'false' labour? How long will it go on for

[pipparoo]

hi all,

I'm 38+3 with my second baby. My labour with my DD started at 40+6 without any prior twinges. For the last two nights I've been awoken by what I've thought to be the start of labour- back ache, period type pain then regular mild contractions, 5 mins apart, lasting 30-60 seconds. This goes on for a couple of hours then stops.

Has anyone had experience of this? When did actual labour start? Does it mean my body is preparing itself for labour or do I have weeks of interrupted sleep to endure?

Thank you in advance

Pip

In my experience (3 children) there's just no way of knowing. Sorry. Each birth is different. I DID have a lot more niggles & false starts with numbers 2 and 3 - and a midwife at the time told me that this is the uterus doing a lot of preparatory work, so the labour itself (when it happens) should be quicker. Only thing you can know for sure I guess is that the baby will be born by 42 weeks, it's a bit of an endurance test to be honest - but all you can do is get as much sleep as possible & try not to stress about it too much (easier said than done I know) - and I guess that goes for AFTER the birth as well. Good luck - and hope you don't have too much longer to wait.

Thank you for your reply. My mw said today that the baby is fully engaged and that she was surprised at how low down she was finding the heartbeat. She said that could explain the pains on Sunday and monday. Luckily I haven't had any more sleepless nights so feeling a lot better about it all!

Thanks again