Traditional "It would appear that I am in labour, but when will it actually get going properly thread

[AnguaVonUberwald]

I have been having period like pains and backache since friday evening, last night I had an hour and a half of really intense contractions every few minutes, that suddenly stopped, had a few this morning as well, but now back to the period like pains and backache, how long could this go on for?

right am going to try sex tonight someone has to have a baby soon and im fully prepared for it to be me been having bhs all day and baby has changed postition. she has been facing right since 30 ish weeks but has now flipped around. also is bouncing head around on cervix so she must really want to come out NOW

am going to have to have a bath shortly to ease these aches to see if they are 'real' or not
Got back ache that i can only describe as stingy
have done a lot of walking today which i haven't done for a loooong time. (under MWs instructions), so is prob just that.

well, keep us posted MoM

that sounds really positive angua!

LOL Mars, I'm not bragging believe me.

i can't bath until later on DP teaching and i have to make sure he is here to help me out

In my defence, we have a half bath that tapers in at the top AND has handles!

Ooh, Mars, that's a good idea. Acupuncture/relfexology for induction...do you know any practitioners who would visit my home (tufnell park)? We don't drive and I'm on about a 800 yard leash where contractions get too painful after that...

i am on my third acupuncture session tonight

Had to go get checked out at the Mat asses unit as the babys movements had slowed right down, short story, all is ok, heartbeat good and strong etc etc. While i was there asked if MW could do me a sweep, almost wish i hadn't. While she managed to feel membranes and do a sweep, she told me i am only 1cm and cervix is high and still thick.....bah now i feel completely set back. I just know its going to go on for another week!!!

do not be disheartened! think positive !! a lot can change in a short time in multips... could all be totally different in 48 hours !
sex does help ripen the cervix, do some visualisations, walk up and down the stairs sideways to get baby right down, and lastly, have a lovely bath and a relllllaaaaaaax

im leaking colostrum for the first time in this pregnancy. is that a sign oh wise and wonderful ones? also still having bhs after a hot bath and they are taking no notice of if im walking, sitting etc .

I am feeling your pain ladies, I had to give up work from 35 weeks because of BH. Was told by everyone (GP/Day unit/women in the street) that I would have the baby sooner rather than later. I did everything I could trying to get her to come out and nothing worked. Ended up having her by C-S at 41wks after 4 days in delivery room as I only got to 6cm. (Sorry this isn't more positive) What I wish with hindsight is that I'd rested more, I walked bloody miles at home and around the hospital grounds and ended up having C-S because I was too exhausted to push even if I had managed to fully dilate.

My advice, rent or borrow lots of tv series, camp out in your living room and get comfy, eat what you want, sleep if you can and get friends to come and keep you company so you can save your DH for the actual labour. Hot baths really helped me.

Oh and I think raspberry leaf tea made me worse as it stimulated contractions that weren't actually doing anything.

Good luck ladies! I hope your babies are more punctual than my lazy lady!

Sorry if this puts a downer on anyone!

sounds good spugs !

bumped dropped more. very stabby pains now. contractions, painless-ish every few hours for a few hours.

blatant latent phase tedium set in. having difficulty being polite to anyone. want to growl and snarl and scratch my arse (what I can reach of it) all day long. am finding beatific madonna behaviours unsustainable.

MW due in an hour for yet-another-sweep (TM). Better go get clean and shiny.

oh yes, freshen that fanjo!!

stabbing pains sounds promising

A strong coffee thanks Mars, it looks as if merry is going to have a baby soon, bump dropped and grumpy plus pains, oh yes I love it

rofl at freshen that fanjo!

so, am I right in thinking that MOM is off in the hospital today? And that merry is about ready to drop.

Angua pleasing her consultant but no sign of an actual baby yet, Jaysthird sticking herself with as many acupuncture needles as she can, and spugs sticking herself with something else

What else?

lol at squonk. see how sad am i hanging about a thread when i am not even pg.

neither am I

Tis exciting though, isn't it? all these new babies coming soon

any marmite?

you can have it all

(bleugh, disgusting stuff )

Just been to the MW

baby has growth slowing- having a presentation scan next week (is that usual in a homebirth Doulas? never been mentioned as a need or issue before), she said they'd check for growth then but I am a bit as its over week away and have a history of IUGR and emergency induction due to failing placenta with ds1. She also forgot to do my iron but hey at least that won't be used as an anti HB reason now.
But the baby initially predicted to be 9.5lbs is now looking to be around 7lbs by the chart in my notes and measuring 1.5 weeks small.

Quite surprised I wasn't sent into the unit today tbh. But have a mega meeting this afternoon at school.

TMI question: every time I get braxton hicks, its causing me to have diarrhoea- so up to 5 times a day for past fortnight. MW not concerned but never happened with the others?

MM, I had a really weird dream about you last night. I dreamt I called you up and someone called back asking who I was so I said 'Oh are you mehdismummy' and they said no, they were your housekeeper
Anyway, turned out it was your SiL, trying to get information out of me to see if I'd crack (bit like MI5) and I didn't so she bought me chocolate and a newspaper.

my sil would probably bake you cakes too! Next time could you dream i was with sean slater