Oh heck. How "imminent" is "imminent"?

[TheBookofRuth]

I'm 36+2. Yesterday I started to get some cramping pains and an increased discharge. Rang hospital who said to monitor, but didn't seem especially concerned.

Saw midwife just now for a routine appointment and she thinks labour is "imminent". Apparently there's blood in my urine, and baby is head down and in "prime position" - not engaged yet but on his way.

She couldn't give me a timeframe but seemed to think sooner rather than later. DD arrived on her due date via EMCS due to a failure to progress. Was supposed to go for a growth scan next week and then decide between a ELCS or VBAC. Doesn't sound like I'll get that far though.

Bricking it. Not ready.

Anywhere between 1hour and 4 weeks.... You cannot tell if labour is imminent, no matter how low the head is, nor how favourable the cervix is, nor if there's blood in the urine.

Chill out, get bits ready so you're as prepared as you can be for whenever baby decides to arrive

I agree with MummyMidwife (who presumably has some expertise in the area!). My MW kept saying that she thought DS would come early, I disagreed and thought he would come late like his sisters. He came 13 days late officially (bit less by my dates).

Thank you both, that's reassuring.

I've already had to talk DH down, he was all set to rush home from work!

Yeah I was at imminent from 39 weeks. Cervix at 2cm, baby engaged, good position, lost mucus plug, strong contractions requiring concentration to breath through them. DS was born at 40+10.

I was told this with dd2 at 37 ish weeks. She was eventually born at 40+13.

There is no way of knowing these things for sure.

Oh god, that's less reassuring! I may not be ready but I'm not THAT not ready!

I was told with DC3 that my cervix was so favourable and my waters bulging that I would likely to go into labour that night and have a precipitate labour at home before anyone could get to me.

I didn't and needed induction. Even once my waters were broken as the first step, nothing happened and I needed a good slug of syntocinon to persuade her out!

Ugh, this is getting tedious. Still getting cramping pains, but they don't get any more regular or productive, they're just making me uncomfortable. It's like having a really bad period.

I know latent labour sucks but it is doing something. It's helping baby get into position, making sure your cervix is all good. It's frustrating but it is doing something. This part of labour is all about the mental work I think. Later will be physical but now it's about keeping yourself OK.

Hi

I'm in exactly the same position and mentally I'm exhausting myself! Had these cramps on and off for a week and now had then for 24 hours, just constant, like a bad period, they ease with paracetamol and allow me to sleep but I can't sleep through them without pain relief! Getting fed up already! Tired, irritable, achy and don't want to do anything!

I'm about to suggest some waking things. So please feel free to ignore anything that is to not you.
What about doing some sort of birth art. draw, paint, doodle thinking about birth, your feelings, what you would like, how you imagine it will feel, you could cut out magazine pictures, you could draw a roses or flower blooming, if you sing, think about singing a birthy tune, it might be sweet and melodic it could be low and droney, if you dance think about a birth dance, workign with clay or even play doh to make birthy shapes. If you aren't feeling artistic baking can be good. I have suggested to another poster to make cervix bread she went for whoppies pies I think :)

I'd also suggest that you read this blog about the days of in between. it's lovely and thoughtful.