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?

sounds good jfly !!

keep going...

i think we will have some lovely spring babies !

Yes, lulu, the daffodils are out, the grass is growing in the garden, the birds are singing and it's snowing.

Spring.

snowing!!!

it;s gorgeous here! am meeting wotz in the park later with the DCs

Squonk - logically I know you are right, but the thing is that I have been doing this cramping thing for six days now, and only got a few hours sleep last night, so finding it hard to be logical!

Still, going back to hte accupuncture clinic this morning, lets see if that can really get it going!

I know, Angua - it's bloody awful. At least when you are being kept awake by a baby you can look at it when it is finally asleep and think to yourself "I did that" which is lovely. At the mo, you're getting all of the discomfort with none of the good stuff.

You do have my sympathy and if I were nearer to you (or even knew where you were ) I would make you a real bacon buttie and rub your back for you.

Or stick a needle in your eye if that's what floats your boat

Plus, I guess, I am so scared of having this baby (as well as exhited, happy etc), that its like jumping in a cold pool, you just have to do it, the longer you stand around thinking about jumping in the harder it is.

Everytime I think I am going into labour and then don't all my fears come to the surface and I have to deal with them.

I am not good with too much time to sit around and think, I am much better just doing things!

If it wasn't for that, Oh yes, and the huge physical discomfort, I wouldn't mind waiting an extra few days, might even really enjoy the remaining time with just my husband and me.

(oh yes, and feel guilty about not enjoying that as well, its great fun in the Von Uberwald household at the moment)

really important to face your fears.. even the teeny tiny ones.. make some time to look at them and to deal with them..

JFly - Good luck! Sounds like you might be almost there! I was just going to suggest you change your name to TheShowMustGoOn

Squonk, posted last before seeing your reply, thank you so much the sympathy and understanding definitly help (although a real bacon butty would be good).

It really helps to have people who understand that this is a hard time, even though there is something joyful and exiting at the end of it!!!

I don't supose you are in south london?

Squonk i am nodding so vigouraoulsy about what you said about endless pre-labour. mine was a dire 19 days but made my birth quick i think, and looking after ds2 has beena walk in the park incomparison. I mean, at least i can actually a) lie down b) hold my pee for more than an hour c)relax. ANgua, my poor dp lost 2 weeks work before birth day as i was so ropey i couldn't look after ds1. i felt such a failure and a let down, making him have more time off work. But it was too bad, needed doing and the pay back now is he is having a really restorative time of it as we were wel set up and now i am well rested. I hope this will be true for you too, xxx

re: the fear thing. It is completely natural, and I don't think it was any better really with the next ones, but don't let it take over. Fear is normal because you know it's going to hurt, everyone tells you it's going to hurt and you are frightened because you don't know how you will cope with that pain.

BUT: you will cope absolutely fine with the pain. And if it gets too much, there are so many different methods of pain relief, there is absolutely no need for any woman to be in any pain that she doesn't want to be in.

You know people say "oh you forget the pain" and you're thinking to yourself "don't be so fucking stupid, how can you forget it?" you really, really do forget it. It just

(and I'm in Yorkshire. So a leetle bit far to bring a bacon buttie... it'll be cold by the time I get there)

Nezelette I'm due a week after you and just completing my philosophy and religion degree now- hello! .

Dh's work rosta categorically sates that this baby willa rrive on the 28th march- - clearly the haulage industry ahs access to information about baby arrival predictions that nobody else has!

I keep getting stopped now by neighbours and school mums, asking am I still waiting.... and I'm not even due yet! Goodness knows what'll happen when I (inevitably after all this) go overdue....
beginning to think I am going to need to pop an announcement in the window.

Had loads of pains last night, enough to drag even me from my bed (some achievement atm!), but stopped again- as soona s I saw the washing pile FGS!

Woohoo! Go Jfly go!

i like theshowmustgoon!!

lovely words from merry

i had lots of false alarms, and my labour was 3 hours 15 minutes.. and it was my first proper labour as i had em c.s with first baby...

( i won;t tell you about the 15 hour latent stage )

but all the practice contractions helped a huge amount, my baby was OP and was born OP and she practically flew out

i was just getting into my stride with the pushing, and then there she was, only 30 minutes..

i would love to do it again ! and i am not jsut saying that

it is a magical time, your body produces such immense power and complex hormonal and pyhsical changes and that moment where the baby is suddenly there and there is an extra new person in teh room is just amaaaaazing

i don;t have any clients due until July and i am thinking of gatecrashing labour ward to keep me going !!

Angua-Where in south london are you? If this goes on much longer we could whinge together!

Peachy - Wow! - Good luck with the degree + baby + other DCs (sorry I've been snooping on this thread for so long I know EVERYTHING!)! You're a wonderwoman! Where are you doing your P&R degree?? It's great fun to teach! Will you be teaching next? (once you've had your baby, that is, but you do seem to do quite a few things at once )

3 year-old DD gave baby a really stern talking to this morning: "You Need To Come Out"-style. Wonder if that works

Hoping to teach but having a year out first, doing my degree at Newport (huge adult student population whuich helps).

I am no wonderwoman though- have ahd to abandon housework entirely and muddle through

Peachy - yes, I know what it's like, I spent 3 months in pjs finishing my thesis when DD was a newborn and my flat was a tip! Good luck anyway, it's all worth it! (bit like birth I guess )

DH just used impending baby as a bargaining tool with the garage to make them squeeze in our MOT and car has magically passed despite being older than a very old thing and generally falling apart! Was very amusing - the garage phoned him with a HUGE list of things that needed to be fixed (head gasket, suspension, brakes, heat shield(? sounds like something out of James Bond!) etc etc etc.) He said, 'the car is worth about 50p and my wife is now one day OVERDUE to give birth so we need the car back NOW...' and all of a sudden it had passed and nothing needed to be done . Finally something good about being overdue!

JFly - so excited for you - fingers crossed it carries on, sounds promising. Think I might be visitng your acupuncturist - did you say somewhere that you go to the Vitality Centre??

OK... back to painting...!

So 4-5 minutes apart for last 4 contractions. Lasting about a minute, but not so horrible that I feel like I'm going to die or anything. Can manage with breathing, but does take some effort.

Any thoughts?????? Don't want to go to hospital until I feel like I should stay there.....

Morning all -

I'm going to bow out for a little while as I am suddenly symptomless and I've decided to try the "if I plan for it being another 3 weeks then it might happen tomorrow" approach...

Angua - hope you get some resolution (i.e. proper labour and a baby ) soon!

I will pop back with news from JFly as soon as I get it (I'm her March 08 text buddy)

HQ xx

It sounds to me as if things are really moving along now, JFly.

My advice would be to stay at home for as long as you are coping ok.

If they are still 4,5 minutes apart, there's plenty of time yet. However, if you start to worry that time is running out, get yourself to the hospital.

Have you rang your MW and told her?

Ah JFly - you're still here!

My hospital said to go in when you're having about 3 contractions in a 10 min period - so you're nearly there on that measure. They didn't say about whether you should take into account manageability though, and it sounds like you are doing brilliantly on that score at the moment. Make sure you bear in mind London traffic and if it gets to 3pm then you might want to consider going before rush hour so you don't spend too long in the car as then you would be really uncomfortable.

how far away is the hospital and is this a first baby?