lilmummy:;need some ones help, please. xxxx

[666mummy]

im 40wks prgnant and fed up my hormones are everywhere and feelin quite down in myself, not prepared to be a mum i dont think and i would like some advice on how to get my labour started?!?!?! as u can tell im in a 'tis'i think i just need a bit of reassurance which i dont fink im getting at the moment. please write back if u have any advice wot so ever. thanx x x x

666mummy, do you have a friend you can speak to and burden with your worries, or husband/partner?

you could have a word with midwife perhaps

another things is to write down on here how your feeling, it does help

im 39weeks pregnant, and i have through stages felt down, like you say its hormones playing up, and perfectly natural to feel like this, but it is important to unload off on someone

if you dont feel like letting go, talk the problems through in your head, take it one at a time, and try to find out why your feeling like you are then move onto the next problem.

as for labour and starting it.....someone else will come along to give you advice im sure

good luck and hope all goes well

I was really fed up by the time I got to 40 weeks...hang on in there it won't be long now...I have no tips on bringing labour on, ds was about 10 days late, I just kept doing everything I normally did and tried not to sit and think about how overdue I was !!!
Please use mumsnet as much as you need to...I wish I'd been part of it when ds was newborn...

40 weeks is just a miserable time. I was v scared of being a mum, but the great thing is you don't have to do it all on day 1. The baby has no expectations of you - everything is equally new to it. In many ways the less you do the better . Hope all goes well

thanks so much for answering my message, i feel bit beta now, seen midwife and hes facing the wrong way, iv got a partner to talk to but its nice getting advice from other mums (FEMALES!!!!) because some men think its going to be a walk in the park and dont understand the impact pregnancy has on the mind and body, iv also given up on trying to start my labour and im just going to let nature take its course!!?!?
hope somebody remembers my name so we can exchange advice on a regular basis. thanx again. x x x x x x

Trying to start it off - you can try many things - none of which you fancy at 40 wks - but none worked for me! I have had 3 kids in the last four years - two went two days over due date and the last was a week! Best advice? Go with the flow... TRY and enjoy your last few days of bump - you have to share the baby once they're "out" so cherish this time. Try & visualise baby's facial features, if they will have hair and what they will smell like - get excited your meeting a new friend! Labour advice - trust your own judgement - I am a wuss but managed to birth all 3! It does hurt but you have the most wonderful gift at the end of it! Again with each contraction understand that the next one brings you (and dad) a step closer to meeting your little one - and lets face it you've waited a bloody long time for this! (LOL) Good luck, but if your still aggy - how about you go out and look for a bottle of fizz to put in your hospital bag - no one will begrudge you a very small sip for congratualtions! I bought laurent perrier rose as I knew i was having a girl and was my last baby!

I have had 3 babies, the last bit is always the same, such a drag that instead of dreading the labour i'm always longing for it to start and excited when it does. mother nature is good! labour is hard but such a buzz! your body is made to do it so go with the flow. I actually did it without anything at all the 2nd time and it was ok! I was always late, tried bumpy drives, curry and sex, nothing worked! may the force be with you!

I remember this stage - and DD was 14 days overdue so it seemed to go on forever! I tried all sorts of things to get labour going, obviously none worked, so instead try to do something nice to relax - swimming? Meeting friends for lunch? Watching a movie in the middle of the day? All the things that will become pretty impossible once the baby has arrived, basically...

I think most first timers feel in a panic at this stage, so you are definitely not alone, and midwives are mostly caring individuals who are there to reassure you and help you through it. And just remember that once the baby is born, you won't have go and pee 5 times an hour, your back will stop killing you, you will be able to eat anything you want...and most importantly, your baby will be with you at last.
All the very best of luck!

This bit is hard, but just think, it's only a few days until you meet your new baby (after all these months of waiting, you've done so well!)Try setting yourself a new 'due date', say 2 weeks from now. I did this, and so my ds was 1 day early not 9 days late!It sounds silly but it kept me sane, being able to tell people i still had 10 days to go. Though if you do tell people you're overdue enjoy the hilarious looks you get :) Don't worry too much about labour if you can avoid it - it is very hard but you will feel so clever holding your beautiful baby afterwards you'll forget about it pretty quickly. Take good care of yourself and get lots of sleep in!

Come and join us on the - due in June (part 3) thread - we're all having a good moan (me in particular!) about wanting pregnancy to end !!

I'm on no 3 soon too, so it can't be that bad!

Do try to make the most of the last few days eg swimming if you can as you won't be doing that again for some weeks, fill freezer etc.

I busied myself with DD1 (10 days late) by swimming every day and window shopping for clothes I couldn't even dream of wearing.
DD2 was only 3 days late.
I ate a whole pineapple the day before DD1 arrived-apparently it's a well known 'prompt', and the midwives laughed when they heard.

This time (I'm 38 weeks) I am avoiding pineapple like the plague as I could do without an early arrival-bag not even packed, but I did buy nappies this morning. Really looking foreward to seeing the baby.
Midwives are fab, friends and family too, it will all be fine, good luck.

Understand how you feel. :)

I like others' idea of enjoying your last pregnant days and the freedoms they afford you.

If you do want to hasten things along, what worked for us was sex. The trick is - apparently (and it caused a show the next morning for us, so I'd try it again next time around!) - to have sex doggy style: you on your hands and knees, dh/dp behind. You stick your bum in the air, and then after you're all done and dusted (), rest your arms and head on the pillow but keep your bum in the air for 10 minutes, or longer if you can. There are chemicals in semen similar to those they put up you when they induce you; with your bum in the air for a bit, gravity's apparently giving them a chance to start working on softening the cervix.

Sounds daft - and sorry if too graphic! - but it's possible it worked for us, so I thought I'd share.

