Third Baby - Two weeks of stop/start contractions!

[BelieveInSomethingBetter]

I'm thoroughly fed up.
I'm 39+1 today and I've been having regular contractions every day for two weeks and still no baby. I was warned by midwives that third babies can be stop/start but seriously...two weeks!
Last night I was up most of the night with increasingly painful contractions and a lot of pressure only for it all to stop, again.

I'm getting very tired and stressed about it now and worried there is a reason that it's failing to progress.
I'm usually a calm, rational person, particularly when it comes to having a baby but I'm now an over emotional wreck!

DD1 arrived at 38+4 (text book waters popped and contractions started straight away - 8 hours start to finish)
DD2 arrived at 37+5 (waters trickled and was induced 24 hours later - 4hrs start to finish)
No previous signs or discomfort with either of them so this is new to me.

Has anyone else experienced this length of latent labour with their 3rd?
She will eventually come out right?

Just to add an update.
I decided to send my midwife a text to let her know what's been happening (not seen her since 36 weeks and have appt Wed) and she asked me to go in for monitoring to check the baby is happy with everything going on.

Baby is as happy as they get but is very much back to back, which they think is the cause of all the starting and stopping. So it's just a waiting game, obviously.

Would much rather do without all these false starts though!

I had pretty much the same thing with my 3rd, who was also back to back.

I only had 2 days of it though (and 5 trips back and forward to the hospital). Once fully established, labour only lasted 4 hours.

Apparently 3rd babies are notoriously tricky - no one thought to tell me this until afterwards though!

Keep eating and drinking as this can apparently speed things up and good luck!

I think once it's started properly the actual labour is going to be very quick!!!

Hello Believe, I totally feel your discomfort/disappointment! I am currently 39+1 with my third baby too and been having start/stop contractions since Thursday and it's driving me bonkers. My MW said the rule of thumb is the first labour is long, the second is straitforward and the third is 'tricky'. And she kind of fudged her response when I asked exactly what 'tricky' meant so I have no idea. My last labour was 5 hrs from start to finish so I was expecting pretty much the same this time, and I cried when I first realised that wasn't happening! Now I'm pouncing on every twitch - I'm just waiting now for it to really happen, whilst secretly thinking that actually this baby is never coming out and that it's so happy up there that it's got hobbies, and a shop, and will never come out to meet us!!

I really hope this gets sorted for you soon, I wish you loads of luck. And if it does happen soon, let me know! Big hugs x

My 3rd was Def longest and most drawn out.
1st was normal took about 14 hours from 1st Contraction, mild at first

2nd was 2 hours!!! Easiest
3rd I was 40 plus 10 went into labour morning I was file to be induced got to hospital and it had stopped, was 3cm so they popped waters at around 12ish. Seemed long and drawn out pushing and he almost got stuck! ! Def the hardest labour.
Am now on my 4th and know how you feel! Thought it was all starting at 34 plus 5 went to hospital with contractions then it stopped after 2 days.
I am now 37 plus 4 and had poohs, cramping pains and tightenings all yesterday then woke this morning with period type pains and feeling sick. Now its all settled again! ! Grrrr

Thanks everyone! I feel a lot better knowing that it's not just me and that third babies do actually seem to be a pain in general.

Random - the midwife said yesterday to get to the birth centre ASAP once I know labour has properly started because she thinks it'll be quick. I just hope I can tell when it's for real after all this. Especially as DH works 40mins away.

clc99 - How are you doing? It's very draining to think 'this is it' only for it to stop isn't it. I was so excited the first few times, now I'm doing my best to ignore all aches and pains because it feels like it'll never happen!
Wishing you lots of luck! I expect you'll be holding your baby before me :) Let me know how it goes xx

3rdBump - Good luck! Fingers crossed you won't have to wait long this time x

Ok...so as I don't have anyone in RL to talk to at this moment (DH is asleep, he works nights) I'm going to talk to whoever may be there.

I did the school run as usual this morning and had crampy type pains on and off on the way. Didn't think too much of it tbh after everything that's happened so far. I then dropped DD2 off at nursery and realised these cramps were still coming and going. Got home about half an hour ago and thought it funny that they're still coming and going so started writing them down and it appears they're coming every 4-6 mins and getting more intense (some lasting over a min some just 40 secs) and I've just had a pink fluidy show...

I expect now I've said this out loud it'll all stop but sounds promising don't you think?

I have a midwife appt at 10.40 so perhaps will see what she says then.

Sounds promising, good luck and let us know h ow you get on :)

Has baby arrived yet ?

I had 4 weeks of stop start contractions with ds3. I went two weeks over. On arrival for induction i was put on a monitor and they showed fairly strong contractions. Midwife was convinced this was it. I was fairly skeptical. They then stopped again.

Third babies do sod about

I also had a large well formed show at 37 weeks so was convinced he would arrive before his due date.

My beautiful DD3 arrived at 7.58pm on Wed 13th - so it was definitely the start of the real thing!

3cm to holding baby in less than 3 hours, would have been my best birth if she hadn't had her hand on her head on the way out resulting in a second degree tear for me. She is perfect though :)

Any news clc99 ?

Cogratulations

Congratulations!

Congratulations! That's wonderful news, I'm so pleased for you! Still same here, have been having two hours of contractions a night for a week, and right now it's 4am and I've been having them for 6 hrs and they are just starting to tail off.... So very frustrated and exhausted. Hopefully my little one will get itself in gear soon (pretty please!)

Congrats!

My 3rd dc I had 4 weeks of stop start labour. Then labour was 1 week late and 1hour 19 minutes long.