can the latent phase start at 36 weeks?

[Pollyanna]

I am 36 weeks and was woken up last night with period pains. Also have a pain in my coccyx this morning. I wondered whether this is the latent phase starting - does anyone have any experience of this?

It is my 5th baby, so I wasn't really expecting things to start early (especially since I have gone to 41 weeks with the others). Can the latent phase go on for 4 weeks, or should I expect this baby to arrive early?

If it is the latent phase, I don't think it would last for 4 weeks, so maybe you need to make sure you've got everything washed and ready and that your hospital bag is packed

Or, maybe because you have had quite a few pregnancys (respect!) things niggle more and feel like a latent phase?

Sorry I'm not much help, maybe you'll have someone more experienced along soon!

oh lovely, another baby, am no use advice wise but why not pop over to childbirth and ask there incase there is someone more useful - sorry!

BH and twinges can be a lot more pronounced and a lot earlier when you have had multiple pregnanies

if you are taking anything like raspberry leaf tea, that might make things more twingey

i would pack your bags just in case, 37 weeks is full term, so no real panic hopefully if baby arrives nowish...

make sure you are hydrated as not being hydrated can give you more BH

yes, bh have been far worse in this pregnancy so far - v painful in fact. I'm not taking raspberry leaf atm - I'm being scanned for Placenta praevia tomorrow, so don't really want to bring things on, plus dh is going away for a week next week so I really don't want things to happen yet!!

Oh well, wait and see I suppose (I just thought that with subsequent pgs the baby engaged right at the last minute) - last time I was having proper contractions for a week before I actually went into labour.