Can't sleep :( (anyone else with less than a month to go?)

[TotorosOcarina]

Heartburn, weird dreams, kicking baby.

Mostly the heart burn, just been sicl too.

Am really tired but can't get comfy.

Anyone else feeling a bit blurgh at the home stretch? Just kind of feel like I'm getting to the point where I've had enough of being pregnant but then once the baby comes I'm not gonna get much rest am I?!

Not even a niggle here...

Pootle- have you had your sweep yet? They often get things moving..

Also, was thinking- do you think our labour pattern may follow our mother's labour pattern? Anyone with experience of this? Just curious- as my mum was late with both me and my sis and had to have her waters broken both times...

I'm hoping not Leila, my mum was 10 11 and then 10 days late with each of us and had to have her waters broken each time. However, none of us were over 8lbs and I'm on track to have a whopper between 9lbs6 and 10lbs! Give or take a pound

Oh lord my mother never went into labour naturally. 3 CSs....

I suspect I'll be offered a sweep tomorrow. Induction is virtually a given on Sunday/Monday but I've negotiated them down on methods of induction. Their preferred option would be to whack me straight onto a syntocin drip. I'll do 2 x cycles of prostoglandins and consider ARM if indicated by Bishop's score but won't have a drip because I don't like their hospital policy (continuous monitoring, restricted movement etc) so that would mean a move to CS.

Hummm that's what I'm hoping LisMcA, although I know that certain pregnancy symtoms do increase in likelihood when there is a genetic factor present- like Preeclampsia for instance...

Guess, we will just have to wait n see!

Good luck to all the overdue. I'm sadly thinking that babies come exactly when they're ready to, and all the effort otherwise is just a best attempt. And I'm only 37+6!

Sleep has been OK because of the co-codamol but I'm getting nervous of taking them. On the other hand, if I don't, I won't sleep. They're only the 8/500 over the counter ones. The hospital doctor prescribed 30/500 a few weeks ago but my GP won't prescribe them
at all so I've been buying them and only taking them when absolutely necessary, but scaring myself.

Hello - i'm still here!! 39 weeks today.

Been stomping my way around London for the last few days in an attempt to get this baby moving. Nothing.

Even been to Westfields today...which I wouldn't normally contemplate when i'm not pg...but just desperate to keep moving as I hope it'll chivvy things along.

Now I'm just tired. And I didn't even buy anything...oh, apart from some raspberry leaf capsules. ROCK AND ROLL!!

Re: dates, I was first placed at 2nd May after my 1st GP appointment. It was only the 12 week scan that they put me the week before. And so I am not holding out much hope. Despite the fact I keep on getting teasing twinges that seem to result in nothing.

Frak- are labour poilicies different where you are, at how many days over do they normally induce ? What country are you in?

Frak, am also having sweep tmw - declined with first for all sorts of reasons but having then been induced due to PIH (which they hystericalised into pre-eclampsia even though I had no other symptoms) I now realise that this would be FAR worse for me to do again.

I'm sort of in France, as in part of the Republic, but actually think more Mauritius and you have a better idea of my actual geographical location!

Term in France is 41 weeks and you can usually negotiate the equivalent of expectant management for another week, although most women opt not to - and I totally understand why! It's good in a way because there isn't the pressure of baby arriving at 40 weeks, then having a frustrating few days before they'll do anything and then wondering at what point you can ask for an induction/will end up being induced. They just let you go to 41 without stressing and then tell you that baby should be out by now so they're giving it a kick up the backside!

However here, being in the tropics, they expect babies to arrive between 38 and 40, and the risk of letting you go much past 41 is considered too high so everything gets shifted forwards.

Labour policies depend on the hospital. Cultural attitudes towards medicine are very different - epidurals are a good thing and to be encouraged at every opportunity, an ELCS is much easier to come by - however there's much less room to challenge things. Continuous monitoring and giving birth on your back is the norm and you have to request intermittent/remote electronic monitoring and an active labour. At the ante-natal classes we were given a little leaflet about how you could give birth on your side not your back if you want, or you could squat/kneel/whatever, and many of the other women were just completely gobsmacked by this. They didn't seem to get why on earth you'd want to do that because it's just not normal!

