Last week or two of pregnancy

[squidkid]

Just a place for advice/suggestions or a place to chat for those of us in the last couple weeks of pregnancy. I am on a brilliant antenatal thread but my due date is the first there and I don't want to bore them all with nonsense about braxton hicks and how to fill my days when lots of them are still at work... and I think they would prefer their babies to stay inside for now! I'm not quite at the "get it out of me" stage yet... but I'm definitely at the "if you came now you'd be very welcome" stage.... :)

I am 38+5 today and this is first baby. I know most first babies come late, so I've been trying to tell myself I'll be late throughout the pregnancy, but now I'm term it's hard not to be excited. In the last three or four days I've had long periods of continuous mild period-like pain, and some painful tightenings (sometimes very close together, but then they stop). Are these imminent signs, do these mean nothing... I don't really know. I haven't had a show.

Baby has been engaged since 34 weeks (uncomfortable!) I'm pretty sure his/her back is on the left side at the front (all the kicks are upper right hand side) which I think is ideal. I'm a little obsessive about keeping baby in a good position - I spend time on all fours, make sure I get plenty of walking/standing, sit on a gym ball when I'm on the computer, sleep on my side, I don't lie back on the sofa. I'm probably overthinking this.

I am doing pretty ok for late pregnancy - still walking at least a few miles a day, or swimming, or walking into town every day. I actually did a charity night hike last night! (Boyfriend carried maternity notes in his backpack through the woods - it was a bit stupid really!) I am slow, but I thought I'd be a lot heavier and more immobile by this stage to be honest. I stopped work a while back - a very busy, stressful, physically and emotionally demanding job - so I've had a lot of time to relax, nest, exercise, see almost all my friends, sort my flat out. Everything is neat and sorted and stocked and ready.

I'm grateful that I've had a troublefree pregnancy and hoping the birth will go fine too. Feeling positive and relaxed about it, just impatient!

How are other people doing? Staying busy, getting anxious, waiting, over-analysing every tiny sign!? Any suggestions for good things to do in the last week or two? Please no one tell me to 'get lots of sleep' as this is the one thing I am completely incapable of at the moment - up every 30-60 mins through the night...

Aw sunny that sounds tough. When can DP come back? What will they do next if the pessary doesn't seem to be moving you along?

Good luck today SunnyD! Hope everything gets going soon. Yes it is impossible to sleep in hospitals... And I remember my labour room as being like a sauna too - they made me stay for 24 hours afer giving birth as I'd had a temperature in labour... anyone in that room would have had a temperature! Nearly there though and baby will be in your arms soon :) x

I was up half of last night with painful tightenings every 10 min, took some paracetamol at 2.30am and went back to bed and they eased off. Didn't know whether to keep the hubby home today but in the end he's gone into work and apart from a few BH nothing too dramatic this morning. I had a 'false' labour the night before I had ds - wondering if this was the same, or if it means nothing and I could go on for ages yet! Hard not knowing! Oh well, better get ready for the school run now with ds... neither of us dressed yet and I really don't feel like getting dressed. Gonna be one of those days!

How is everyone else doing today? Any news from Orenishii?! And how heavy was baby, weezl74? :)

Still here, still pregnant, 40+3. A total and utter grumpy grots

4 am and awake. Managed to sleep from about 10 with about 6 trips to the loo

Woke up because I was incredibly hungry. Just eaten a bowl of cereal and sitting waiting to see what the contractions are like this morning. Will likely still send dh to work today, as they are still irregular and just furnishings.. Nothing painful yet.Good luck today Sony d

Group hug to all those still waiting!!!!!

Hmmmmm... Furnishings... Not even sure what I was trying to type there... Oh well

May I join? 40+6. Had a sweep on weds to no avail as yet. Was trying to be positive but it's a very odd no mans land to be in! And it does make you question your body's ability... Anyway - must keep chin up! And congrats to all that have had babies!! Xx

Hello. I'm jumping ship from the 'Fed Up' thread to this one. No one over there is having babies and this one seems luckier!!

I'm 40+4, had a sweep on Tuesday which achieved nothing and now just playing the waiting game. It will be me and DP's 6 year anniversary tomorrow; which will be a great day for baby's birthday as we are getting married in April so it will preserve the date iyswim?! Will be booking a nice meal out in the hope that baby will come along and spoil it

Well that's me, wishing lots of luck to everyone!

Let's have a Still Waiting party. It will mostly involve yelling at messages from people asking if we've had the baby yet, giving each other acupuncture badly, eating pizza and ice cream and then moaning loudly about heartburn, and hissing and growling at anyone not pregnant/snoring/male/physic and able to know exactly what we want at any given time

I'm in!

