Can I ask a really stupid question?

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

when they say 'call us when the contractions are three minutes apart', do they mean three minutes from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next one, or three minutes from the end of one to the beginning of the next one?

i know it's a daft question, just wondering

My hospital didn't agree with this type of sign, when I rang the hospital they said come in when you can no longer stand the pain, if you can't call the hspital yourself was the sign to go in.

From the beginning of one to the beginning of the next.

Due in ten days or so, but am going for a VBAC and don't want to go in too early, as I know I have a much better chance if I don't go in until I'm in established labour.

But had always wondered as they never make it very clear when they tell you, so thought I would finally ask!

I think it's three minutes from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next one. I found that it was a bit more approximate: they wouldn't let me go in until DH rang them, they asked to speak to me, and I had to keep stop speaking because a contraction came along. Don't think the midwife was on the other end of the phone with a stopwatch!

Good luck with your birth! (unless you are trying to settle a theoretical argument about this?)

Sorry - cross-posted - good luck with the VBAC!

I think if it is a second or subsequent birth it is relevant how previous labours have gone, ime.

I agree from start of one to start of next. However, with dc2 they said to me 4 min apart but they were coming sometimes 4 min apart and sometimes nothing for 8 mins then almost unbearable but I didn't ring as thought, can't be yet as 8 min apart (then midwife popped into check on me and dd shot out shortly after), so I'd agree with whoever said when you need help coping rather than the specific minutes apart (i.e.closish, regular and it hurts!). Anyway, all very exciting - good luck!

Thanks! Nabster, DS was induced so previous labour is no use for comparison unfortunately. Have no idea what natural labour feels like!

My first was emergency section, my second one I was back and forth until she was born and my third they wanted me in when we first rang as soon as they heard my past history with pregnancies/labour. Good luck!

Not sure whether this is second or third, technically - we had a pregnancy in between DS and this one, but had a termination at 20 weeks due to severe heart defects.

So I was induced again and delivered baby number two, but does that count as a labour? Not sure, really, it's quite confusing!

I am so sorry for your loss, WFHIT.

My second was my first labour and could have been why I was back and forth but my next had similarities but took nearly half the time.

well mine were 3/4 mins apart 12 hours before i had dd, 8/9 hours before i had ds1 and 6 hours before i had ds2 so not a great way of telling in my case!

generally if you're hitting the floor with each one and someone talking to you during one makes you want to claw their eyes out and they're lasting close to a minute you're getting there.

Thank you Starlight and Nabster - we are ok about it now, sad obviously but looking forward to this baby, but I'm quite expecting a lot of feelings to be brought to the surface with this labour.

It's partly why I want to try for a VBAC with minimal interference, after being chemically induced twice, and the second time being such an unnatural, traumatic experience, I'm desperate to have a natural labour and do it the way it's meant to be, iyswim.

PinkTulips that's a great description!

I have put all the details of first and second labours in my birth plan, as it probably explains quite a lot about my wishes, if that makes sense.

Ring them whenever you like and sod the clock. It's far to anxiety provoking worrying about the time. PinkTulips has it taped!

The very very best of luck and all birthing power to you, am very sorry about your loss. I hope you have a healing time of it however the birthing of this lo pans out. Good luck! x

Thank you! I know it will come when it's ready, but I'm so hoping it will be soon

Not at all!

DS went horribly overdue - was induced on 40+15 after we'd tried everything else (never want to see another pineapple again ) but his head was badly positioned and he didn't come despite every intervention known to man (prostaglandin, ARM, LOTS of Syntocinon, etc). Got to 8 cm but wasn't dilating evenly and one side of my cervix was swelling up, as was his head (is it called kaput when that happens? something like that)

So eventually em-cs on day 17.

This baby isn't breech (DS was originally but we had an ECV) and is much bigger (DS was only 7lb12 even at 17 days over - this one is estimated at 9lbs or so) and feels like it's making all the right motions - lots of pressing down in my pelvis etc, and feels much keener to be out in the world, even at 38+1!

sorry, didn't mean to give you chapter and verse there!

I decided to leave when I couldn't speak during them, but by the time I left kids off to mum I got to the hosp and dd was bornwithin the hour, so my advice get kids to babysitter earlier

Hmmm, differently - I think I would have had some pethidine before the epidural to try and stay upright and active - possibly his head might have righted itself if I had. I sort of panicked when the contractions got completely overwhelming and insisted on an epidural.

I wouldn't have let them break the waters to get things going, it didn't work and I knew it wouldn't, and I always wonder whether his head bashing away with no waters to cushion it was why he and I both swelled up.

but in the end if he wasn't going to come he wasn't going to come, iyswim.

I don't think I react well to induction drugs - with the termination they had to exceed the number of doses allowed in order to get it to work, and they gave me morphine to manage the pain (which was a godsend, I have to say), so I'm completely anti-induction.

I am VERY stubborn though, so that might be why induction doesn't work well for me