41 weeks contraction advice

[NEAKT5]

I’m 41 weeks today, due to be induced on the 10th. I had a tiny bit of pink on a tissue wipe with discharge this morning and have had maybe 10 period cramp type feelings in my lower belly that feel different from the BH I normally have. I’m really praying this is the start as I would rather go naturally!

The contractions haven’t been the same length or the same time apart so I know it’s not yet but I’m hoping some people had this then had the baby not long after?!

I really hope that this means the start for you and wish you the best of luck.

I dont want to put a dampener on your hopes but I had period cramping for 2 weeks before baby arrived however each pregnancy is so different so dont be disheartened by that.

I got all disappointed thinking for certain that my baby would be induced at 42 weeks due to no further signs of impending labour. Had the inducement all booked for 6th June but baby decided to arrive naturally in the end with contractions starting on the evening of 4th june. Dont lose hope that it will happen naturally for you and try to relax as best you can

Eeeeeeeek - I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for you. I woke up on the morning of my booked induction having contractions, I was 42 weeks exactly. Luckily they carried on and I had my DD2 by 6pm! Good luck 🍀

Fingers crossed for you!

To help things along, try walking lots, crouch down/squats, and bouncing on a medicine ball. All help baby ease downward into your pelvis x

I was 40+10 and that was how my labour started with dc2. I had the first cramps at about lunch time. I didn't believe I was in labour because the cramps were very low down and in my back and they were all different lengths, plus at 6pm when I was getting them I could quite comfortably talk through them. I only called the hospital because I was so overdue and they said come in, we'll take a look. By the time I got to the hospital at 7pm, they were so strong I had to stop 3 times just walking across the carpark. Dd was born by 10pm.

Good luck op, I know being overdue is miserable, hopefully you will be cuddling your baby soon!

@Cazzy198 Oh hopefully that isn’t the case but it is difficult not to think it could still go to the induction date. That’s good news that baby decided to arrive before, thank you!

@snowone Oh that was lucky, thank you fingers crossed it happens before Wednesday!

@Gerdticker thank you, the ball definitely makes the contractions happen so I’ll try to spend as much time as I can on it!

@katmarie That is my worry, that I put it down to it not happening enough or not being enough and then it’s too late! But you also don’t want to go up only to find out it’s still ages away. That sounds like it went ideally for you, apart from being so overdue it is more difficult as each day passes isn’t it!

Sounds promising, good luck OP!+

Its tricky op, it depends how long it takes you to get to the hospital I suppose! If you're not sure, you can call the hospital and they will advise you. But if you're getting the pains more frequently, and they're not easing off again, then you're probably in labour. My waters never broke, I never saw a mucus plug or bloody show, or anything like that, so the contractions were the only thing I had to go on. Hoping it's not too much longer for you now!

I would mirror what @katmarie said @NEAKT5.

I also had no bloody show, waters or mucus plug. I called labour line 3 times and was told it wasnt time to come in because I didnt sound in too much pain on the phone.

Eventually I just got a bit bossy and said I really wanted to be checked. They still didnt think I was in labour until I was examined during a contraction and it turned out I was just coping very well with the pain.

Dont worry about phoning multiple times or getting checked out if you feel you need to. The worst that will happen is they will tell you how dilated you are/your bishop score and may send you home again.

Let us know how you get on

Well I called the midwifery unit at 8am as I was getting pretty consistent contractions all night unable to sleep at all and they were sore. However apparently just not enough, they stopped in the car on the way!

Baby all good, I had to be fed and watered for ketones in my urine so I’ve been told to keep doing the same at home.

I had to ask for an internal, my hospital don’t normally like to interfere they said but I wanted to know. Student and midwife both felt, 2cm dilated but they were more happy that my cervix has thinned a lot already which they were surprised at for a first time mum.

So I’m home and basically to go back up when the contractions are coming every few mins or if my water breaks. Honestly thought I was prepared but I had no idea how long and painful this would be!

OP, not to alarm you, but my early labour with my first baby went on like that from sunday evening when it started, until I was put on oxytocin at 4pm on the wednesday after to nudge things along, and ds was born 12 hours after that. What I'm saying is early labour can last a while, it's important to rest as much as you can, and drink lots of water, more than you think you need. You can take paracetamol, have warm baths, move around as much as you can, and use tens machine if you have one. And if you feel you need to go to the loo, but can't, call the hospital and tell them. Also if you feel it's getting too much and you're struggling, call the hospital and tell them that too. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

@katmarie I’m really hoping it happens itself before the induction Wednesday but you never know! Yes midwife said I need to drink more, they also suggested a tens Machine but I don’t have one so just had a warm bath earlier.

So far the contractions are still about 10 mins apart and I’m coping with them but it’s the lack of rest and sleep I’m struggling with. I never slept at all last night and only managed an hour during the day today, the contractions just wake me up and I need to stand with them so can’t lie down!

One thing that worked for me for a bit was sitting straddled across a dining chair with a pillow in front of me between my bump and the chair back, I slept there for a while during my early labour. Also I slept sitting up in a reclining chair. Lying down did not work for me at all. dh had to physically lift me at one point because I was so stuck and in pain. Remember with the contractions they can only last so long, I counted, and once I got past 30, I knew it was going to ease off. You can do this, and you're going to have your baby in your arms soon.

