What were you doing when you went into labour?

[eandz13]

Being induced tomorrow. Today is my final day to attempt everything I possibly can in a single day to put myself in spontaneous labour (I'm only 39 weeks, so I don't have the highest hopes, my others came at 40!)

What were you doing the day you went in labour? Had you done anything immediately beforehand? Do you think anything you'd done that day may have kickstarted something?

Wishful thinker here I'll try just about anything - except anything that will just give me the squits (by that I mean castor oil!)

Walk and bounce on that ball! Both mine were prem though and im just not capable of going past a certain gestation. With Dc2 they threatened to send me home after my waters leaked so off i went stomping the corridors for a few hours and bouncing on the ball, she was born a few hours later.

1. Watching a wildlife documentary with several animal births.
2. Taking toddler to her nursery cake sale. Nearly two miles total walking.

Good luck.

Make plans!!
I was late with all of mine and the last couple of weeks before due date, I would chill, stay at home as much as possible as was worried about waters breaking in a public place! 😯
Would then get fed up waiting so would make plans to go out and boom!
First - at a party
Third - in a restaurant with friends
Fourth - Arranged to meet with friends, shopping and lunch.
Second was induced but that was due to a difficult pregnancy.
Each time I tried lots of walks, eating pineapple, curries, lots of sex, raspberry tea - nothing but arrange a social meeting and contractions started!

DC1: I was getting into bed. I saw the alarm clock switch from 11:29 to 11:30, and then my waters burst like a popped ballon.That baby was nearly a month early so it was a bit of a surprise.

DC2: On hands and knees, wiping up a pint of milk DC1 had dropped on the floor, whilst also in a phone queue to get tickets for the Stone Roses’ reunion gigs. Never did get to see them…

For all of them I was either in bed or getting ready for bed! Personally I would relax and snuggle up

Sleeping for all 3.

They have never been fans of me sleeping :o

Wedding two nights before, danced all night. Chinese takeaway the night before, picked all the chilli off the chicken and ate it!

4 hours after going to bed, waters broke.

Sleeping / getting up for a wee with one

Walking the dog with another

Went to 41+6 with the later as did not want to be induced following a ball ache of it the first time

You can't start labour. Nobody really understands the mechanism and even heavy duty drugs sometimes can't force it. People will tell you that sex or walking or curry did it but in tests, this is never borne out. People walk, eat curry and have sex all through pregnancy. It's only when people are full term that they start linking it erroneously with labour starting.

I was sitting on the sofa watching TV when my waters broke with DD and fast asleep when they broke with DS. Just totally random.

Sleeping. Was 3 days overdue, had sex, went to sleep for the night, woke up at 8 in labour.

I was playing on the seesaw at the park with my eldest!

A sweep from the visiting midwife about 230pm, then standing and cooking at 4pm (I was starting off a bolognese sauce) when my waters went, in a small but definite way. I later found out it was probably a hindwater leak, ie not a big break. I went to hospital with dh, wasn't feeling anything but monitoring showed contractions. We went home again, picking up a McDonald's on the way (starting to feel things) and watched my inlaws' home movies and that episode of Friends where Rachel gives birth (not a choice, it was randomly on at the time). Having to rock and shift around a lot at this time, plus I was in and out of the loo endlessly. 9pm I was in some pain and called the ward. Arrived back in at 930 needing to stop at times when walking in to the delivery suite. More loo visits. All kicked off shortly afterwards and ds born at 1115pm.

Not sure whether to recommend bolognese or Friends! But probably the sweep I suppose.

Rocking hips front to back on an exercise ball always triggered braxton hicks and then labour. I'd also been for a long walk earlier in the day

Reflexology might help

1 and 3 - in bed, early hours of the morning
2 - had just eaten a curry and was watching TV.

@ShowOfHands I absolutely agree logically, but as I'm so desperate I want to feel like I'm doing something that could help. I feel like I'll kick myself if I don't do laps of the park today and then go on to have a terrible, long induction tomorrow!

Well given that two of us on here were relaxing and/or asleep when it happened and a lot of my friends were also asleep when it started, can you just selectively listen to us, assume a link and consciously relax/sleep/idle. The bonus will be that you aren't knackered for the induction.

Walking around the zoo, in total denial that it was just strong braxton hicks!

Dc1 had been in hospital for 6 weeks.
Dc2 I was at work (37 weeks).

I was just getting into my car after having picked my mother up to go out for a meal with friends. I had one foot in the car and my waters went at 37 weeks with no warning. I had been at work a few hours earlier.

I was asleep both times. Waters broke in the early hours between 2/3am. POP then the contractions started.

Watching Call the Midwife

I was making myself a sandwich.

In hospital, having been induced both times.

Am not having any more babies so slightly miffed I didn't get to have a dramatic spontaneous start to labour. I had imagined with #1 that I could have been in the supermarket and got a lot of attention from the local old ladies patting me on the back and wishing me luck as I drove myself to the hospital and meet DH there. And #2 I had toyed with the idea of being stuck, snowed in (just our road, it happens often) and having to walk up the hill with my hospital bag in one hand and DC1 in the other as I stoicly made my way to the High Street and a friends house where they could drive me to hospital. Or maybe I'd go to the farmer down the road and they could drive me and DH through the snow to the hospital.

I had very dramatic daydreams. Probably best I had boring old inductions