I could go on about the differences all day.... it's fascinating (and occasionally very frustrating).

Wow, sounds very very different; fingers crossed both your and my sweep are either not needed or v. successful!!!

Eh up ladies ... I'm only flipping contracting! Granted, it's only every 20 minutes (well, actually down to 18 now ) but something is DEF happening. Had period pain last night but sent my self off to bed and it had all gone this morning. Went for a three mile walk round Delamere Forest this morning and have been doing this since about 11am! No loss of plug or waters or anything as significant as that, but FINGERS CROSSED that this is the start :) And that it's not going to go on for NINE days or something stupid. So you all need to get your walking shoes on and literally go that extra mile

Oooooh how exciting, well done wobblyweeble82- keep us posted! And good-luck, hope it continues and that you meet your baby very soon!!!!

Thanks Leila :) Trying not to get too excited as faffed for days with DS, but hoo-soddin'-ray!

Ooooh. Proper contractions getting closer together is definitely a good sign. Hope things ramp up for you quickly

Thanks Frak It's a quandry though as whether to get some rest in now as baby could faff about a lot - or pace the streets and refuse to sit down until it really gets going ... I might have a nap in a very uncomfy chair - kind of a compromise!

Ooh, good luck ww82. Why not do some sideways stairs? Supposed to be very effective for opening the pelvis and maybe not as tiring as another long walk?

Fingers crossed for you Wobbly!!!

I've put sofa cushions under my mattress and they've been there for 2 months now. I'm 38 weeks pregnant.

If I take the cushions out my back and hips start to ache.

I also swim once a week and that seems to really help with the aching and busy mind too.

This is my second pregnancy and sleep has been much improved by these two things I think.

Thanks Stiffy and Pootle - still at 18 minutes! Starving hungry too, even though I've had moussaka, salad, chips, a packet of crisps, a creme egg, a glass of milk ...

Oh Wobbly, I've been like that for almost 3 weeks now, had put on no weight during this pregnancy and done about a stone in the last 3 weeks!!

Well I've been on 4 iron tablets a day for a month now and they've made me so sicky and grim - it's quite novel really! I'm guessing baby has moved even further down in my pelvis (I've been 'deeply engaged' for a fortnight) too making for a bit more stomach space. DH is making me spaghetti carbonara as I type, with loads of garlic bread And there's a magnum in the fridge with my name on it. Need the energy, blatantly :) I say enjoy it Pootle - espesh if its just an end of pregnancy thing. You can't do that much damage in a week or two, surely?!

oooh, garlic bread,,,yummmy!

Well almost a stone in a couple of weeks is pretty bad!!

Am planning a currry right now though and trying not to drool!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, so excited for you wobbly!!! Let us know if/when they start to decrease. A friend of mine swears by some stairs action to keep things moving. Saying that, if you're tired enough for a kip I'd sleep. There will be plenty of time for stairs if this is the real deal. Ah, so excited for you!

Eat as much as you want/need - that goes for Pootle & everyone. You'll be burning so many calories in the first few weeks nd I figure that we're all too far gone for it to matter too much. Saying that, I couldn't be arsed with Sainsbury's tonight. So contemplating soup or beans on toast fr dinnner. DH is working flipping miles away, so have a feeling i'll be dining alone.

Good job there's a cream egg in the fridge to take away my lonliness...!!

Well said Milla - although not beans on toast for tea. You need something truly delicious. At least make them cheesey or worcester-sauce-ified! Still 18 minutes here - going to walk the dog in a mo and then take things upstairs one at a time. Tried the side step thing and got shooting pains up my whoopsie so gave up on that :s

And DH's tea was yummy. We stink

eek at the shooting pains.

We had yummy stinky tea, too, but ate too much (can't, surely,be a case of eyes bigger than this particular belly!) and am now stuffed. Need to be rolled into other room!