Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

How many days of contractions before it all really started?

51 replies

Banoffie · 30/09/2003 19:29

hi everyone

this is my first post... hope i do this right - i am actually asking on behalf of my sis who is due in 2 weeks. it's her second child and she has a 3 year old little boy already.
she has been having 1 or 2 hours worth of contractions the they stop completely for 2 days.... is that common ? have any of you had this ? i didn't so i can't relate. and if you had this how many of this did you ahve before it all finally started.
thank you.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Lamin · 30/09/2003 19:42

Hi Banoffie

My waters broke on Sunday night, I started contractions on Tuesday night, had a day of labour on the Wednesday then contractions tailed off to one an hour, this carried on all day Thursday so I had acupuncture morning and afternoon and then started have contractions 5 mins apart on the Thursday night. Eventually gave birth on Friday at 3.30pm. Luckily I was being looked after by independent midwives Tell your sis to hang in there - it will happen. I was getting really desperate and thought I would never have my baby - kept asking to go and have a caesarean but my midwives and dh just laughed at me!

Lamin · 30/09/2003 19:44

Meant to say benefit of independent midwives was i would have been induced at my local hosp - policy of 48 hours post waters breaking.

pupuce · 30/09/2003 19:49

Banoffie - that's a tricky one.... it is common... as it is her 2nd baby it may be faster. Lamin was it your first ?
BTW- Lamin.... policy or not you are in your right to refuse an induction.... a hospital is not in its right to do what ever they want without your consent. You can easily wait 72 hours after waters breaking anyway.... however it is true that hospitals will speak (or talk!) to you as if you don't have a choice.. but you do.

Oakmaiden · 30/09/2003 19:52

I can relate to this - bet Pie can too, judging by her recent post on the Sept/Oct thread. Basically, you can't tell. Unless and until you get into really established labour, then it can all just stop and go away again, and who knows when it will restart? It is such a git. (Feeling really grumpy here). Hopefully it won't be too long (for any of us!!!!)

Original poster

Banoffie · 30/09/2003 19:52

well her waters haven't gone.
Thanks pupuce... that's good advice... i think we tend to forget don't we ? my sis is very stubborn so i doubt they'd bully her into an induction if her waters went anyway.

OP posts:

Lamin · 30/09/2003 20:00

It was my first baby hence I would have found it difficult to refuse an induction - now things would be different of course! It didn't help that I had my mum, sister (a doctor) and my sister in law (ex nurse) all ringing me up saying I should be induced and get myself off to hospital and stop messing about with airy fairy midwives! Glad I didn't though - had a water birth in the end (again not sure local hosp would have let me do this) - an amazing experience.

Original poster

Banoffie · 01/10/2003 20:10

My sis is still pregnant... she hasn't had more contractions... she is just keen to see what will happen next.

OP posts:

Linnet · 01/10/2003 21:18

I was due on the Friday, had a sweep the following Tuesday, had niggly contractions from Tuesday lunchtime on and off up until my waters broke in the early hours of the following sunday morning.

pupuce · 02/10/2003 19:02

Oakmaiden are you having contractions too ?

bluebear · 05/10/2003 19:12

Feeling a bit cheated - had mild contractions 2 minutes apart on Sat am. Went into hospital to get checked up and told I was in 'very early labour' and kept in for observation (I am hoping for a normal birth after an emergency section for ds1). Contractions got bigger, but down to 1 every 10 minutes and have just stayed like that for over a day now. Tried to escape the hospital last night but it was 2am before the relevant pieces of paper were filled in, so I gave up and spent the night there. Didn't escape until early this pm. Still having uncomfortable contractions every 10 minutes. Would be happy for them to stop or escalate but this is very frustrating! Dh is suggesting curry, pineapple and a bit of t'other to hurry things along.

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:18

I would suggest 2 paracetamols and up to bed.... it will allow you to sleep or at least seriousy doze off... get you ready for labour.... and it might get you going too (Tip from a doula!)

bluebear · 05/10/2003 19:22

thanks pupuce - Did that when I got home and just woken up .

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:23

OK.... so either you are "serious" about getting going and you can try caullophyllum 200 once every day or get some reflexology... but to be honest if babe's not ready--- then babe's not ready !
Is it your 2nd ?

bluebear · 05/10/2003 19:25

BTW I think I must have been going into QCH yesterday as you and Pie were leaving - small mumsnetter world!

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:26

Yeah.... what time were you there ? Birth centre or labour ward ????

bluebear · 05/10/2003 19:36

Labour ward - about 11am. Originally wanted birth centre but compromised on labour ward and a belief that this time I would do things the way I want to (i.e. no lying on beds for long periods of time, agreed to continuous monitoring but only if I maintained mobility). Staff on labour ward were very supportive.
Am now hoping to recharge batteries and stay at home as long as possible before the next labour ward dash.

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:38

Hey - we were there then.... baby pie had just been born....
There was another doula on the ward too !
If you can get Graham the male MW - he was FAB !!!!!!!

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:39

BTW- you are 100% right - stay at home as long as you can as it will increase your chances of success in VBAC (again doula tip )

bluebear · 05/10/2003 19:40

Thanks for the tip - never heard of caullophyllum 200 - will look for it first thing tomorrow.
Yup, this is my second baby, got fully dilated with first but had CPD. Have been okay-ed for normal delivery this time as babe does not seem too big but would prefer sooner rather than later in the circumstances.
As you said, if the babe's not ready, it's not ready!

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:41

It's homeopathy

bluebear · 05/10/2003 19:45

Posts keep crossing .
Thanks, you've cheered me up and focussed me a bit more. I'm off to the promised curry now. When I (eventually) get back to QCH I'll look out for Graham - though TBH all the midwives I met this weekend have been fabulous compared to those that I had for the first birth.

pupuce · 05/10/2003 19:49

Keep positive - you can do it
Keep cool....
Enjoy the curry it may be your last one for a while !

Glad you found the MW good- that is so important - Suzy (MW) was also very good - VERY hands off...
Pie told me today that when I left she saw 2 other MW who were not "so" nice.... one told her off for letting her newborn cry !

doormat · 05/10/2003 20:40

pupuce- can women have irritable uterus'.
The reason I am asking is with all my boys I have had contractions (every 5 mins) for around 4 weeks before giving birth or being induced.

pupuce · 05/10/2003 20:54

I think so but Mears would know....
I would also say some women confuse contractions and Braxton Hicks too.

doormat · 05/10/2003 20:57

Thanx pupuce, I know what you mean about the braxtons but these were definitely contractions as my cervix was opening very slowly, especially with second son.Doctors told me it was an irritable uterus.
I had 3 girls first then 3 boys.

Flip

1 2 3