I'll bring the Raspberry tea leaf and birth balls!

Well ladies, do i have a story to tell! Went into local assessment unit 9am weds as waters had broken with meconium in. Waited for my induction room until almost midnight that day when i was induced. I was fine until mw started ramping up the dose and gave me pethadine, i was totally out of my face on it and could barely open my eyes, let alone communicate but it didn't help with contractions at all. When the contractions got very bad, they were awful and i put up with this until morning when mw said i could have an epidural. That was absolute bliss! I was then given move induction drugs to try and progress the labour but it didn't and i ended up having an emcs yesterday afternoon.

Anyway, my beautiful dd is now here and regardless of how quite traumatic it was (and so different from my birth plan) i wouldn't change a thing. I love her more than i thought possible. She had to have a cannula put into her tiny hand this morning and it was so upsetting.

WOW Spice congratulations!!! I really don't think it matters, in the end, whatever happens just as long as baby and you are safe. Have wonderful snuggles with your DD, rest and relax and know you did an amazing job :) Congratulations again!

Congratulations Spice, im counting down until this misery is a distant past! still waiting here, find out shortly if the pessary has had enough effect to allow them to break my waters or if I need gel too - goodness me I had under estimated this waiting game! If its enough and they can break my waters I am added to the waiting list for a room in the delivery unit - a lady previously waited 2 days - the torture! Having irratic contractions and now been told baby is back to back - joy all round lol

Get those babies out soon ladies

Well ladies, do i have a story to tell! Went into local assessment unit 9am weds as waters had broken with meconium in. Waited for my induction room until almost midnight that day when i was induced. I was fine until mw started ramping up the dose and gave me pethadine, i was totally out of my face on it and could barely open my eyes, let alone communicate but it didn't help with contractions at all. When the contractions got very bad, they were awful and i put up with this until morning when mw said i could have an epidural. That was absolute bliss! I was then given move induction drugs to try and progress the labour but it didn't and i ended up having an emcs yesterday afternoon.

Anyway, my beautiful dd is now here and regardless of how quite traumatic it was (and so different from my birth plan) i wouldn't change a thing. I love her more than i thought possible. She had to have a cannula put into her tiny hand this morning and it was so upsetting.

Congratulations Spice17! So glad your dd has arrived safe and sound. I know exactly what you mean about the cannula - ds was a poorly baby and then had feeding difficulties and had to have feeding tubes put in, I found it so distressing. But if it makes them well then that is the important thing. Big well done for all you went through to get her out into the world!

Welcome sarah and gangly :) Count me in for the grumpy my-baby-isn't-here-yet party! I had a sweep this afternoon and now have nasty little stabbing pains down below and having irregular tightenings. Just feel generally uncomfortable and a bit sick. All good signs but equally could go on for days - who knows... Probably daft of me not to be resting when I'm feeling sore but I am going to cook a nice hot chicken saag for dinner! I went into labour shortly after having one of those with ds, so I am hoping it is my lucky labour meal! When I'm chopping up the onions I'll be cursing myself for not having bought ready meals from Tesco.

Congratulations spice! Glad I have your little newborn to construing to decide if I should call dh home fr work today. Sweep yesterday. Mild BH off and on all night. Went for 1hr walk at the mall this morning. Now having what feels like contractions rather than BH. Shorter time span. Lasting roughly 30 seconds and about 7 or 8 min apart. Now t I'm back home and sitting just waiting to see if everything fizzles out again or not.

Quick pop on before trying to catch some shut eye.. Little baby bear born at 5:44pm. 7lb 10oz. Not sure how long. Boy. Started after 9am walkathon . And jalapeno toast for breakfast. Laboured at mil house until contractions were 1min long and 2 apartIn triage, by time I was. assessed I was 9cm. Wheeled me into l&d and dh RANto admitting and I had to pant through contractions to stall, and 30 min of pushing they had to suck baby out due to dropping heart rate from things happening so fast. No time for pain killers. Did get a local before venetouse but didn't have time to kick in really. And now for the gory details, those faint of heart overt Thu eyes.2ND degree year, numerous stitches including to anus, and one massive hemmeroid. OmgStill working on the name. Hope to post again soon.Hugs to everyone!

Huge congrats beeblebear! Lovely news to hear your little ds has arrived :) And impressive that you managed not to go in until you were 9cm. Hope you have a lovely day getting to know your baby.

