period-like cramps at 39 weeks?

[Comma2]

I have period like cramps that are on and off, as well as nausea on and off, and BH on top. Feel pretty crappy. Baby is not engaged I think, but is this something to do with labour or just the usual aches?

Hello egg + pootal + good luck to you too - one of us has to pop soon, surely!

Ooh, comma, hang in there with MIL (can seriously identify with dh-in-regression)...

mosschops meant to say earlier, I've been getting the odd 'trickle' too but sadly in my case it's purely down to my total inability to focus on pelvic floor excercises in previous pregnancies for more than, erm, about 10 seconds. Haven't even bothered this time round - am resigned to a lifetime of reinforced gussets

So, off on a slight tangent, and to distract me from counting contractions (back to 9/10 min intervals this evening), has everyone got names sorted out already? We are still squabbling.

Here too, squabling over names. Think DH should leave it bloody well to me, but had to go through labour last time too before he admitted it. Now he loves dd's name, so don't feel bad about pushing a bit.

Hello ladies,
well still nothing to report from my end. Still getting pains every now & then & right now while trying to write this it feels as though bubba wants to wriggle out as keeps pushing down really hard.
EDD is this Sat, so I don't believe bubba will be here before then but who knows.
Maniacbug I had a few sessions of reflex & accupunture but hasn't reall done anything - well it may have ref: ligaments etc but not labour.
Welcome Pootal & Eggontoast...
Ladies, one of us has got to reach the D day soon with all these signs we all keep getting.
Moss I still haven't asked my GP yet, I may ring them tomorrow to enquire ref: SF vaccine.
I have 40 week MW appnt this Fri, so if nothing by then then will have to see what she says...

Does it feel to everybody else too like the water should break every time LO moves? I can't believe she can squirm like that and the thing holds up!

Hehe hope xpost on the wriggling...

Comma yes it does, you'd think that when bubba pushes like that that waters would break, but then nothing.
I have to say I am a little nervous also - but then this is my 1st, so I don't really know what to expect. Although I want to meet little one now, I am also not looking forward to the labour. I have tried relaxing CD's / reflex / accupunture etc to calm my nerves & one minute I think 'oh I'll be fine, just think of when I get to meet bubba' & the next minute I'm thinking 'maybe bubba can just stay where he is' SILLY I KNOW...

Awww, it'll be fine.

1. contractions start and stop, and when they stop you are totally fine and can take a nice little breather, and 2) it's a limited time and then over and done with and 3) you can always have an epidural, and then you just doze peacefully while your body is doing its thing. Really. Anything else, you'll take care of it when it comes up.

The worst is to be afraid, because you get tense and that doesn't help. Go with the flow and trust your body and the doctors, it's all been done before. Just think of all the women that have done this. You can do it too.

Thanks Comma yes u r right. The only thing is with no:3, I am going to a MW House so they do not have access to epidurals! Unless something happens that puts me or bubba at risk then we will not be going to a hosp. I am trying to op for a pool birth (if I get there when no-one else is using it that is). Got G & A & access to Petherdine should I need it.
I have a very calming DP so I am sure he will calm me down also.
I wonder if any of us ladies will have surprises today with all those fireworks going off later .

Hopeful2 : during my first labour, I attempted to completely believe in myself and know that I could cope with the pain. I managed up till transition (just before you start pushing) without pain relief. Then I entered the birthing pool, which helped take the weight off my body which made it easier to relax and regain composure between contractions.

You could train your brain to make it believe , keep saying over and over, "it will be difficult but I can manage." When you get pains, try and view them as positive; after all they are there to achieve the birth. "The pain is a means to and end, I will see my baby soon, it will not last, and I can cope" etc. Try and avoid letting negative/worried thoughts into your brain, flood it with positive ones instead, that way, you will be more likely to cope. (and when all else fails, I tried gas and air, it sent me loopy so I no longer had chance to worry about the next pain between contractions!(it did not take any of the pain away though when next one did come, unfortunately! Just distracted me in between. I will be holding off using gas and air this time, as last time, until the very end, when the pain is at its worse and my resolve starts to crumble.)

I imagined the pain flowing out of my mouth as I blew strong deep breaths out during the contractions. When the pain increased, I shot my arms out in front of me and imagined the pain shooting out of my body down my arms. It really did help.

hi how is everyone?

