Anyone go into labour without having niggles first?

[suzi2]

With DS I had powerful BHs for a few weeks soon becoming painful BHs for the last week. And was having regular bouts of them every few minutes apart. I was generally periody and niggly for a few weeks too.

But I'm now 38wks and apart from some strong BHs now and then I haven't really had much niggling. Does this necessarily mean I'm a long way off? Or has anyone gone into labour without the slightest indication that 'things were happening' in general?

Meant to say that I'm in no desperate hurry... just want my homebirth so don't want to go far overdue.

I had a few tightenings (not many, mind you) until I was about 37 weeks. Then it all stopped and had nothing else until I was woken up by the real deal at 41+3.

The only sign I had before I went into labour (waters broke) was nesting (made a freezer full of chicken casserole - which I hate ) the day before.

oooh - that's all positive! I guess I niggled for so long with DS I figured that all labours started that way.

i had no niggles or nesting with dd. In fact I had no food in the fridge and no bog roll (fairly important when your waters break in middle of the night!)

with dd (my first) I had no idea when labour would start. I even wrote in my diary on her due date that she must be a long way off arrival as she was such a wriggler. I thought they went quite when they were due to arrive..LOL 1 hour after her due date my waters broke and she was born 14 hours after her due date iykwim. I never expected it at all.!!! Had bh's but no niggles or other pains etc.

Currently 40+2 and been having painful bh's since week 24 ish, had a sweep 2 days ago, felt period pains,think I have had a show..so everything I never experienced with dd before full blown labour...and.............................Im still waiting HIS arrival...!

No symptoms for me, although I had a strange feeling that something was going to happen. WOke at 3.15am when my waters poppped and contractiosn started almost straight away. This was on my due date but dd wasn't born unti the next morning

Thought I was destined to be induced again with my second even spoke to friends the night before DS was born swearing nothing was going to happen naturally as all i'd had were more frequent BHs (which had happened with DD. Woke with bak ache and period pains at 2am went back to sleep and spent all morning with pains on and off, they were my only niggles. Had him at 2pm. Thought I was a bit daft to have missed all the niggles but obviously not the only one!

With both my pregnancies i never had a Braxton Hick so i couldn't tell you what they feel like.
With dd1(8 days over) i was taken to hospital because i was experiencing quite heavy bleeding and when i got there i was 4/5 cm ,i couldn't feel a thing.They broke my waters the next day ,still nothing then 1 hr 30 later ......BAM
Just solid pain constantly
There wasn't even time for any painrelief.
With dd2(4 days over) i was in bed having a rare lie in as i had insomnia so dp had taken dd1 out,anyway i felt about 4 period type pains and thought to myself ok this is significant so i had a quick bath ,went downstairs,made cuppa and toast ,had a few more pains but stronger ,ate tea and toast then Ouch! called dp .put the phone down stood up waters broke and i wanted to push.Crawled upstairs onto loo ,by now screaming very loudly "HELP" ,dp comes back just in time to deliver and within 5-10 minutes dd2 arrived .
A long winded way of telling you that yes you can go into labour with no niggling.
Good luck.

at 10 days past my due date i went to see my midwife for a sweep at 1.00pm, i was not dilated the head was not engaged my cervix was not favourable, was booked in for induction 48 hours later, that night i went to bed and was woken by my waters breaking at midnight and had ds at 1.30am.

With my second baby I had no braxton hicks at all, at 7pm on my due date I went straight into labour, had him before midnight! Have niggled to some extent with subsequent babies though.

Re your homebirth - of course you can still have it no matter how overdue you are, I know of women who've gone to 43 weeks or more (inspirational stories at homebirth.org.uk, if you're in the mood!)

No niggles with ds - waters broke in the middle of the night - shokc of my life (36 weeks...)

Thanks everyone. Cocoloco - I know that I can insist. I just think that by the time I'm getting to 12 days over and the hospital/mw/my family are building up pressure to 'do the right thing' and go to hospital for induction I'll just be a complete wreck and most likely agree. Mind you, I'm still fairly convinced that my dates are 5 or 6 days early so the likelyhood is I will go over.

thanks Loopymumsy...I now have sympathy for those mums to be in waiting who have gone over...now I know how it feels. Even worse with a sick 19month old dd..lack of sleep anyway being pregnant but even less sleep now..!

PFM . Gosh, yours is one of the stories I hope I don't follow UNLESS I am already in hospital!

no niggles here, woke up in the night at 35 wks with DTs, pains and bleeding rang hospital and went in 5cms dilated, took another 12 hrs or so for them to 'pop' out though!

I had no BH with either of mine. ds1 was 1 day o/d, becasue the twinges didn't hurt I thought they must be BH, so didn't do anything about it. Got to hospital just in time.

Same with ds2, no BH at all. had him 8days o/d.

With DS#1, I had very light BH from about 35 weeks, then I had a show almost week before his due date, tightenings the next day (didn't notice my self it was my mother that noticed as my tummy was hard and she said I was going to have him soon didn't believe her myself and carried on with everyday life because I didn't have any pains what so ever), then the next morning my water's trickled down my legs and (I just thought I had wet myself after being up all night back and forth from the loo) then came the pain laboured at home for a an hour or 2, went to the hospital, told I was 4 cm, 3 and half hours later he was in my arms.
DS#2, I had no signs, I had been getting strongish BH's for weeks but one day I got up at half 5 in the morning I really felt ready just had this feeling, DH tuck DS out to MIL, after I had an afternoon nap the pains started, all day kept getting worse and worse, went to MIL's BBQ thinking no just strong BHs and then when I started crying I amitted it to myself that DS was on his way, I was fine after that, laboured at home, went to the hospital they told me 5 and half cm I was shocked, then under 3 hours later had him in my arms!
I love talking about my births! aaahhh
Babymadxx

I had nothing. Absolutely no warning.

I was 2cm dilated at 35 weeks but had no braxton hicks or a show.

The first I knew that I was in labour was when my waters broke in the middle of the night at 37 weeks. Contractions started 30 mins later - every 3 minutes, lasting 1 minute.

We went to the hospital 2 hours later and I 8 cm dilated.

DS appeared 6 hours after waters breaking.

Good luck!

none for me either woke up at 3.30am to a really strong contraction got to hospital at 5.30am and ds was born at 6.10am [phew]

Me neither.

Saw friends the evening before and told them baby would be late. Waters broke that night and she was born 5 hours later

I did, lol, with a first pregnancy!

39+3, 3am in the morning i was just about to go to bed.
My waters broke with no indication i was actually in labour, no pain, nothing.

An hour later my midwife, who was expecting to be sending me home again, told me i was 5cms dilated.

DS was born 6 hours later.

I had no indication with dd2. Went to bed and suddenly contractions kicked in hard and strong at 5 minutes apart, with absolutely no build-up. Got to the hospital an hour later and was 8cm! Couldnt' believe it.

Went to bed resigned to the induction booked for the next day (I was 14 days od) and woke up about an hour later in labour! Was a homebirth too. Had had a bit of mucus and a night of niggles but nothing for several days before.

Good luck