz. All well now but labour not to plan! Name tba later today x