Could sleep be stopping labour starting?

[Charingcrossbun]

A weird one I know but I'm 40+5
And so frustrated!!
Last night DP and I dtd and an hour or so later
I got bad period pains/back ache not in waves so I don't think it was contractions (not the first time this has happened) I was so uncomfortable though that I couldn't sit as it creased the base of my bump iyswim. I was standing or on all fours for the next hour or so finally thinking that things were happening. I then went to bed and nothing, at all, slept like a baby.
If anything I've been sleeping better the last few nights!
If this happens again is it worth staying up? Walking round trying to get the party started? I can take afternoon naps so I won't be completely sleep deprived.....
I know babies come when they are ready but I just feel like this one never is!! What if there is something wrong?

No, if you are tired it will prevent your labour starting. Sleep when you need to sleep. You will be woken up if everything kicks off, obviously your body is just not ready.

Sleep most definitely won't be stopping labour. You need to be nice and rested up and once things get going almost nothing will stop it. I think I once heard most women go into labour in the night, which wouldn't be the case if sleep effected things.

Try not to get too disheartened about the stop start contractions, each contraction is helping get your cervix ready even if they pitter out to nothing. Infact often when things are stop start women say they ended up having a quite quick labour, so fingers crossed when things get going they're nice and quick for you.

Is it your first? I had a couple of false starts to labour the two nights before actually going into labour properly. Have heard it's quite common for first babies. I think if you're sleeping better, it might be your body's way of resting up before giving birth so I would take advantage of the rest - I was so tired from all the stop-starting over the previous two nights I was nodding off in the birth pool between contractions when it all got going!

Oh, and I can testify to what Cuppa says above - after all the faff, once I was actually in labour it was 5.5hrs start to finish so I think all the preparation my body was doing did accomplish something!

Thank you ladies! It is my first so here's hoping the stop start is nudging me further down the road! Just sooo keen to hold my baby and soooo fed up with the "have you had it yet" messages of support! Which I know is exactly what they are meant I be but in my emotional state it almost feels like I'm failing at the first hurdle of motherhood - can't even get the baby out! Ridiculous I know

It doesn't matter when or how the baby gets here - no reflection on you as a mother! You will be enjoying newborn cuddles soon enough!

This happened with my second, where things gelt like they were starting and were building up but I would manage to go to sleep and nothing... I don't know if sleep could be stoppimg things but I took the view that it was better to sleep and preserve energy.