Well after my sweep yesterday afternoon I was getting stabbing pains down below and had some contractions which were 7 mins apart - but these eased off overnight and not a lot happening right now. Talk about timing... ds (3 and a half) had a tummy upset overnight and vomited in our bed - so I was up at 1am cleaning him and changing the bedding while having contractions. I was rather anxious about going into labour with him upset and poorly so maybe that hindered my contractions :( Oh well, today is another day!

Hope things are happening for the rest of you ladies :)

Thank you mummy2benji!

Please accept me into your fold.. 40 + 1 here. Had posted new thread but was told about this thread :-)

As I said its anticipation of birth more than him being late that us bothering me.

Plus started really stupid worries 'what if he is covered in black hair' being todays....

Hello, please may I join? Was also on the 'fed up' thread but this one is busier. I'm 40+6. Felt crampy throughout the night with dull backache but nothing regular or intense, feel like this could go on for days . Daytime I can handle but so fed up of being uncomfy at night and not sleeping properly. First sweep booked for Monday and planning to DTD with DH tonight. Big Congrats to those who have had babies and sending labour vibes to those of us patiently waiting!

6 days til due date.
Lots of pressure, pains and aches but nothing!!
So fed up, any suggestions to try to induce labour yourself? Everyday i seem to be snappy, irritable or full of energy one day to none the next :(
2 pregnancys in 2 years has taken its toll! X

Can I check in too? 40+2 today but last few weeks have been a roller coaster. Got tested for gestational diabetes at 36 wks and was told if was positive wouldn't go past 38 weeks- so got my head around that only to find out wasn't GD. Baby measuring large- hence testing for GD, so saw consultant at 37weeks who said they wouldn't let me go past due date. Saw him again at 39 weeks and he wasn't concerned and booked me in for induction at 41+4. I feel like I've been preparing for arrival and then had it whipped away from me several times. Obviously there's every chance I could go into labour naturally at any time- which would be ideal but that induction is at the back of my mind.

Also, this is my first and I'm hugely excited about the baby being here- I know DP will make a fantastic dad and as I'm an only child my parents and family are hugely excited,

Posted too soon- bloody phone! I was just going today that I feel like I'm sitting around waitin for something that isn't going to be a pleasant experience- the labour I mean- and I know it's fantastic that the baby is coming but I'm going to be uncomfortable and in pain.

That's my honest thoughts- and I hope it happens naturally soon.

Citrusy that's how I feel - sitting around, willing something not very pleasant to happen.

Can I moan? I am supposed to be all relaxed, accupunctured, relaxed, hypnobirthed and serene and I'm just not. I'm feeling really, really irrationally angry! Like the worst PMT I've ever had in my life. I'm 40+4 and just so fed up with all of it - the heart burn, the electric shocks down legs from sciatica, waking up from dead legs in the night, my cat insisting she sleep as close to me as she can and then growling when I have restless legs and twitch and fidget...WTF is her problem! DH doing workouts at home and huffing and puffing through handstands makes me agitated, I don't know why - I think it's tapping into some birthing thing. Being so massive is making me miserable - I am so completely over the whole thing. People who are early or go into labour on their due date - how does this happen???

Sorry :( I know this is whiny...I just feel so completely and utterly bonkers angry...I thought you at least skipped PMT in pregnancy?

I am officially grumpy too. I second that I also was told I was having early delivery until 38 weeks. Maybe that's why I feel super late.

Its the anticipation of birth that isn't helping. If he needs to cook longer then ok but man o man I just want the pain over..

I have really snapped at dd today which is awful as she has been so lovely. Dp can irritate me just by not having to be pregnant.

Want to go for a beach walk but I feel rubbish..

Moan moan moan

Welcome new ladies! The more the merrier. :) Orenishii I think moods all over the place and emotional rollercoaster is quite normal for late stage of pregnancy - understandable to be totally fed up by now as well as all the other anxieties that come with knowing that baby will arriving soon.

It is odd in a way that we are all desperately wanting something unpleasant to start happening! When I had ds it really wasn't too bad, I was pleasantly surprised (I am not super brave). Lasted 13 hours (with 2 hours of pushing) but it went quickly and felt managable. Ds being born was amazing too - seeing him for the first time was the best moment of my life :) I'm still a bit nervous though, as I don't know if my experience this time round will be the same or something different. We shall see soon enough I suppose!

Passed my show this morning but no contractions or anything since. Have hoovered the entire house and now going to take ds to the park - maybe chasing him about will help get things started! (blind optimism...)

Good luck all and hope some signs of imminent labour occur soon!