This might well be labour!

[BexusSugarush]

Exciting! I am 39+3, had a membrane sweep yesterday morning and a bloody show this morning. At around 6:30pm I started getting extreme lower back cramps that have barely gone away. Then at both 7:20pm and 9:30pm I had episodes of about 5 minutes each of the most extreme cramps I have ever experienced, with at least one tightening in each episode. This sure feels like it could be the real thing, any opinions?

Sounds like it could be :-) try a warm bath and some paracetamol if they don't take it away then it sounds like it's happening. Good luck x

Keep mobile, encourage those tightenings! It might sound like the last thing you want to do but a walk could do you the world of good!

And good luck!

Could be!

Though all yesterday I had tightening and lower back ache, period style pains and a contraction which even woke me up. All gone by this morning :(

So after 6 hours of the contractions getting stronger and closer together, including an emptying of the bowels (Sorry if TMI) they stopped altogether! I got a full night's sleep! This baby cannot make up her mind!

Are you able to have another sweep?

I am seeing my midwife a week today (at which point I will be 40+3) and she will give me a sweep due to the fact the hospital actually considered inducing labour when I went in the other day. I am just hoping baby comes naturally before that. Still losing my plug and had a day of tightenings across my belly so fingers crossed..

Fingers crossed for you. Keep yourself really mobile, don't let those tightenings go away and before you know it, baby will be here!

I had this for a couple of weeks before I gave birth to DC4 - who then was a very swift labour (according to the MWs, 33 mins; according to me, perhaps 2 hours)! All those tightenings are hopefully doing something!

I would get rest when you can too. If it is labour, you are going to need to have rested because it is a tiring business!

I had that with DD. Three nights of contractions from 1am to 5am, getting stronger then suddenly tailing off. It sucked but on the 4th morning I had a sweep. 11 hours of early labour (at home, bearable contractions), 5 hours of active and 2 hours pushing. I think I got away lightly for a first labour!