False start to labour at 39 weeks

[Choirofangles]

I feel like an absolute tit.

Yesterday, at 38+6, I started feeling very uncomfortable on a day out with DP and DD. Sharper, more ‘trapped wind’ feelings than the start of labour with DD, but accompanied by backache and painful enough to make me yelp. I couldn’t get comfortable sitting down and I couldn’t seem to fart the pain away. My mum is our labour childcare for DD and lives over 3 hours away, so after a few hours of this I asked her to set off.

Obviously the pains immediately started to fade, and although I was still very uncomfortable all evening, they eased up completely overnight and now I feel like a fraud. A fat, grumpy fraud who is going to be pregnant forever.

My mum is supposed to be looking after my niece tomorrow so she’s had to line up cover for that, so I’ve messed up plans and it also means my entire family knows and is texting excitedly for updates. I want to smash my phone. Except then I wouldn’t be able to mumsnet. I know it’s lovely that they’re excited. I’m just so fed up. I had DD at 39+1 and it was really quick, obvious labour so I’m having trouble being realistic this time.

Anyone else fed up? Or want to tell me to get a grip?

Go easy on yourself. Being this far along is so frustrating!

I've had several evenings like you describe , the feeling of trapped wind , inability to get comfortable etc then felt pretty normal in the morning. I'm a little over 39 weeks and it's no fun.

I have no advice to offer , because I too am going quietly insane. You are not alone though op

@Choirofangles i know the feeling I'm clinging on to every twinge. I have also been having the same feeling you described like trapped wind for the past week and still nothing 39+4 today and fed up! Is your mum going to stay local now or is she going back home? X

Its ok OP go easy on yourself!... i had a sweep on Saturday, show and plug lost since then and last night i was getting good strong wave like contractions 6 mins apart for 1.5 hours... as soon as i told DH what was going on they faded away and its made me feel like a tit too... these things are sent to try us! Lol

I really feel for you OP!! I'm only 36 weeks pregnant and I have had a few moments where I've thought I'm going into labour and it's turned out to be trapped wind or braxton hicks god knows what I'll be like by the time I'm closer to my due date

I just typed a long reply and lost it

My mum is staying until tomorrow at least I think. I haven’t been able to face talking about it because I so badly want to go into labour while she’s here. She’s taken DD to playgroup this morning which is a great relief and lets me wallow in self pity for a bit.

Last time I had no false starts, just BH which I knew weren’t the real thing, then woke up early one morning, had a bloody show, period pains started, waters went, contractions got serious, baby arrived. Beginner’s luck.

I won’t get offered a sweep until I’m at least at my due date, but I’m seeing the midwife later and might see if she can examine me for any signs of imminent action. I know it doesn’t mean much and labour can start from unpromising conditions but I’m desperate for a sign. I bet she thinks I’m mad.

I bet she doesn't think anything of the sort!

We all need to know what "the plan" is and to ask is perfectly reasonable.

For example I have my next two appts booked , one for 40 weeks , one for 41 weeks. At 41 weeks we book an induction. I always go overdue so expect this to be the case. You just need to know what your plan is.

Meant to say, sorry there are so many fellow sufferers out there.

I saw the midwife and mentioned the baby had been a bit quiet today so got sent in for monitoring, where everything looked fine. The bonus was, they also offered me a sweep! Sadly the head was too high for a good sweep but she ‘got a finger in and had a furtle about’ so it might yet do something. Having a bounce on my ball and feel slightly less unstable than earlier. Hope everyone else is making more progress than me.

Has anyone had any joy yet? I’ve been losing my plug since last night and had crampy back pain until about 3am but then it all tailed off yet again.

I'm sorry op , I hope things progress for you soon.

No news here. My due date is tomorrow and no signs of labour at all. I do very much expect to go overdue though , by at least a week.

I've made dinner plans with my family for the weekend so I'm just carrying on as normal for the sake of my sanity.

Still nothing here. I went to yoga last night to try and start something but nothing over night... iv got a stretch and sweep tomorrow so will see if that gets anything moving!

My due date is tomorrow to @MagicFajita !

You’re doing an amazing job of staying calm and rational, MagicFajita!

I’m less wound up than I was, but my mum is leaving tomorrow so I’m going to face making the call all over again when things kick off for real, and dragging her back up here.

Hope your stretch and sweep gets things going, dede124

I think I need to make fun plans for the weekend to encourage sod’s law to kick in.

Ha! You'll definitely give birth before me dede , my first two were between 1-2 weeks overdue. Also I'm induction resistant, always takes a couple of rounds of meds to get labour going.

Thank you @Choirofangles good idea making plans 👍🏽

@MagicFajita oh really! Well how I'm feeling now I'm going to be pregnant forever! Hope it's soon for both of us !!

Is everybody still pregnant?

I am

Sorry Magic, baby boy arrived here on Saturday afternoon. He’s so squishy! Hope you don’t have too much longer to wait.

I think the sweep set things off enough to break my hind waters by Friday morning, then had the rest broken on Saturday morning and out he came.

Congratulations Choir!

I hope you are both well

Thank you! Yes, we’re doing well thanks. Hope things kick off for you soon.