36wks, whats going on, advice please.

[spinach]

I'm 36 wks, last night in bed, couldnt get it out of my head that something was happening.. had no reason to think this, so ignored myself as best I could!
Today, have had much stonger braxton hicks, not painful but uncomfortable, with back pain, like period cramps. When i get a bh, my tummy sticks out a lot too, as well as hardening up. Baby has definately dropped down within the last week as its now painful to walk... could all this be just the baby engaging? it my 2nd pregnancy, first was planned section, so never been in labour....

this dropped off the active convos quick... so bumping

Spinach, this happened to my friend recently with her 2nd pg - she also had a planned section first time and never went into labour (and never had the head engage, for that matter). In her case it was the head engaging, and she walked around for the next couple of weeks feeling as if he rbaby was about to drop out. Needless to say he didn't, and she had her section today - at 38+ weeks. Good luck!

IT could well be that lil one engaging, or start of early labour which can go on for days...remember in a few days you are 37 weeks and fullterm, so, to speak

hi spinach, im 38 weeks and ive been getting exactly the same sort of thing as you. i honestly couldnt have worded this better myself. i have no advice to give, i just wanted you to know that your not on your own with all this (its my first, so ive never been in labour either)
as for the baby engaging, all i know is that ive been getting this off and on for the last few weeks and the mw said (when i went to see her last monday) that the baby is 3/5 engaged. id say tho that for the last few days, its been getting way more uncomfortable.
god that post sounds useless lol

Hi Spinach
I am 36 weeks too and have been experiencing exactly the same - every other night 1-2 hrs strong contractions ( I think) and LO is now really low, have constant backache and period like pains but not due for 4 weeks. I have 4.5 year old twins already who were induced at 38 wks with an epidural, so I dont really know what "real" labour is either! Plus we are going away for the weekend to N Devon on one of those cheap caravan breaks with friends - I cant decide whether to go or not... and I want a home birth - the last place I want to end up is a strange hospital!......decisions decisions
Hi to everyone by the way - this site is great and I have been lurking too long!

It sounds like the baby engaging and your body gearing up for labour. This does not mean you are about to go into labour! With my first (and as you haven't laboured before it's also your first for your body, as far as labour is concerned) this gearing-up went on for a couple of weeks, if not longer - at the time you think you'll remember for ever, but now.... Almost every night at about 1am I'd be woken by crampy backache, I'd get up and walk around for 20mins or so, it would ease, and I'd go back to bed. One night it did not ease, got more wave-like, eventually I realised that each wave of backache was a contraction, and that I was actually in labour at last.

So IME if the ache goes away, it is not labour. With BH, as you say, your tummy gardens up, and may also stick out a lot especially in the last few weeks. With labour contraction you don't feel the same sort of hardening. Remember, the first phase of labour is working very low down in your abdomen, opening up your cervix, so you wouldn't feel anything happening over the top of your bump.

Are you planning a VBAC?

thanks for your replies.... feel more normal now! still getting the same stuff, but am sure its just baby engaging... seeing mw next week so sure she can shed light on it.

I'm not planning a vbac, i have to have c sections, which is why I need to know whats going on... its all different this time!

hope you're all ok... can agree that walking is painful now... feel like i've been kicked in the wotsit!

Front wotsit or back wotsit? Feeling like you've been kicked in the front wotsit, or rather, just above it, and finding walking difficult are classic symptoms of SPD.

pretty candles.... you do make me laugh!.. front wotsit.... have had touch of spd this time but def more painful in last few days.... still getting strange goings on... mainly at night, end up having to get up and walk it off...