Aargh is this the longest latent phase of labour EVER?!?!?

[sushistar]

10 days ago I had a show and started having contractions - strongish ones - every 10 - 15 mins or so. I called my mum put my bag in the car. Contractions stopped. SINCE THEN i have had 3-4 hours of contractions, followed by nothing for a few hours, NON STOP. Midwife says baby's head is 4/5 engaged - I can barely walk! I'm now 40+6. It's all a bit of a nightmare as I'm in no state to look after my very active DS, who is with me full time, but DH can't take indefintae tiome off work or he'll have no leave left for when baby's born.

Booked for a sweep tomorrow. Very pissed off

Don't mind being IN labour, or being overdue - what I can't bear is being sort of half in labour but half not for 10 DAYS!!! Please tell me it will end soon...

It will end sooner than later

My friend was like this and I'm starting to get this way at 35+4. All very confusing.

You'll get started after the sweep, I'm sure.

But think of it this way, all the work your body is doing now will probably mean you will have a quick, efficient labour. I bet once your waters go, you will be off like a rocket. Come back and tell me if I'm wrong!

i had this, waters broke but no pains and then they started and stopped for 4 days, i found that the went away when i wasn't busy, they eventually got going properly when i got so fed up blitzed my house, try giving your kitchen floor and good seeing to but do it on you hands and knees, that way its really easy to stop and sit down when contractions come and carry on once they ease off.
also raspberry leaf tea is worth a try!
good luck hope it happens soon.

Thanks for words of encouragement. I feel like I suddenly have a whole load more empathy for people who have to live with a physical disability all the time... It's so horrible not being able to DO anything. I waddle like a duck and have to keep stopping when I do get contractions, which would be fine for a day or two, but TEN DAYS!! Honestly! And I feel really bad because my poor DH is doing everything, caring for DS and doing al;l the housework (obviously I'm doing a little bit but nowhere near what I'd usually do).

And I'm getting a million calls and texts a day asking for news - which is all kindly meant but I want to shout at them all 'LEAVE ME ALONE IT'S BAD ENOUGH WITHOUT YOU ALL ASKING EVERY 5 SECONDS...' - of course I haven't shouted that, I've turned my phone off! But I feel a bit guilty not replying to all these kind messages.

Satrlight and Reik, I know everyone always says 2nd babies are shorter labours - and not as late as 1st babies. This one is already a day later than DS was, and now I've got it into my head that the 'proper' labour will be like his - which was a good 18 hours. You think it will be quicker because of having contractions for so long before hnad?

I had a week-long latent phase.

It started with a bloody show (hadn't had that in previous labours). Lots and lots of not very painful contractions after that.

When I did finally go into active labour, DD flew out. It was quite a shock.

You can't have long to wait, sushi. And remember that every contraction you have now is one fewer than you will need.

Ten days? poor you! I had that for three days, then when labour started properly it was all over and done with in 11 hours, only 4 of that hard labour, and that was my first.

So with your second and after ten days, when you really get going I'm sure it'll all be over and done with quite quickly. Best of luck!!

MmeBlueberry, that sounds similar. I had the show and start of contractions 4 days before the due date, so I was delighted - thought this one would be less late than DS was. But day after day after day the same, no increase in the frequency of contractions, no broken waters, and contractions still only moderatly strong and stopping and starting- I'm starting to wonder if my body's forgotten what to do! I'm going to a birth centre, and would love to have a minimal-intervention birth like I did with DS but I'm loosing confidence now

Don't lose confidence, sushi. Just think that each contraction is worthwhile and they are not too painful. I was told to have a few glasses of wine to help me relax and take my mind of the niggles. That was 11 years ago, so advice has probably gone all nanny-state by now.

You just have to be ready and it sounds like you are.

I had a homebirth for my long-latent phase baby which was good. It was the only one where my waters went before crowning, and after that it was whoosh!

What has the midwife said? Are you fully engaged and basically ready to go?