@katmarie yeah the lying down is awful but I coped a bit better during the night, was awake and up every 10 mins for the contractions but it felt better to get those 10 mins sleep.

My waters broke at half 4 this morning, midwife said I sound like I’m coping fine at home so to keep going here just now and call with an update mid morning. Hoping all is okay and a go today, contractions don’t seem to be getting worse though. Every time I feel like one more liquid comes out!

@NEAKT5 it sounds like it's really close for you now. I had to have my waters broken at hospital after I was admitted.

Even when my contractions were averaging 3 mins apart my hospital advised me to cope at home. I eventually went in when the pain was too much for me and paracetamol was doing nothing. I couldn't even eat any of the lunch that DH prepared me when I made him leave work to tend to me.

You know your body better than anyone and keep calling them whenever you feel you need to. Good luck and when it does gets too much (I was massively under prepared mentally for the pain of labour) think about the fact you will have your baby soon and accept any pain relief you can.

Well everyone baby is here, 7lbs 1! It’s a boy, doing good, the labour was awful so we have both had to have antibiotics for possible infections and his heart rate was a little high so they took him away to check him. As far as they are concerned they think it’s with all that happened but will be closely monitoring him!

My waters ended up turning green with meconium so had to go up and ended up being put to the labour suite for constant monitoring. Got from 4cm at 10am to 8cm at 1pm so all was going really well then by 8pm I still wasn’t fully dilated but the contractions were very strong so they decided to do a c section. It’s not what I wanted but baby is here, I have a lot of blood tests results to wait for so hopefully they are all clear and it was just labour making me seem a bit ill.

Congratulations! Sounds like labour didn't go how you wanted it to, often the way, but your gorgeous boy is here now, so well done! I'm so pleased for you. Enjoy lots of squishy newborn cuddles.

Congratulations @NEAKT5

My labour didnt go as planned either as I suffered a 4th degree tear and also had to stay in NICU for a few days without DH.

my baby boy was on antibiotics too for being unable to maintain his temperature but we are home now. Hopefully you get to go home with your gorgeous boy soon but make use of the midwives whilst your there. Their knowledge, tips and tuition on looking after my boy (and me) were invaluable.

What have you named him btw?

@katmarie thank you and for all your advice too! Just glad he’s here now.

@Cazzy198 oh it’s awful not having your partner, my partner only left this morning and I’m struggling to do things on my own with the stitches. And to make matters worse baby won’t feed from the breast so the feeding technique woman has said she wouldn’t recommended going home tomorrow night even if I get discharged because then I’d be struggling to feed at home alone. It’s my partners birthday tomorrow and he should get to spend at least part of it with his new baby!

His name is Logan what did you call yours?

@NEAKT5 Logan was on our list of possible names 😁 We went for Elliott.

I do hope you and Logan get to spend some time with your partner. I wanted to breastfeed but gave up as I had too much stress going on already with other outside factors. Good luck with everything

@Cazzy198 Oh that’s lovely!

Unfortunately we are still in hospital so still haven’t seen partner since early Tuesday morning which doesn’t sound like a long time but when we should have been at home with our newborn it feels like it!

They are still giving us antibiotics and need to do more blood work so am definitely still here until tomorrow at least. I need to ask for some clarity as I am not 100% certain what they are treating us for. I can’t tell if I’m just exhausted, sore from the section or feeling ill because of something else, eyes just want to close all the time!

Good luck to you too.

@NEAKT5 I'm sorry to hear that your still in hospital.

I was admitted for 48 hrs without my husband so I understand how tough it is. At one point they suggested to me it would be more like 5 days at which point I started crying.

They told me that if any of the obs on baby were slightly outside their normal parameters they start a 48hr course of antibiotics and test for infections via blood work. If all clear after 48 hrs then baby is discharged, if not baby has a 5 day course instead. For me, it was because Elliott was not maintaining his temperature outside of incubation and his heart rate was a little slow but he is now absolutely fine. Apparently infections are common in newborns or so they told me.

Hold in there, you will all be reunited soon

@Cazzy198 Yeah we haven’t been getting told until the day before normally if it’s likely to get home or not so just been taking it as it comes but it has been awful alone.

Well long story short we were kept in because I had an infection somewhere that resulted in the safer option being Csec and they thought it had passed to baby too, which it had. So after days of blood tests we were finally told today that I had EColi in my placenta. Thankfully the antibiotics we are both on included this in the range of things they covered. Logan’s infection rate reaction has almost returned to normal so he just needs one last set of antibiotics. My bloods haven’t come back yet from today however they hope mines is fine that I can just have tablet antibiotics instead of fluid.

However Logan isn’t feeding properly from me so I reckon they will want us in again tomorrow for monitoring so finding it unlikely I’ll be home till late into the weekend anyway.

I hope that you are all enjoying being back together now

@NEAKT5 oh that's awful, my thoughts are with you and Logan.

Take care of yourself, despite how ot might feel you will be home and a family again soon.