Otherwise, eat pineapple while watching a DVD!

You'll be fine re: motherhood, by the way. Ds's nearly two now, and I wouldn't be without him. Of course we have our ups and downs, but on the whole, it's great. Enjoy! :)

thank you ladies?!?!?!!?!?!?!?
only 2 days over due now. your all legends.
i feel so reassured and wish all those pregnant like me the best of luck. my back is killing me, but i dont care because im going to be holding my bouncy baby soon!!! can i put pics on here???
be gud if i culd, we could see each others babies lol. x x x x

thanx il try,if the bloke is up to it lol.
x x

I loathed my whole pregnancy - morning sickness, constipation, indigestion, tiredness, insomnia and by 40 weeks I was desperate to give birth. My dd was 14 days over in the end and I tried all the remedies - sex, evening primrose oil, raspberry leaf tea, driving down a bumpy road etc etc and nothing seemed to work. Babies come out when they are ready and not before imho but the wait is definitely worth it. Good luck.

thanx for your reply callisto. x x

oh god ...i was soooooo scared of th ewhole frickin deal...especially labour.

im told its pretty normal to be wary and anxious at this time....even my sis was a bit wobbly on her third.

go with it,its a sign that you are taking this seriously iykwim...and that youre thinking about the cahallenges to come....and that makes you a good mum already

great advice from egybreadandbeans

id add...watch a few of your fav laugh outloud dvds/vids...teh laughter and feel good hormones are really good for you.

YOU CAN DO IT GAL XXX

Sleep - the one thing you have time for now, that you will be craving all too soon! Nap whenever you feel like it, and cook all your favourite foods - eat half and freeze half for easy meals once you have the baby. Needless to say, I was never sensible enough to do these things...in any of my 4 pregnancies! Good luck, take it easy and ENJOY!

lol. ladies you know your stuff?!?!?!
sleeping is quite hard for me at the moment tho. even tho its not being interupted by crying its uncomfortable tho. even with loadsa pillows?!?!?!

i too am getting fed up pregnancy and i have another bloody 5 weeks to go!!god knows what i'll be like at 40 weeks. i hope to god he doesn't go over. does anyone know what the longest is they let u go over?

I was just the same from 38 weeks plus, i was a neurotic wreck. I regret it really as I should have relaxed and enjoyed my time on my own, you can never recappture that as if you have no2 you'll be so busy with no1 you won't have this precious time again.

I would also say enjoy it just you and the baby at the mo and you don't have to share as I was surprised how I wasn't keen to share DD with many other people that DH and my Mum!

And ditto all things said about doing things while you still can;

Sleep, Go out with nothing but you and your handbag and not a huge rucksack full of stuff, clean if you can be bothered, cook lots to freeze, stock the cupboards, read, go out in the evening, swim.

Try not to worry about the birth, and i don't know if you've done a birth plan - i didn't and was glad in the end as when it came down to it I couldn't have the water birth I wanted as my waters broke early and despite saying I was having no pain relief I couldn't get the pethidine quick enough! Not all first babies are late DD arrived 1 day late (thought she was going to be three days early - as I said my waters broke early and nothing happened - I elected to be induced after 3 days - they would have anyway at 4)

I don't know how long they let you go over I thought it was 10-14 days something like that.

I suppose what I mean is re. birth is after listening to lots of other people's birth experiences it seems that they never go to plan, its different for everyone and you just have to trust in the professionals. Go for it and Good Luck!!!

mummytotoby, they let you go about 2weeks over then most likely induce you.
shopping would take my mind off going into labour but, its so exhausting being this big is anyone else finding that and im scared my waters might break in tescos!?!?!? hehe.
thanx everybody for your comments on this thread. x x x

I gave birth 15 days ago. My beautiful boy was 8 days late and I was SO fed up.

My advice with lots of hindsight it just to chill out. Sleep as much as you can and really try to enjoy the end of your pregnancy.

I just fretted and started to think he would never come out. That was incredibly daft. I feel I kind of wasted a couple of weeks, but I blame the hormones.

I have now had 2 babies. Their births couldn't have been more different except in one way - they were both born by emergeny section for different reasons. I really don't believe you can plan for labour. And I have finally realised there is just no point worrying about it - or building it up into some kind of religious experience.
Just do what comes naturally at the time. Of course it hurts but take all the pain relief you need without feeling guilty. Would you have a tooth out without an anaesthetic? It is all over relatively quickly and you get to meet your beautiful baby that you made all on your own. How clever!!!

By the way my baby was in a posterior presentation, although I didn't know at the start, and I had a niggly backache for a couple of days which was labour starting.

Good luck. Let us know how you go on.

666mummy, I remember this well, sympathise with how you're feeling, it's so nerve wracking. I went 11 days over before being induced. My dad (pediatrician) said I could have waited considerably longer (until 43 weeks) which is when the placenta starts to disentegrate (I think). I say this only because many women are told they have to be induced at 10 days.
Tried pineapple, curries, sex and rasberry leaf tea - only the last I think makes a difference, I started having contractions after drinking 2 cups (although they finished after two hrs). A friend drank 5 cups a day & swears it brought on her labour! Rosehip tea I believe softens the cervix which can help with labour. I'm going to glug both from 37 weeks (due with 2nd now).

DP & I wrote letters to our ds the week before I was induced, that was nice to do together. And I wish I had setup somewhere to easily post photos, videos & updates for friends and family, I'm going to do that for the bump. And there's always shopping online, but if your waters break in a shop I think you've got several hours before there's chance of infection & you need to get to hospital - ask the midwife. Apparently if your waters break in Mothercare, they give you vouchers! Good luck, will look for your birth announcement.

might have to camp out in mothercare then the last few weeks!! i love a bargain lol.