I felt sure I was gonna go last night, had very decreased movements, lots of lower back pain and tightening across tummy etc.
But nothing

Am pinning my hopes on the sweep this afternoon, I really feel that Im ready to go anytime, but that probably means completely the opposite.

comma I feel your pain, Im having issues with my mother about coming to stay, to have you MIL already with you must be quite .... er ... tiring

Yes also squabbling over names here too, I have my fave which dh doesnt like, but at this rate I'll be getting it because hes come up with nothing!

well have had the sweep, and now show obviously.
Student did it first, then midwife had a go too.
Cervix is 1-2cm
Baby's head is now 3/5ths engaged

Fingers crossed

She will do another one next friday if nothing

Thanks Eggontoast for the positive words & I will try & use them myself. Be funny throwing my arms out in front of me but I'll try anything to think the pain easier
Ooh Moss looks like u won't be long! I saw MW today who has now booked me in for a sweep next Sat afternoon if nothing has happened before then. Fingers crossed it has though as I don't fancy it much after what they explained to me about sweeps .
How was it for u Moss?
I was told baby is 1/5ths engaged but I don't spose that means much, especially as Moss is 3/5ths...
How's everybody else doing on here lately?

it was fine, although the student midwife was much more gentle than my MW, didnt care though, anything to help.
why dont you fancy it hopeful?

hopeful, if you are worried about the sweep being painful, it is only uncomfortable and a little exposing, if you value your privacy.

IMO, worth it though. Last time, the night after I had had my sweep I had a show and labour started a couple of hours later. I'm not allowed a sweep till I am 8 days over, boo hoo.

hopeful, in my maternity book, 1/5ths engaged is more than 3/5ths engaged. In the green booklet? If you have the same one, there is a page that explains "engaged". I was 4/5 at 36 wks, now 39 weeks, 3/5. The lower the first number, the more engaged, in my green book anyway! Not sure if all areas use the same coding.

Ooh I was sure one of you would have gone when I logged on tonight...it surely can't be long now, it sounds like Moss and Hopeful2 are definitely almost ready to pop.

I'm 39 weeks today, and no sign of the wriggler making any bid for freedom yet.... and feeling a bit sorry for myself as I seem to be getting a cold....just hope that it's not anything more serious i.e. flu!

Was planning a waddle down to the local pub fireworks display but given the weather and the way I feel, think I'm going to give it a miss.

Fingers crossed one of you has progress to report soon.

Hu, 2 days over now.

Show isn't obvious, moss you lucky girl. I didn't really have any after sweep I think.

God, baby really tickles my side by sliding feet along...freakish how big they are by now.

I had a great home birth not long ago and from my experience any period pains or cramps mean labour has started.

my baby took 4 days to come, I coped by sleeping in the birth pool and listening to relaxation music.

I didn't need drugs, because the more I relaxed the less it hurt. It really pays to be relaxed, patient and positive during labour - because as soon as you start doubting yourself, you'll stress, panic and the pain will increase.

My baby's head wasn't engaged until well into my labour, this is quite normal.

Also the a week before I was due my baby was still breach and in a posteria position.
She turned as labour started.

Also I was eating through my labour, which kept my energy levels up, but I started vomiting before I had to push the baby out.

before the baby came the pain changed from a period pain to cramps (like a leg cramp) in my lower stomach, then I made sure I was fully dialated and started pushing.

As soon as I could push, all pain went away, and it felt just like doing a poo. I did have a back pain that I just had to try and ignore - but the pools hot water helped and getting my hips jiggled by my husband.

The only problems I had was being constapaited when I was in Labour, I got confused as to wheather it was the baby comming or my just wanting to go to the toilet.

So I had a lot of trouble, but I managed to go to the toilet between contractions.

I think next time I will eat a whole lot of prunes. Also I drank up and go and ate punkin soup - which were both easy to stomach when I was labour.

Through out my pregancy I had the most terrible moring sickness and all I could eat was mainly raw food - www.hacres.com
this book helped me eat well, while I was pregnant.

Another great book is: Ina May Gaskins Guide to Child Birth - It answer all the question about labour and pregnacy and its read advice from mothers, its not another one of those medical books. It has lot of different encourging birth stories in it, it really boost the confidence.

