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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Irregular contractions - anything I can do?

2 replies

deenagh · 25/07/2018 18:42

Hi all!

I'm currently 40w+5 with DC2, and had a sweep yesterday. Midwife said it was an easy sweep for her to do, that I was "very favourable" and was 2cm dilated. Baby has turned from being back to back to having his back to my left. Had a bloody "show" (not so much of a mucus plug but brownish blood on pad/ when I wipe). I've been so pleased, as I'm booked in for an induction on Sunday but would much rather go through everything naturally!

I woke this morning to contractions, around 9.30am I downloaded an app to time them. They were fairly regular, around 20 seconds and 5 mins apart. By around 11am they were at least 30s long. The pain was bareable, so I didn't get in touch with the midwife until around 1.30pm, and she told me to wait until they were around 40s and 4mins apart. And then they stopped!

I decided to take the opportunity to take a sleep, as DS1 was having a nap. I slept for an hour and a half, and woke again to contractions, but they have been stupidly irregular since then. For the last 3 hours, they have been downright erratic! For example, going from 5 mins apart, to 7, to 6, to 8, to 16, to 3, to 5, to 10... All on average around 30 seconds long, and were getting stronger for a while but now aren't as painful.

Am I actually starting labour? And is there anything I can do to get things going a bit more regularly? MW only suggested a warm bath and paracetamol.

Feeling frustrated, this morning I was convinced that baby was on his way!

OP posts:
deenagh · 25/07/2018 21:02

Update: I called the hospital, they told me everything sounded normal, to take paracetamol and have a warm bath...

Still very open to any suggestions to get things going Grin

OP posts:
minmooch · 26/07/2018 12:28

Hope things are progressing nicely. I had false labour with my 2nd one for 3 nights in a row. To the point I would say next contraction I'm ringing my mum to come down to look after eldest son. Didn't have another contraction after that thought! 4th night I refused to believe the contractions - by the time I did believe them I was 9cm dilated and son was born an hour later 😃.

Good luck for a straightforward birth.

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