Am I in labour???

[NatalieJane]

I know it has been done 1000 times before, but if nothing else I just want something to do with myself while my body decides what it is going to do.

I felt fine all day, got to about about 5 o'clock-ish, and very suddenly started to feel sick, didn't want to eat dinner but DH made me eat some toast which perked me up a bit, have been having fairly mild but intense contractions (can you have mild and intense at the same time?!!) with a tiny bit of back pain, coming every 8-10 minutes or so. The contractions aren't painful, but just really tight, and the baby has dropped really low.

Anyone who has followed the last 5 weeks with me, this is completely different to every contraction I have had before!

I actually feel really silly posting this, in case it turns out to be nothing, but I am bored and can't concentrate on the telly, so thought it would at least take some time up.

you also have incrreased discharge in late pregnancy too..

if no smell and not green.. i wouldn't worry!

This today isn't discharge, it is proper jelly like lumps - sorry

Just going to take DS to bed

Mine was like jelly lumps too. This came, then the next evening the contractions started.

What will happen if you are to be induced. Do you have to stay in hospital or can they put the gel on and let you home again?

bibby is the name we call our bump (baby)

how you doing debbs....make sure you are eating and drinking little and often if you can.....donlt want to go into birth mode hungry!!

nope...they don;t let you home until baby arrives....

I don't think they let anyone home once it starts, with DS i went in on the Sunday evening, they did the first lot of gel, second lot of gel went in Monday morning, DS was born Monday evening, and we were home Tuesday afternoon.

If I do have to be induced again, I am only going to agree to it on the proviso that as long as everything is OK, I want to be home asap. The thought of another night in hospital with my new baby, who they wouldn't let me carry and kept asking and almost bordering on nagging me to let them take him to the nursery (I didn't!!), I don't want that again.

I keep trying to understand the system over there. I know it's normal to keep you until the baby arrives when your induced (same as over here), but what is the policy on going home? Here it is generally 2 days for a vaginal and 4 for a C-section. They do let you go home early if doctor signs off, but almost no one does.

Right!

All this virtual labour stuff made me keen for the real thing, so popped off to be with one of my ladies who gave birth earlier today.

What have I missed?

And is there any food going?

mars....want to be the real thing now!!! sent my forms off to Doula UK.....so will wait for the phone to start ringing !!!!!

food...we had champagne & canapes earlier to celebrate the thread being 2 weeks old...and some cake!!!!!

MKG - you can be discharged 6 hours after birth ( vaginal ) if all is well and a not a first baby..first baby tends to be a 24 hour stay..but i know people who have stayed 12.....depends if any problems....C.s tends to be 3 - 4 ......

6 hours!!

yep!!!!

i was discharged 14 hours after having DD ...it would have been sooner,, but too busy to discarge me...!

wnated my own bath & my own bed....had a private room..but so noisy & hot .....desperate to be with my family all together...

You mean no-one saved me any champers or canapes?

Evening all...have only (chuckle) eaten 6 donuts and some wendslydale sandwiches from boots, am bloody starving...shall i order out for pizza? It's your fault lulu (where's your xmas name) cos you had that spicy pizza in the week, ive been craving one since then!

Mars how lovely, bet you feel all warm inside, did you get a good snuggle? I used to be on such a high after lovely birth

NJ, not more jelly surely?! Not til tomorrow, you have 3 hours to wait...

here mars!!! this one is a bit squashed....but you can have it...i will hop back over to the bar thread and fetch you a drink!!!

here mars!!! this one is a bit squashed....but you can have it...i will hop back over to the bar thread and fetch you a drink!!!

You can have some pizza mars, if i order it. It is friday night though, i bet they say 45 minute wait...

no xmas name for me......i am , and always will be , lulumama...or louladoula...or lulu or luludoulamama! but nothing else !

I stayed my full 2 days it was so nice, dh slept in the room. Our hospital has a great maternity menu, my sil and I still talk about the desserts. I walked around the floor and heard and saw no one. I knew there was someone in the room next to me, but never heard or saw anything. I'll probably leave early because I don't want to be away from ds for very long, but then again I'll have two nights free of ds duty and I can send the new baby to the nursery for the night It will be like a mini vacation.

We have just had scampi and chips, that is about the forth lot of chips we have this week, really should get back to a healthy regime.

...It was bloody lovely though LOL

MKG...when the auxiliary brought me my lunch..she handed it to me..looked at it..and said, ' i canlt let you eat that'...and took it away..it looked awful! DH went to the restaruant later and got me some fish and chips which was inedible.......!!!

NJ - chips are fine...you need the carbs!

Your hospital sounds nice MKG. The only memory i have of hospital after giving birth is when i had the dts. They were born at 29 weeks after an emergency section, i was kept on the postnatal ward in a room next to someone who had their baby. I could only hear babies crying day and night, i had to go down in a lift to see my babies. It was so awful i discharged myself after 3 days, i came in every day all day to see the twins and express milk on a very scary contraption (effective though) I have never wanted to go back. When i had dd and had to transfer in they made me stay overnight as she was born at 8.30pm, they kept trying to take her and put her in the goldfish bowl (cot) I held her all night and as soon as i could the next day i was outta there. Luckily the last 2 were fine and at home. Not a fan of hospital, even if you do get a break from the others.

I think if i had had a better experience after the twins i may have been ok about them. Its a shame really as i could do with a rest after. Im tempted to give birth at home then go in for a rest...

Hello I've brought vodka and diet coke whilst i watch disinterestedly on NJ's progress, whilst also trying to get this to 1000 posts!

I didn't get offered any food, they did bring me some breakfast on the Monday morning, which I couldn't eat (things were just starting to get going) I was labouring all day, so had nothing, got back to the maternity ward about 10-ish, too late for dinner, and I was offered nothing, not even a drink, breakfast the next morning was a slice of cold toast that I had to go and get myself because I was nearly passing out, it was so warm in the ward, and I hadn't eaten anything since the Sunday evening.

Hated it, will do anything to get out of there as soon as we can this time.