41 weeks and feeling miserable

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Hi all

First baby, 7 days overdue, not finding it much fun anymore! All the girls in our antenatal group have given birth early and are enjoying the delights of the early days and muggins here can't help feeling a little envious.

Have tried all the methods (and I mean all of them but to no avail. Appt with midwife on Wed for sweep but really hoping things will start before then. Not even getting any niggles.

Have had to email family and friends and tell them to stop asking me if I've had the baby! - like I'm not going to tell them when we do.

Words of encouragement required!!

I'm out in Essex - Southend Hospital to be precise - and they induce between 12 and 14 days. So am booked in for Thurs night and hoping like hell I start naturally before that.

at your macho colleagues - my team (all men) were absolutely lovely, and paid me sweet little compliments like "apart from the huge bump we'd never know you were pregnant" .

Also got me lovely going-away presents, cut me lots of slack when needed, and arranged for my maternity cover to shadow me for a month so I could explain everything, but also have a nice easy last four weeks. I actually really miss them all.

Hi girls

I'm in Walton on Thames, Surrey so am booked into St Peters which hasn't had a great reputation in the past but the maternity unit has got better. Their policy is 12 days overdue so that takes me to Saturday.

Just walked up and down every aisle in Tesco's for exercise and bought more comfort food so will definitely end up looking like the back end of a bus by the time baby comes!

Moorhen I hope it's not too much longer for you now sounds like it has rather mucked up all your plans and a real shame about DH's parents being down this last weekend.

The maternity leave thing is annoying, but I guess our little ones aren't completel aware of that Mind you I am so bored that I am starting to miss work which is completely mental hmm

Right time to eat some of that comfort food - keep in touch and let us know your progress.

Hey girlies - I too am overdue, only 40+2 but still very frustrated.....wish we didn't have due dates to get worked up by!!!

Am keeping busy mooching around the shops (with nothing to buy) as go mad if I sit in the house for too long.....!!

xx

yeah, this waiting around is very costly on two fronts: 1) ever expanding waistline due to comfort eating and 2) idle shopping, esp on internet, to fill in time!
just off to hospital to see midwives..really hope they can give me some info on whether i'm showing any signs of being anywhere near going into labour!
i too woke up this morning thinking i almost fancied going to work (just for a day, mind..) to stave off the boredom!

Any joy from the midwives???
xx

Have heard Clary Sage is great for induction (as long as you are term).

Do you have any local reflexologists or osteopaths who will start you off?

Don't be disheartened if sweeps don't work. Was told on the Thurs that my cervix was like a 37wk (I was 40+9), but went into labour (after reflexology) on the Saturday.

Good luck, it will be kicking off for you all soon!

well, the sweep was horrible! really painful! i had to use the breathing techniques meant for labour just to manage the sweep so it looks like i'll be absolutely crap when it comes to childbirth!
apparently it either works within about 12 hours or not at all. i'm trying to be positive but i can't say I feel anything different's happening...
apparently I am 1cm dilated and the cervix is soft which are good signs, but the midwife wasn't saying much encouraging beyond that. I am now booked for induction next monday.
still, that's six days away!
any updates from anyone else?

the sweep set me of that night so may be luck for you yet x

miniegg. i wa 1cm also when i went for mysweep i think you ll go in night tomoz

oooh, i really hope so! i'm trying to think positive but don't want to get my hopes up as I don't want to be disappointment!

have you tried drinking raspberry leaf tea? It is pretty vile to drink but I told my sister in law to try a couple of cups when she started getting niggly pains in her back and within 2 hours she was in hospital. It is supposed to speed up labour but saying that I have been drinking it for 4 weeks now and im still waddling!!! Worth a shot tho

Coleyboy, what is clary sage and where can I get it? Is it safe to take at 40 wks?

Holland & Barrett do RLT in tablet form - they are in 2 strengths, 400 + 600. Far less yuk! My understanding is they help tone the uterus, so won't bring labour on, but should help during and afterwards. I don't know if they do, but after delivery my MW told me I had a 'lovely firm uterus'!

Do remember Miniegg, you don't HAVE to follow hospital procedure. There is scope to buy yourself some time with 'expectant management' (I think its called). Involves regular monitoring and scanning.

