Am I in labour? (Long and tmi)

[wildpoppy]

Hi,

I've namechanged as don't want friends who know me on here to be waiting with baited breath if this is labour.

I am four days overdue. I've had stress incontinence the past week or so but only when I cough as I've had a bad cough. And even then just a few drops each time.

I;ve also been a bit constipated and not done a poo since Sunday morning despite kind of feeling full of poo. About half an hour ago I did a poo and also, I think, a wee. This gave me a terrible pain in the back for a couple of minutes which I think was actually a result of still having lots of poo inside me that is stuck and wants to come out but it wouldn't. It was enough to make me boil a kettle to make a hot water bottle but to then not bother to actually make the bottle because it went away. Then I got up from loo and a minute later did a small wee in my knickers. Went to loo again and did wee and changed my pad. Now every few mins of so if I am standing up but not when sitting down I do what feels like another small wee.

Or maybe it is my waters? Because if I was weeing myself it would be one wee and not lots of little ones would it, especially as I've been to the loo normally too.

The pad I am wearing is slightly stained pink too - that would be odd for wee wouldn't it?

So I am trying to work out whether my waters have broken. This matter in particular because my dh has given me orders to bring him home from work if things kick off, but he has a work do tonight. He can not go to it or he can leave at a key point, but he will be chairing a meeting and not able to check his phone for a couple of hours so needs to know either before meeting starts or after it finishes.

He doesn't mind me bringing him home and can get someone to cover him, but I don't want to do so if I've just weed myself and it's not my waters. I have an hour or so before I have to let him know though. Also a friend is due to come over soon and I said I would pick hr up from the station but I know I shouldn't drive if my waters have broken in case contractions start.

Other than the backpain for a minute or so post poo I've had no other pain.

Any advice on whether this is my waters or just wee plus braxton hicks. I did smell the pad - it smells of nothing - not wee, but not anythign else either.

Thank you

I had similar in my last pg just felt like I was leaking a tiny bit, I rang my mw who said go to hospital and get checked. I'd also started contractions but very sporadic and irregular. I drove myself to hospital (30min drive) they used a swab and confirmed that my waters were leaking, they offered to induce me then and there but I said I'd rather wait for things to get going naturally, so drove home again with disposable thermometers to check my temperature every 4hrs, to check for infection. Eventually I had to be induced a couple of days later anyway.
I'd ring your mw and discuss it with her, and its up to you whether you feel confident enough to drive. I drove my dd to school this morning, i'm 38wks pg with dc2 now - contractions 6-8mins apart-had a couple whilst driving but I knew they weren't bad enough to affect my ability to drive.
See what your midwife says but it could well be waters which need checking, but it doesn't sound like you are in labour yet, or not established labour anyway.
Good luck

Thank you for replying. I am thinking that perhaps I will drive to station (it is literally 4 mins away on back roads) and then reassess when friend has gone and call midwife for advice. If dh comes home and we go to hospital it would take over an hour in rush hour or 20 mins a bit later, so probably best to wait until later this evening regardless, if we can.

I would say your waters have gone.

My waters went first in my last pregnancy but no pain. Give your midwife a call for some advice. Good luck

I think waiting a while will be fine. Put in a pad as the midwives may want to check it when you pop in, apparently waters have a special smell, although I'm not sure what this is!

Rang hospital and they said go in. They confirmed it's waters (though I knew by then - kept
coming and stained pink) and now been sent home or night. I have to go in when I have three contractions in ten mins or by 24 hours after waters broke in case of infection.

Thanks for advice and replies everyone.

Good luck! Hope all goes well