Overdue?! Lets rant and see who pops first

[Biggem]

2 day over now and irregular period cramps and back ache are leading to NOWT!

And if one more persons tries to give me some 'helpful' advice I shall tell them
"Yes, I have been having sex whilst eating curried pineapple"
Fuck off!!!!

Sorry Orenishii. I don't understand why all those "professionals" seem to consider that an induction is something benign and harmless.

javotte I know exactly what you mean...my MWs in both pregnancies have been less than caring (bar one, who seemed to really love the job still and got that it was about each women's needs rather than following the book) that and the hca's where the only ones who were any good in hospital. Even HV that I've encountered have been pretty bad.
I understand they are stretched a lot of the time but it isn't our fault, we are just the patients at the end of the day. Starting to dread seeing my consultant now, he seemed really laid back last time I saw him saying it was up to me how far I went before they would try inducing, lets hope he's the same this time round.

I know what you mean about dreading to see your consultant Biggem. I can't sleep at all the night before. I was so stressed last time that I threw up before going to the hospital.
We went for a long, nice walk this afternoon. Then I had a hot bath. Still nothing.

Thanks ladies :) I cried, baked a cake, cried some more, fought with my cat and am now feeling calmer.

Please, please, please, please body...come and work and start this process :)

I can't help but think if my cervix is so high...body isn't ready to start yet...why can't they recognise that as something i might just want to talk to them about?

Orenishii you still have plenty of time for everything to happen naturally, so dont worry about it too much (easier said than done I know) - the worrying could be stopping you from progressing in fact. Have a bath, eat some chocolate and watch your favorite films, it will happen! You could always ask for another sweep in a few days time?

I am booked for my third sweep tomorrow, have had a few more twinges since my last sweep (yesterday) so fingers crosed the midwife will give me good news, and I will be able to avoid induction on friday.

Good luck cat my sil took 3 attempts at a sweep before going into labour the day before the induction was booked
A friend recently went to be induced, has the pessary inserted went for a mad 25 minute walk/route march around the block and contractions started when she got back on the ward the mw's didn't actually believe she was in labour tho, she demanded they look and they were v shocked to find her 7cm!

Tonight my baba is mainly fidgeting around and shoving whichever limb is under my belly button all over the place - alien!

Good luck all, here's hoping everyone's various planned sweeps do the job so no inductions are needed. It will all be worth it when our babies arrive.

Thanks ladies :)

I'm struggling a bit with thinking my body isn't working properly...it feels very strange to get to 41 weeks and not even be slightly close, and to be honest - it's completely thrown me. I keep thinking it's all going to end so badly but most of all I'm annoyed with the MW's - they haven't tried to prepare me for an induction with giving me any information about the stages of induction, and it's scary.

Right now I'm on strict instructions to go for a two hour walk, to start really believing my body will work and bring on this birth by itself and just give it a bit more time. I don't know if it's relevant but today was my original due date, until they brought it forward by 8 days

Hello ladies!
I couldn't sleep last night because I kept thinking about the induction. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt about the induction. Woke up thinking I have only 24 hours left before the induction.
I don't know what to do to keep my mind busy!

Morning!
javotte do something you love doing - walking, reading a book anything that you know will get you absorbed and the fact that you might not be able to do it for a while

P.s. sending get out vibes to your baby!

Yes yes to that biggem - javotte that's what I plan on doing - ambling around and walking for a few hours, book shop shopping because that's always calming, thinking happy birthing thoughts :)

Thanks ladies! DS has asked me to make pizza from scratch. Hopefully it will keep me busy for a while.
I keep telling the baby that she is ready now and that everybody wants to meet her at last, but she seems to be as stubborn as her parents!

Thanks biggem, we should be exchanging contracts on our house today (stupidly moving at the end of next month!) and I am banking on the relief from finally knowing everything is going ahead, together with the sweep will kick start everything.

I think I may join you ladies in having a big walk today, with the addition of a stop off for cake!

Had a big braxton this morning and have felt quite crampy, so I hope the MW will give me good news!

I've been using my breast pump for a couple of hours. It has given me a few contractions, but not powerful enough.
What is your DH/DP's attitude? Mine doesn't seem interested, or worried, and it is making me stress even more.