Good luck to everyone

Girls I know exactly how you feel at this stage I was there 7 weeks ago. All I can do is offer you labour vibes and hope it kicks off soon. I suggest turning off your phones and relish the peace and quiet of your house as soon it will never be the same again

Well, despite that third sweep, some promising cramps y'day and another show this morning, nothing doing. Worst night's sleep ever and feeling v grouchy and sorry for myself.

Am resigning myself to the fact that it will be induction, tomorrow.

Julie, do take your point about the peace and quiet, but if I switch off my phone everyone I know - including my mother - will go insane trying to reach me! Am looking forward to screaming baby in house if only because will stop getting the ANY NEWS? calls!

hello all, 41+1 today and still no progress.
had a really nasty fright this morning as I suddenly realised i hadn't felt the baby move for HOURS.
he/she is normally very active and I got totally freaked out. Rang the hospital to speak to a midwife, expecting her to advise me to give it a bit of time/have some breakfast/go for a walk and see what happens, but instead they were like, 'get here as soon as possible' which scared me even more.
leapt into a taxi and of course within about 5 mins of arriving at the hospital the little critter decided to wake up and start jigging about - so, false alarm!
hospital were excellent and hooked me up to a fetal monitor for half an hour and the heartbeat and movements are all okay, which was very reassuring. i felt like I totally over-reacted but they said it's very important to be aware of the baby's movements at this late stage and made me feel i did the right thing.
anyway, seems yesterday's sweep hasn't worked as nothing has happened so i'm still sitting here at home twiddling my thumbs and trying to think up projects to keep me occupied. perhaps baking a cake this afternoon or something.
the hospital drama passed the morning but i'm staring at a very empty diary for the rest of the week!
the longer it goes on the more anxious I get even though i know it's totally normal to be overdue!
hope everyone else staying sane...i've tried raspberry leaf tea and acupuncture. not tried the sex solution as i SO don't feel like it and DH, who is not normally known for his lack of enthusiasm in that department, is not exactly overcome with lust for me at the moment! i'm very impressed by all those who manage it at this stage!

Ah miniegg, no fun is it!! Am only three days over now and I am climbing the walls......

Spent all day yesterday out and about which only managed to totally wipe me out and leave me with a banging headache. Today am "resting" so therefore am totally bored - its a no win situation!

Am trying to book in for reflexology this week - sex didn't work!

Miniegg, I've phoned the hospital twice in the past week and a bit for different things, expecting to be told I'm worrying unduly and instead told to come in and get checked out, so I sympathise. V glad it did turn out to be nothing.

My LO goes bonkers when hooked up to a monitor, too, no idea why. The midwife actually looked startled when she checked the chart and called him a "wild child" .

I'm very grateful that my hospital is so conscientious about checking stuff out (especially with all the terrible stories you hear) but god it's nerve-wracking.

it's all worth a try! i've got more acupuncture this afternoon. the therapist is relentlessly positive and thinks the fact that i'm 1cm dilated "shows that acupuncture works" whereas I think it's more likely that i'm 1cm dilated because the baby's eight days overdue!
still, five days to go before induction - anything can happen in that time so trying to keep positive.
be interested to hear what the reflexology is like..not tried that.

My midwife told me to try reflexology first then if that doesn't work then accupuncture. She seems to think accupuncture works better if you are 7-10 days over........

No nothing about these things myself! Will let you know what its like if I can ever get hold of the woman to book in - do these people not realise they are dealing with an overdue, impatient, hormonal reck??!?!?!?!?!

xx

Have eaten a tin of pineapple and walked two miles. Sole achievement so far: backache.

My sister has just texted to ask if there's any news, and my mum phoned to ask the same thing.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I never thought, given my childbirth phobia, that I'd be so eager for excruciating agony to start.

sympathies ladies

try reflexology - worked within hours for both of my dsses

Too late I think, am being induced tomorrow night .

Unless you know which bit of my foot I should rub so can have DIY try tonight?

Moorhen, have a quick think and a ring round and ask if anyone you know has one of those bathpads that turn your bath into a spa, do you know what I mean? Then get in a hot tub for half an hour. Think a combination of the heat and intense relaxing of muscles help it to work. Worked a treat for my friend and I'm going to try it this time when I am (undoubtably) late again!

Otherwise, try not to worry about induction I as induced with dd and its fine

inside of your ankle, moorhen - about an inch below the bone

but maybe inadvisable to diy it?