*What to expect when the time comes??*

[Yummymummyyobe1]

I have been wondering if I will know when I going into labour and whether my waters have broken and the plug has gone. In fact it has become something of an obsessive thought of late (with a little over 10 wks to go). What if I don't notice???

I am working right up until my due date and keep thinking what if I go into labour at work and don't realise until baby is coming (images of colleagues down there not reassuring at all) and if it does happen how do I tell my boss the time has come (we laugh as we imagine I will email her very politely and saying ?Sorry to disturb you xxx but I think I might be in labour, can I please go to the hospital. Although I will go once I have finished once I am finished on x) Then I freak out about the whole colleagues down the business end again.

I have woken up a few times in the night recently (sorry TMI) feeling very wet and thought I?m in labour and sat waiting for things to happen. Am I being a worrying Winnie?

Help me, tell me I am not the only one out here obsessing about the labour !!!

xx
xx

You're not the only one. I've been worrying so much about things going wrong that it's only just dawned on me what to think about for things going right! As it's twins I'll get induced/ELCS at 37 weeks but assuming I go that far I'll be off on mat leave from 34 weeks... that's 3 weeks of daytimes in the house on my own, 10 miles from the hospital and no easy public transport solution. I really need to find a local taxi firm that'll take me in labour at short notice, don't I?

You WILL know.
You might be able to dismiss the early stages if you're busy and the pains aren't bad but you will know when it's happening.

You won't know how far along you are or whatever.

Buonasera - I was reliant on a taxi to get me there with DD. I called around a few firms to ask if they'd take a lady in labour. One said something about it being dangerous so I struck them off the list! I don't think we mentioned being in labour when we actually called on the night of my labour - we called to check if there were cabs available and they said it'd be 20 minutes so we, randomly, decided we'd book one for 40 minutes later or something like that.

It is different for all, of course, how labour starts.
For me, I had absolutely no signs of anything. THen up on Wednesday night with pains, Thursday I was having more tightenings and things as well as sort of show-like knicker actions (blood streaked mucus, lots of discharge - lovely!). Pains started the Friday evening directly after DTD and just got closer together - fairly straightforward.

With DS, had been having period like pains but nothing remarkable but I was sitting in the car and had one that just made me think "I will ahve to get out of the car if I have another one" - a very instinctual feeling that made me think that this was going to be the real thing. I had on and off, irregular pains for quite a few hours before thigns ramped up but I also had a fairly spectacular mucussy show/the plug !

If it happens at work, you will tell a colleague and head home early, most likely - the whole waters breaking-rush to hospital business is rare, especially for a first baby! My waters didn't break 'til in the hospital both times - it really varies from woman to woman. THey can break before labour and you end up having to be induced or it can signal the start of labour ...

You'll be fine!

I guess this is your first baby? It's incedibly unlikely that your labour would progress so fast that you'd be caught out like that. You're much more likely to have a long period of cramps which get more and more painful (for hours) before anything exciting happens! My waters breaking was the first sign of labour for me, then cramps etc and 27 hours later DD was born.

Thanks ladies. With it being baby number one and something of worry winnie at the best of times. I will have to make sure that the beauty bits are done pre labour legs, armpits and bikini line.

Mum laughed when I told her the work thing, after dad had wet himself laughing. Mums advice was "do not do it in the middle of minuting a meeting as I am sure that it will have to be noted" LOL