Do you think this could be it?

[waitingtobloom]

As a second time mum I should really know this but have been in slow labour for almost a week with a few runs of practice contractions.

Contractions are a lot stronger now, coming about every 10 minutes and I have to stop and breathe through them. Have been for a walk and had a bath and they are still coming and getting stronger. Debating tens machine...

Don't want to drag doula out if not necessary and certainly dont want to bother midwife if not in labour yet. Last time I went to the hospital in the latent stage but waters had broken and spent a long few hours there before active stage.

This time I am booked for home birth and kind of get the feeling they want to wriggle out if they can but if I am close ish to giving birth they would make the effort. So kind of want to leave it as long as possible - and also fantasise about being checked for the first time and being told im 8 cm or something lol.

I know you are meant to "know" when you are in labour but I was never sure even when begging for an epidural last time lol.

Ok so cant type through the contractions any more...may possibly allow myself to maybe almost believe it could quite be it!

That sounds very promising! Have you had a show at all? I know you can have that ages before birthing - but in my case it was a very good indicator of birthing in the next 12 hours!

Sounds promising. Good luck!

Loads of show over last week or so and the rest of it yesterday. Was 2 - 3 cm dilated when mw checked me tuesday...

Going through that bit now where during a contraction you swear this is it...then it stops and you feel normal again and think I'll just give it one more before doing anything...

slow labour? what is this?

Waiting, doesn't sound like you'll be waiting much longer! Good luck!

Island - slow labour is pretty much when you have mild contractions which come and go, you might dilate a little bit, have a show...but nothing productive really happens. Contractions arent strong enough and you dont dilate. Its huge fun...or not lol.

Feedme - wonder if I will get chance to bloom before i give birth lol...

i'd call the doula, to put her on standby if nothing else, as it does sound quite promising, also, you odn;t want to leave it too late to get to hospital as that can be a bit stressful too!

Lulumama - do you just hear the call of labour and come running??

Hopefully hopefully having home birth...

i have a special siren on my Mac, that flashes and makes big woooooowwwwooooooo noises when these threads appear!

are you having a water birth?

sooooo exciting!

I think I would be tempted to ring the midwives anyway, just to let them know or keep informed.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo..............

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo..............

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaandd? is this a birthy silence

Ooooh how exciting! Good luck!

Yep - im having a wotnot birth - what did katy holmes presumably have? SCientology. Or not.

Tens on...birth pool blown up but not filled. Contractions 5 mins apart - but were last time all the way through.

And have rung the midwife - head of midwifery coming out to deliver so my fears of midwife shortages and home birth arguments unfounded.

Come on baby!

Oooooh - go you!!! Lots of luck, just keep moving about

fill that birth pool 1!! this is fab

hope things speed up for you soon.

sooo exciting, you're baby's birthday could be today if baba gets a move on

Was it

Had a fantastic homebirth and cant rave enough about them now.

Much easier labour, birth pool was fantastic. Very very long pushing stage which was extremely hard work but as her heart rate was great my fantastic midwife let me carry on for over 2 hours. All revealed when she was born - she was brow presentation and would most likely have been an emergency c section in hospital if not forceps.

As it was she was born completely naturally at 8lb 12.5 oz (and they were worried she was going to be too small) with an apgar of 9 (ds was only 4 in hospital) with only a tiny first degree tear after an episiotomy last time around. I cannot get over it and know in hospital things would have been a lot worse. Being at home allowed me to move into so many different positions to get her out and finally I found a natural one kneeling leaning on the back of the sofa and she flew out then.

Natural third stage only lasting a few minutes and a lovely alert breastfeeding baby. An hour after birth everyone was gone and we snuggled up in bed with her so alert. Waking up the next morning and pottering around was so surreal knowing I had only given birth a few hours ago.

Home birth rocks lol!