Another thing I forgot to add was, the fact that I couldn't lie down at all during my labour - for some strange reason I got a sharp pinched nerve like pain shooting throughout my whole body everytime I tried to rest or sleep. Floating in the pool with my arm wraped back around the edge enabled me to sleep - it was a savour.

Also I was almost two week overdue, and instead of waiting for the baby to come, as I had been doing,I started talking to it, and mentally invisioning my labour starting, getting comfortable with idea of giving birth, and hoping the baby felt what I felt and the next day my labour started.
I got up at 4:30am to go to the toilet and it was like my period has started, I realised it was the muscus plug. I went back to bed, but had trouble sleeping as I was so nervous and exited.

When I gave birth, I tore a bit, I didn't feel it at the time, or when I got the stiches for that matter, because I was all numb down stairs from pushing out a 10 pound baby. I don't think the size makes much of a difference in terms of pain - it just takes longer to push out.

Morning all... can't sleep... been pacing the house for the last hour, scoffing the muffins the kids made yesterday (they are going to have a few questions when they see their number seriously diminished later)...

At about lunchtime yesterday my contractions went from 10 min apart to an average of 6 min apart and were definitely getting more uncomfortable. Then after a clary sage bath I had about an hour of 3 min contractions, thought 'this is it' and arranged for a friend to come over and babysit/stay the night. Then - yet again - it all eased off. I am really starting to worry that something is wrong now, that something is stopping labour progressing (cord wrapped several times round baby's neck?) - surely it can't be right for things to keep stopping and starting so much? (I was 2cm dilated and baby 2/5 'palpable' at the sweep on Mon.) DH has instructed me to stop stressing b/c I'll only make it worse and I know he's prob right, but I just have a bad feeling. Doesn't help that I had to do maternity cover at work once for a woman whose baby was born with cord wrapped twice round its neck and only lived for 2 days, and I will never forget what she went through. So sorry to introduce such a negative thought, but I really am finding it hard not to worry (which is at odds with my usual optimistic approach to life).

Anyway, hope the rest of you are doing well and managing to get some sleep! moss look forward to hearing about your progress after sweep/show... comma + hopeful hoping this weekend brings some action for you! + pootal hope you're feeling better soon...

Me again, just wanted to apologise for such a negative post - not helpful to anyone! Am sure everything's fine... off back to bed for half an hour before morning mania begins.

Hello ladies

Can I join? 40+1 today but have already had 2 false hospital visits and about 3 weeks now of stop start contractions etc. This is my 3rd and I've been told they're tricky with a long latent phase.
Everyone presumed he'd be early too which doesn't help the waiting game!

So am now huge, get shooting pains from all the cervix dancing and every time I sit on the loo it feels like my waters will burst ... but they don't.

maniac a family friend's daughter had the cord wrapped around twice and she is fine. Don't think for one second that's what's happening but thought I'd pass on a positive story to counteract the negative one

Thanks for that, scarlotti - I know it's silly to worry, it was just one of those everything-seems-worse-in-the-middle-of-the-night moments and I probably shouldn't have posted. I just called the hospital and a lovely MW said it all sounds completely normal, so that reassured me hugely. Off out for a walk shortly: hopefully the sunshine + fresh air will take my mind off it for a while too!

Maniac stop that right now lady. U r just stressing yourself out by thinking like that. I'm sure all is fine. If u r that worried though u should speak to the MW or go & see them. They will put your mind at rest, b/c if they place the monitor on u they will be able to tell if baby's hb seems v.high or low re: if baby is stressed, can't they? I know I can't really comment as this is my 1st but the stress can't be doing u any good.
Eggontoast I didn't realise that 1/5ths was actually further than 3/5ths etc...how silly am I . Well today I am 40 weeks! How time has flown by..still getting pains, last night had pains & my tummy was rock hard each time but today..nothing.
Really want things to happen b4 having the sweep next Sat. Although of course if it will help then I will have it...
My DP face lite up when I said that the MW suggested sex to get things going...yeah cause I really feel like that right now
I know that it is meant to help but to be honest it is not on my list of priorities..
Hope all u ladies r well

Lovely to see you here, scarlotti.

maniac how horrible for your colleague! no wonder you are scared. But cords are wrapped all the time and not usually a problem. I think usually it just means that labour stalls if the cord is too short and they make a csec.