Yup. Saw midwife on Friday morning - she said baby's head was 4/5ths engaged and his shoulders were very low down, my blood pressure has gone up very slightly and she seemed to think this meant labour was imminenet, and my bump is 42 inches - she suggested a sweep on monday when I'll be 41 weeks but said she'd be very surprised if I needed it. I can feel his head being held in by my cervix IYSWIM - when I move around it feels like he might fall out! And I knew he'd moved down low as I suddenly could eat loads more, got less breathless, and have less heartburn. Also she said as I'd had some bleeding in my show it suggested the cervix was opening. And here we are, Sunday afternoon and no progress...

I think if it was just a few days of this I'd be fine, but each day I feel like this will be the day he comes ... and every evening I get more depressed! Each time I have a bought of contractions I get all hopeful but then they tail off. And I'm getting all emotional - my poor DH!!

Emotional is good, talk it out and have a bloody good cry, I've heard it said often that after a cry (or even a row!) labour starts, as if the emotional tension was released.

And don't forget sex, if you can possibly stand it. I couldn't contemplate it at 40+5, to be fair.

Absolutely no sex, thank you! Couldn't bear it, I can barely cope with being touched at all. TBH, I'm not sure DH would want to - I don't think he really likes it after about 7 months pregnant. I'm stopping myself weeping all the time because I don't want to upset DS who's only 2 bless him, it worries him - but after he's in bed tonight I'll have a good sob!

when i was in slow labour with DS (2 days) a MW advised me to have loads of sugary snacks

lucozade, fizzy drinks, haribo - basically anything sugary which i did (eben tho' my appetite was gone) and i went into labour around 3 hours after my sugar rush

maybe worth a try

FWIW, DD was very quick - 2 pushes and she was out in 3 mins compared to an hour with DS

Ohh, now that advice is a LOT more attractive ruby! I'll crack open the chocolate - although actually I've been eating lots of sugar since I went overdue, and it hasn't helped, but I have no objection to trying!!

How's it going, sushistar?

Have been reading with interest!! Did you have sweep? Hope all is well xx

You have my sympathy I had a very long latent phase with DD3. Went into labour on 21st September she was born on 11th October. At one point I had 3 hours of contractions every 3 minutes which fizzled out after calling doula/mws out

I had a lot of paracetamol, warm baths, naps and bouncing on the birth ball! Also try hot water bottle on your back if it is aching and spend sometime kneeling on the floor and resting your arms on a chair or ball whilst rocking your hips - that REALLY helped.

I had this for nearly 2 weeks, finally had dd at 40 + 9, so you have my every sympathy. Keep that phone switched off!

I did agree to a sweep, though MW did say that dd's position was not quite right, and felt a definite shift the day before she came. If it's any comfort, once I got going, I really got going and actual labour was only few hours. MW only present (hb) for 1 1/2 hours before dd born (1st baby). Someone said to me, contractions are never for nothing, so comfort yourself with knowing that there is a point to all of this, and your baby is on its way! Good luck

Aww thanks for your interest everyone! A bit of sympathy does make it easier to bear

Had sweep this afternoon - I'm 4 CENTEMETRES dilated!! Midwife looked a bit surprised and asked how regular my contractions were - I think she found it hard to believe I wasn't in 'proper' labour. She said it was one of the easiest sweeps she'd ever done. I've never had one before and was expecting it to really hurt but it wasn't that bad at all, I guess cos my cervix is so open already.

HOWEVER - although I have had contractions since the sweep, they are still intermittant and not much stronger Baby feels like he might just fall out!

For those of you that had a sweep that worked - how long was it between the sweep and labour starting properly?

O'h and I've tried the sugar rush and the 'big emotional outburst' advice and they didn't work - yet...

Might go and eat more cocopops.

Good luck!! Sure things will happen now...
Feel for you... I walked around being 4 cm for about three days with dd1 and it really did feel like she was about to fall out. Now got two weeks to go with current bump.. we'll see how this one works out.
Like the sugar rush idea... just waddling off to the kitchen to find something suitable