40w+4 can't wee and can't walk!

[peanutpie]

I am more than fed up, I'm in pain and in a bit of a panic.

Firstly, especially at night, I'm really struggling to empty my bladder. Just get a tiny trickle and have to keep going back and back. It's so frustrating, like having wee constipation! I daren't really drink anything as it feels so uncomfortable to have a full bladder and not be able to go! I'm doing things like getting on all fours and sticking my bum in the air and hoping the baby to move out of the way so I can wee!

With regards to walking, by about 5pm I have this leg cramp thing which is stopping me from walking. All I can do is crawl or hobble about for about 3 steps and then sit down. It often carries on at night even when I am lying down and I have to lay in just the right position. It is happening during the day more and more and I don't feel comfortable walking by myself. It feels like this nerve pain is worse the 'lower' the baby feels.

I've got myself in a right panic about the birth and these wee and walking problems! My first birth was fine and I was able to be pretty active but if I get these leg cramps in labour I think I'll be buggered!

First baby was born at 38w+6 but I feel fairly convinced I'll be induced this time. Things just don't seem right

Is anyone else struggling with this sort of thing?

Hi,
Yes I too am having pee fright- mine is during the day and then as soon as I have laid in bed for a couple of hours my bladder opens and then it's every half hour until I get up. I'm sure it's the position of the babies, and lack of space I'm 36 +4. Try and have a bath because it does help relax the muscles. I have to say that needing to have a wee and not being able to go is quite unnerving- but you are not alone..
I thought my 2nd pregnancy would be easier- how wrong I was too!!!

Thanks 8360natalie. A bath does help. I'm actually weeing while stading over my son's potty as well which seems to make things a bit easier!

Late pregnancy is so glamorous!

Hello,
It is worth ringing your midwife regarding the bladder issues. They can (or at least the hospital can) catherterise you to check that you aren't retaining urine and over expanding your bladder. It happened to me in my first pregnancy and i didnt think much of it at the time. Whilst it is very very rare, it did mean that as it wasnt picked up until after i had given birth I then had an uncomfortable few weeks of having an indwelling catherter.
Sorry, I dont mean to alarm you. Like i said it is really really rare (to the point that none of the health professionals i encountered had ever had to deal with it before), but always worth checking things over with your midwife!

Just wanted to add a little word of caution, please dont limit your fluid intake at this stage, as frustrating and alarming as the wee problems are. You need to stay well hydrated to fend off any possible Urinary tract infection, also to keep baby healthy and keep amniotic fluid levels up.

Its well worth getting the midwives to check your week too, just to exclude any active infection (might not have cystitis like symptoms, some infections are 'silent').

Is it possible for you to measure how much you are passingm maybe by going in a jug or potty, this might help midwives help to assess if you might be retaining urine?

Thanks for your warnings - This weirdly all happened last night!

I thought my waters had broken and went into hospital. The midwife looked at all my wet pads and agreed and hooked me up to be monitored. She thought I was in early labour as I seemed to be having very regular contractions. Anyway it went off in a few hours and she then changed her mind and decided that I had a bladder infection and that I had passed wee rather than waters! She believed that the bladder infection was making me mimic early labour.

I arrived home at 6am after having been sick from gas and air I think (that didn't happen last time!) They gave me some for a vaginal exam.

Anyway after being up all night, and being pretty sick, I have felt pretty horrid today. I've spent the day in bed and felt very grateful for grandparents!

I'm now on antibiotics as I had 2+ leucocytes(spell ?) in my urine. I hope it will calm things down and make my bladder and uterus a bit less irritable. Trying to keep up my fluid intake as my wee has been a horrid colour.