Due date - can’t cope anymore!

[lucylooareyou]

Hand hold, wise wisdom, general understanding ear needed pretty please mumnetters!

Due date today, and have spent the past 8 days in permanent agony, whether that’s Braxton hicks (whoever says they don’t hurt - in the nicest way, f*ck you haha!) aching hips, back pain, lack of sleep, pelvic pressure, constant peeing. I just can’t cope.

Last Sunday I was up all night with irregular, painful contractions getting my hopes up - for them to go down to once an hour until last night, where again I had painful contractions between every 10-20 mins for 5 hours, for them to return to every hour again today.
I can feel them getting more painful again and know I just will have no sleep again this evening.

WHAT IS THIS TORTURE?! I have a MW appointment on Tuesday and I’m going to beg for a induction date before I have a breakdown. Had anyone experienced this?!

PS - yes I am feeling super sorry for myself so please be kind because I will crumble xxx

It sounds like you’re in early labour so hopefully things will pick up quite soon and your contractions will become more regular.

I haven’t experienced early labour before (I was induced with my first and it went from zero to established labour very quickly) but people say a warm bath and paracetamol can really help. If not maybe you could call triage and they can give you something stronger so you can get some sleep tonight. Good luck and keep us updated (if you can)!

Thank you for your reply! I did think of calling triage but wasn’t sure what I’d say (which now I’ve typed that makes me realise how sleep deprived and silly that sounds)

I keep getting my hopes up that’ll be the case but then nothing happens - I don’t mind the pain if it’s leading somewhere but feel like I’m running round a maze and ending up at dead ends!

Is it your first baby? This was very similar to my experience with the first, it's pretty brutal... try and rest when you can. Take some paracetamol if you're in pain and hang on in there, it won't be long now!!

Oh and if it helps at all, the contractions you're having will all be doing something, they are not for nothing.

I was like this with my first. Slow long labour. I think things are progressing but obviously slowly. Can you phone your hospital or MLU and explain what's going on as in my non professional opinion- you could do with stronger pain relief. I think I had codine? If at any point you can- try and sleep or at least rest. You need to conserve your energy for the days ahead. Good luck! You can do this

All these messages are filling me with hope!
this is my first baby yes and I feel so out of my depth not understanding what’s going on with my body!
my MW experience on a whole has been pretty disappointing in my opinion (lovely lovely people) just never seen the same midwife twice, not had things properly explained to me and having to ask from things I’ve seen on MN/Google/NHS website opposed to things being routinely explained at appointments (maybe this is normal and I’m just very naive) - so I just feel so lost in what’s happening!

thank you for the kind advice, I will give triage a call and see if there’s anything I can take to ease up the pain. Contractions have started back up regular & painful again so rest doesn’t appear on the cards anytime soon!

No advice OP, but I'm experiencing the same. I'm due with my first on Wednesday and I've been having irregular painful contractions for the last couple of weeks already. It just feels so frustrating having this torture and not seeing any progress.
The only difference is that I have my induction booked in for Wednesday so I don't have an endless wait.
It seems so petty to be so close to the end yet feeling at my wits end.
It's good to hear about another person going through the same thing as me.
Best of luck and thinking of you.

I had this with both of my labours so you have my sympathy! It's hideous but every tightening is doing something! It's probably going to sound very preachy but try to avoid anything stronger than paracetamol for as long as you can...I know I know I sound like a knob but with my first I took everything possible and I'm sure that's why I ended up with a ventouse delivery as certain pain relief slows things down as well as relieving the pain. With the second I squeezed a comb with every tightening and it really helped surprisingly and with that delivery baby was born 2 days quicker and with no instruments. Good luck! Hopefully you're at the end of it now. (And be aware that you can go from contractions stopping to active labour very very quickly sometimes so if you think you need to be seen, go get seen!)

@simplesimply oh I’m sorry your going through this too, wouldn’t wish it on my enemy! It’s this weird inbetween stage of just not knowing what’s going on. I have had a relatively straight forward pregnancy so don’t want to complain but as you said, being so close to the end is torturous!

@Passthetena thank you for this! I haven’t even been taking paracetamol at this point as it just doesn’t seem to touch the sides, I’m hoping when I eventually go into hospital they will be like ‘ wow your already 6cm not far to go!’ But I know I will get there and be closer to 1cm if that haha!

If it helps at all, I ended up going to hospital at 1am because I had terrible back ache and couldn't sleep at all. They thought I might have a UTI so asked me to come in and do a urine test. That came back clear so the midwife did an internal exam and I was 4cm. People had always told me that I'd know when I was in labour- I felt so stupid .

@lucylooareyou don't get too disheartened about the dilation either, it's just a snapshot of what's happening at that exact moment. You can go from 1cm to 10cm in minutes so even if you were only 1cm it means nothing. You've got this! Try having a bath or shower and definitely take some paracetamol before going in as they'll only offer you that at first if you've not had any.

Update!

went to triage at 3am for painkillers as needed to try and get some sleep at least, ended up having an internal where she performed a sweep which seems to have kick started it all off!

currently contracting every 4-7 minutes and riding it out at home until the pains too much and I shall be going in! Fingers crossed 🤞

Ah that’s so exciting, good luck @lucylooareyou! You’ll be cuddling your baby in no time. Did the midwife say how dilated you were when she did the sweep?

How exciting!

I reckon you'll have your baby in your arms by this evening, good luck!

Aww good luck! The hell is what gets a woman (imo) to what to get that baby out and gets you through labour! I say this as someone who's had 2 c sections and 7 vaginal births.

She said I was 2cm dilated at 3am so it was good to know the pain meant progress!
heading in shortly, struggling now! Thanks for all your kind words I’ll be sure to update when I can xx

Good luck! X

Good luck OP I hope all goes well. You're on the home straight! Not long and for will be meeting your baby. Exciting!! Xx

Good luck for the rest, I'm happy to hear that you're not too far off now.

Good luck! Will look forward to an update . Hope it all goes well X

Update!

still in labour but went down the epidural route when they broke my waters and I turned into a demonic animal who felt like her insides were on fire.
very happy now! Was 5cm when checked at 8.30 so will check again at midnight and see how I’m cooking.

Could of kissed the doctor when he popped that needle in my back x

Hopefully your baby will arrive soon

Oh bless you. I'd assume you do or very close to having babe in arms x

I hope the epidural meant you could get some sleep before meeting your little one! Hope it is all going / has gone well

My gorgeous little girl was born at 1.30am this morning after the worlds best epidural and 19 minutes of pushing!
♥️