Could sitting down delay labour?

[WhiteWashGails]

I’m 38 weeks tomorrow and have high fatigue pretty much all the way through pregnancy. I left my job at 25 weeks and basically sat on my bum ever since.

Now it’s all so close I am so bored and have been depressed for weeks and I wonder if I carry on sitting in front of the tele I’ll make it all even longer.

I live on a hill and nearly fainted walking up once so almost afraid of going out alone etc.

If I sit on the floor I can’t get up unaided so I can’t scrub floors like I see other people doing.

Question really is, if I just stay in the house and can’t get to the floor, what can I do

Being active is good for getting things moving but you have to find the right balance between being active and doing too much. Although ultimately baby will come when they are ready regardless.
Do you have a birthing ball? Bouncing on a ball is a good way to keep moving

Ah thank you. I bought a birth ball but it was too big and I got pissed off id spent money on it lol.

It’s the ‘ultimately they still come’ I was looking for. Thank you

I’ve been really active and the midwifes told me possibly too active and that could be why baby isn’t here yet I’m overdue 🤷🏼‍♀️ So don’t think you should worry too much

I must admit, trying to control this process or wondering how I can is starting to do my head in, more so as I I really find out unless there are issues (early waters etc) that there is no rhyme or reason to any of it so I better just put up with the fact I’ve got 2-4 weeks to wait and that’s it !!

I did bugger all through most of my pregnancy (HG and PGP) and went into labour at 39+4 in the early afternoon. Spent the evening / night in the bath or laid on the sofa. Tiny water break at about 2am, went to hospital at 5am and got in the pool, DD arrived at 10am.

So, in my experience, no, being inactive didn't delay or slow down labour. Most information does say being active speeds things up, but I couldn't have scrubbed a floor in the third trimester to save my life!

I think activity is good during labour but doesn't necessarily bring things on initially?

I try and have one day where I'm doing a lot of jobs/on my ball/having a walk, and then balance it out with a day where I just do a little bit. I get really achey hips at night if I do too much.

I'm 39+1.

41+2 here. Have been very active throughout as I have a 5 year old and 3 year old who don’t stop. Spent yesterday walking round a farm park for 6 hours. Have just hoovered the whole house, mopped, walked with the dog and DC for 2 miles...

Still bloody pregnant.

I can’t really complain only being 38 weeks I guess

Try swimming? It's lovely and relaxing- you can move as much or as little as you feel. You don't need to swim lengths, you could just swish about but the water will take your weight. I swam twice a week throughout my pregnancy and every day from 36 weeks. It was bliss.

There is very little indeed you can do or not do to bring on Labour,beyond an actual medical induction. So don’t worry from that perspective

However if you are as immobile as you say, I’d be a little worried about the risk of developing blood clots in your leg or lung. Your blood changes in pregnancy and there is a big increase in its clotting ability, so sitting around for hours can make you risk developing a deep vein thrombosis. This risk shoots up even further after birth for the first six weeks (something like 20 times more likely to have a blood clot in this time, compared with not being pregnant). So just a word of advice to inform yourself about clots and keeping healthy. For example, move around regularly, don’t cross your legs when sitting, maybe consider wearing flight socks etc

Best wishes.

I was pretty much on bed rest from 32 weeks, due to complications. When I got to 37 weeks I was allowed to be more mobile, walked everywhere, tried everything, but when I decided to give up trying to bring on labour and sit on my arse doing nothing labour started.