Third sweep attempt ended in failure, she STILL couldn't reach it . Queue me crying in the waiting room while my notes were being written up (midwife was lovely to me though), walking home and sat in the kitchen, declaring to my mum that I am a failure.

Once I had stopped snotting everywhere (sorry) I did compose myself enough to walk into town and eat an enormous piece of cake and have a big pot of tea while reading a book which was lovely. Also mum is visiting tomorrow to tell me to pull myself together cheer me up!

Javotte my DH has tried the nipple thing, but I don't think he is doing it right and just ends up annoying me! He is interested, but I don't think he really gets how it makes me feel possibly having to be induced.

Oh catlover love...big hugs. Big, big hugs. How far along are you? I know you said you hoped the house exchanging would be leave you with just this getting on with labour business :) But maybe it hasn't been quite enough time yet?

My DH came last night, having had a beer with his boss who's wife went to 43 weeks and still had a home birth. He explained to DH about kangaroo mamma's - how they hold on and hold on and hold on to their joey's until they find a suitable place to give birth.

So now ladies, we're all more or less in the same position - overdue, the threat of induction hanging over us, and feeling irrationally like our bodies aren't working. Now we focus on finding that suitable place for us to give birth - maybe we've all had stresses and things that have prevented us from finding "that right place" :) I dunno, maybe it's nonsense from this point forward I am telling myself my body is making itself ready, I'm ready for my baby - where maybe I was saying the opposite because I wanted to get X or Y done. NICE guidelines AND the NHS consider "normal" term to be between 37-42 weeks. Until 42 weeks rolls around, and as long as our babies are doing normal movements, we are going to trust our bodies, relax, get into birthing mode, and just let is happen. OK? OK :)

Oh also I DTD today, used the pump last night - but only for ten minutes as it's so bloody noisy! - and went for a two hour walk this morning, and have had BH's and period pains all day.

Oh second also - have a sweep, scan AND meeting with the head of MW care booked in tomorrow. This is not inducing less stress, people

Evening all! Had an eventful night last night with pretty strong contraction waking me at 1.45am and then contractions coming till they were about 15 min apart. Loose bowels etc. thought wahey here we go! Called the parents in law to come round to be there for DD1 (who had been in our bed since 3.30am with a v high temperature - not how I pictured having contractions) but then everything dwindled and stopped by morning.

Was pretty disheartened and nothing but the odd twinge since then. Sigh. Feeling a bit sorry for myself having got my hopes up.

Hope you are all bearing up ok.

Have drank a litre of pineapple juice...

Thanks Orenishii I am 41+5 today. Good luck for tomorrow!

I really agree with what you are saying, I read a really interesting book that talked a lot about how we are very much like mammals, in that we will not go into labour until we have found a safe and cosy place to give birth - hence why a lot of women go into labour at night at home. Our bodies do not release the oxytocin needed to go into labour until it is really ready and feels safe enough to do so. I guess that is why it is also the same hormone that helped us get pregnant in the first place!

So today, as mentioned in an earlier post, I had a nice relaxing afternoon stuffing my face with cake, I have just had a chinese (I had a curry, every little helps!) and now DH and I are going to watch a dvd and have an early night.... !

Imustbepatient sounds like things are going in the right direction, fingers crossed it gets going again soon.

Thanks catlover! My fingers are crossed for you and everyone else too

Hi everyone. Leaving for the hospital in an hour. I really hope I can talk them into waiting until the weekend.

Hi all, sorry not posted in a few days haven been far too busy feeling sorry for myself .

My huge sympathies to those feeling low and having unsuccessful sweeps! javotte good luck for today and remember - it is your baby and your body and scare tactics or not, nobody can force you to consent to an intervention.

Well I had a sweep yesterday, cervix looking okay but haven't had so much as a cramp since. No show, nothing. The consultant was nice though and when he realised I was a midwife and informed was rather receptive to the idea that I might want to go to more than term + 12 before being induced!

My mood is getting steadily worse and even though I know this is counterproductive I just feel so angry. Dh is getting the brunt of it and I keep ripping his head off.

Good luck javotte and hang in there stumbleine. Your sweep may still lead to something. It must be so hard to have all the knowledge and experience that you do but still be unable to make things happen. I'm finding it hard enough to deal with the impotence of this whole waiting malarkey, must be 100 times worse for you!