Not sure what to do - advice please

[LinzAJ]

Hello,

Due date is today and have been contracting with period like aching in front and back, since last night, it stopped at about 5 am then started off again at about 11. They are still happening but not really progressing to anything productive.

I have had a few days last week where I contracted for a few hours and then they went away. The midwife said its just my body practicing as its my first baby.

The advice part is can I really have been 'practicing' all day and would you call the midwife at all?

Thanks in advance

How far apart are they? Do you think that they are getting stronger? If they are getting closer together and stronger, that's the time to call in. Although to be honest, they won't be much interested until they are under 10 mins apart. It also depends what you intend to do (home birth, midwife led unit, hospital) and how far you have to travel if you are going somewhere else to have the baby.

This is pretty much the issue I'm having at the moment. It's my second baby and I didn't have anything like it the first time around - it's so frustrating, isn't it?

Just to add, even if it is actual labour, rather than practice, they still won't ask you to come in until they are around 5 mins apart and getting stronger. The idea is that the best place for a prolonged 'latent' stage of labour is at home, have to say I agree. I'd get some sleep if you can, watch a film if you can't

You need to time the pain. It comes and goes. When it starts to come close together then you need to ring the ward with the timings and they will give you advice on what to do next!

Good luck

Thank you. I just wish it would either get intense and then I'll know or bog off!! I hate the guessing game of whether this is it or not.

The pains have been as far as 20 mins apart and as close as 5 mins apart but not really establishing a pattern at all.

If they are 3 in 10 minutes and lasting a minute or more, then the midwife will be interested.

I had this with DC2, about 24 hours of on/off contractions stronger than Braxton Hicks but not really labour - could carry on doing stuff etc. I think it helped a lot as active labour was only about 3 hrs.

Good luck!

Take some paracetemol & go to bed!

You can go days in limbo in pre labour as your body gears up ... like other posters have said contractions every 5 mind and string enough to take your breathe away and it's time to get seen ... until then they will ask you to stay home! Stay as active and upright as you can so that gravity does the hard work needed to coax little one into position ... but if you can sleep then do so ... you want strength left!!

Thanks everyone.

I stayed up later than usual and have had a fairly good night's sleep after two really disturbed nights. I am now up with chronic back ache and period like cramps so maybe all the practicing has paid off and I am finally getting into the swing of things labour wise.

The advice from everyone has reassured me that it is normal and to try and be patient - not a quality I possess usually!!