Have been in latant labour all week, not progressing and getting very frustrated :(

[Shhhdonttell]

Hi everyone, I had a show last Sunday and then started having on and off contractions on Monday, yesterday around 3 pm they started regulating and coming at 6 mins apart and then by 6pm they were 4 mins apart, although they were getting closer together they were not getting stronger then by about 9pm they just stopped! I went to bed at midnight feeling very disappointed only to wake up throughout the night with much stronger (but further apart) contractions! So now I am having irregular but strong contractions and am not really sure whats going on - does anybody have any experience of anything similar and can you reassure me that my baby will be here soon and I'm not going to be pregnant forever?! I have had so many false alarms I just don't feel excited anymore, just frustrated and tired.

Hello Shhhdonttell,

when is your baby due? Without wanting to sound like the voice of doom, I had this for about two weeks. Every night I'd go to bed expecting to have the baby that night, and I'd wake up and sob because I was still PG at 41+ weeks.

BUT, on 41+6 I went to the MW for a sweep 8am, and surprise, surprise - was 4 cm dilated - things didn't kick off until 6pm that day, but I had the most amazing, fast but not furious birth. Labour established at 6, she was born at 7.15.

So whatever is going on in there, I reckon you're limbering up and stretching which can only help the main event!

Best of luck

Is your baby back to back?

Both mine were, but with DS I had a very slow latent phase too

Keep active, drink sugary drinks and bounce on a birthing ball if you have one

Hi OhFor and Ruby, I am 40+5 and baby not b2b, I am keeping up the lucozade and birthing ball walking up and down stairs etc (although at the moment I am lying on sofa waiting for DH to cook my breakfast!) feeling like I am going to be pregnant forever! Seeing Midwife on Wed for a sweep then... Does it hurt?!

My sweep was fairly brutal but very effective

I went into labour 2 hours after and had DD just 7 hours later

You won't be pregnant forever although I am sure it feels like it!

Its really uncomfortable if I'm honest. I had 5. I also had acupuncture the day before. Mango juice, spicy food, castor oil, did all that. Got massively down about it because I'd have lost my HB if I hadn't gone into spontaneous labour.

It was horrible at the time, but I'd go through it all again if it meant I had the dream birth. Quick, managable, no tearing, and she was born with membranes intact. Meant to be lucky!

And because of all that I'm hopeful for you!

Thank you both of you, I am feeling much better (although dreading the sweep) and will try and focus on the positives (surely every contraction I have now I one I won't have to have later!) and will try and keep busy so I'm not so focused on waiting to go into labour! Thanks so much again!

Did you see this on warm-up labour.

If you are contracting irregularly or just slowly the best I can advise is sex!! It def works to get things going. I did this was my third I was in slow labour for 5 days and 4cm for 3 days. Midwife came round and recommended that we give it a go.

2 hours later DS had arrived. the chemicals in the Sperm and stimulation encourages labour. I know you might not feel like it, but it worked for us. Good luck i'm sure what ever you decide it won't be long.

I had pre labour for about 2 weeks also before DS was born, at 40+10 I had a sweep and was 4cm dilated and fully effaced. sweep was fine, not that uncomfortable, the MW was ace so she was gentle and I could relax (if you tense up, everything else will iyswim) take deep breaths, and try to relax. my mw said she did a 'turbo sweep' (what ever that was!!) and it really was fine.

i went into labour that night, and although it was fast, it was lovely.

I kinda think having a while of pre labour helps, as when things do kick off you have already done loads of the work, but it's been broken up over a few days.

hope that helps (and makes sense!) x

Thanks Smile, Pink and HBM, I am working my way through the article now... As for the sex it sounds more appealing than the sweep so more than happy to pull out the come to bed eyes! Will update if anything happens!

shh Any news yet??

Just to give you a bit of hope...

With my DS (first baby) I had a few grumblings from 41 weeks, then started with contractions on the saturday night (mild - like bad period pains), then stopped on Sunday for about 6 hours. Got stronger sunday night, 5 mins apart, then stopped monday morning for 5 hours. Full blown contractions restarted at 12.30pm monday, went to hopsital at 3.30pm, 7cm dilated on admission, pushing just after 5 and delivered at 6.10pm (2 weeks overdue).

So a stop/start prelabour doesn't mean it won't all go quickly and well in the end.

SLEEP WHENEVER YOU CAN. I was exhausted afterwards, despite what they class as less than 6 hours of labour, and of course no sleep for the next 3 days once LO here.

Very best of luck

I had these for about two weeks on dc2, I tried the ball and all methods of getting things going none of it worked. I would advise sleep which is what I eventually did.

A sweep got her moving I didn't find it any worse than a normal internal .

No news yet!!! My contractions are getting stronger but they are still miles apart and no other signs of impending birth!!!

I am just getting lots of sleep and distracting myself with terrible day time TV and chocolate I have resigned myself to the thought that she will come when she is ready and not before... (I am hoping that this kind of reverse psychology will get her moving... I'm told it usually gets children to do what you want them to!)

Thanks to everybody for all your encouraging stories if nothing else I feel much more normal and laid back about all the stop/start malarky!