help me speed this up, please!

[manna]

My waters broke at 3.30am this morning with my second child (11 days late!). Easy contractions 5 - 7mins apart up to 9am, when I went to hospital, as they ask you to go in to check all is ok if your waters have broken. Then, the contractions stopped, not dilated at all, but lots of waters (clear). So, they sent me home and said to go back when contractions became regular and 5 mins ish again. It's now 3pm and they are about every 6 - 7 mins, but not regular as clockwork. They are a lot stronger, though. What can I do to speed things up? should I go back? I only live 5 mins walk (hurrah) from St. Marys, so it's not inconvenient, I just can't bear the thought of going in only to be sent home again!! I just feel depressed now, having expected the second labour to be relatively fast. My first one was 32hrs, and I can't go through that again......

I would say a long walk. If you feel up to it, a walk to the shops - the shopping will help take your mind of things for a while!

If on the other hand you feel you could get to sleep with some paracetemol for the pain - then getting some sleep in now might be quite good for you.

Good luck - hope all goes well!

that's the problem - do I walk or rest? they'll want to induce me after 24hrs of waters broken, so I really need to get in to established labour by 3am to avoid drips etc!

Scrub your kitchen floor on your knees?

How frustrating for you Manna! Lots of standing rocking you hips will help bring the head down against the cervix. Other than that, and of course, Soapbox's suggestion of walking around.... I can't really think of much else you can do. At least you know the birth is just around the corner as they won't leave you too long after your waters break before helping you on a bit.

Good luck!!

Think you've still got time for both! Go for a long (hilly if poss) walk now - try for a couple of hours if you can manage it. (I went jogging in the park when threatened with an induction the following day - and it worked!).

Then come home - sit on a birthing ball if you have one with a cup of tea and if nothing is happening by then go to bed and get some sleep.

If you end up being induced then you should try and get some sleep.

Try and relax if you can!

I would be tempted to have a nice hot bath and try and get some rest - sod the walk. If your waters went at 3:30 am this morning, I doubt you got much sleep last night and it is likely that you will be up all night tonight too. Pad yourself up with sanitary towels in case there is any more water and get yourself to bed.

Nipple twiddling! Lots of it....

manna, just seen this from earlier today. I think we must be neighbours - I too am 5 mins from St Marys & had my two there. I hope you're there now - and that you're out SOON!!

all the best!

well, I must say, the fastest thing to speed it up is possibly a sweep!!!!!!!

We finally went in at 5pm that day, with contractions 3 mins apart, only to be told I was only 2.5 cms (just like with ds1). We had the most brilliant midwife, who was the sister in charge but stayed with us the whole time. She gave me the gas and air, told me it would really hurt, put her hand up there and rummaged around while I screamed blue murder, and then said 'right, that's got you to 5cm. Now let's see what happens' I very drunkenly said 'you can come gain' and then went from 5cm to 10cm in 1hr, with the second stage taking a further hour. At 6.30 she said 'this baby will be out by ten past seven, and low and behold at 7.13 out popped baby Isaac, ds2, 9lb 10oz, just me and dh and midwife plus student midwife, birthing stool and pillows on the floor. I never saw a fetal belt monitor, doctor, anyone else in fact, no suction, nothing. What a different experience to last time! That midwife is a miracle - anyone having a baby at St. Mary's see if you can have her, she's called Bernie.

Binkie - it looks like we are neighbours - how nice. We're in Westbourne Terrace - where are you? How old are your two? perhaps we know each other already......spooky!

Wow - many congratulations Manna. What a whopper!

Message withdrawn

WELL DONE, what a size!! And presumably you were able to come straight home? (I have grim memories not so much of birth at St. Mary's but ugh the post-natal ward, though I think it may have been poshed up since ds was born 5 years ago.)

(Yes, very close - we're in the square at the end of Chilworth St - we pass yours on our way to school, 8.07 every morning, we'll wave. Have spotted some other nearby people on here recently, but they've all got little ones like you - mine are 5 and 3½.)

congratulations manna join the may babies thread

Congratulations Manna, welcome to Isaac. That sweep sounds excruciating!

Manna - it's great that you are happy about the outcome and the procedure... I think it's invasive midwifery myself but that is MY opinion and if you're happy with what she did - all the better
The vast majority of women go from 3 to 10 on average in 1 hour for a second baby.... fiddling like that on a cervix is painful (as you know) but can lead to damages too!

thanks everyone - the sweep was excruciating, but well worth it, imo. He is big, but as his brother was 10lb 3oz, he feels quite little, to be honest
Pupuce - compared to last time, when I did 32hrs, gas and air only, with me requesting a ventouse after 3.5hrs 2nd stage when the pushing contractions started wearing off, stirrups, about 6 people in the room, fetal belt monitor, suction etc. I felt that a sweep to get me started was a very mild form of intervention, to say the least! When I was only 2.5cm after 12hrs it just reminded me that it was the same last time, and I didn't want to go through such a long labour again, not with a spritely 2 year old waiting for me at home. As it was it seemed very 'natural' to me, and I was home the next day, and physically much more able to cope with the demands of 2 than I may have been otherwise.

The trouble with making choices in labour is that you hardly ever know what would have happened if you had chosen differently, but I am very happy I chose the sweep.