Due Date Day! Did you have any signs of labour & When did your First babies arrive?

[Anonymousm]

Ive woken up on my due date still pregnant of course! Please to me your labour and delivery stories, what were your signs, did you have any & what made you go to the hospital? How long was your labour for your first baby & how far along were you when going into labour? Really want to avoid an induction if I can and only have a sweep as a last resort hoping for a spontaneous labour!

I had no signs at all - no show/no pains beforehand. I had spent the day before just relaxing at home watching a movie. Went to bed as normal and woke at 4am with contractions. Tried to sleep through them as they were coming every 20-25 mins.

I went to hospital at 8pm when they felt too painful at home and was around 4cm dilated. Baby was born the next morning at 3.30am at 39+4

This time i'm going to try stay home for much longer. Due date is next week and totally get what you mean about not wanting to be induced! Good luck!

@Rainforest453
Think I’m worried incase I’m on my own aswell when partner is at work and knowing whether it’s time to get him home! Don’t want to eat into his 2 weeks paternity if nothing is really happening! Speaking of which he’s just come through the door full of colds in the office and told them he will work from home because he doesn’t want me catching it 😂. I just want to get it out of the way now I’m feeling fed up 😬.

That is my plan to try and stay at home for as long as possible on my ball and with my tens my mums advice don’t go in until I think I’m near the end (no idea how I’m meant to know that when I’ve never given birth before). At this point if I’m offered induction I think I’d rather have a C section!

thanks and good luck to you too!!

I really didn’t want an induction either and luckily avoided one, but I did ask for a sweep at 41 weeks. I was apparently already 2-3cms when I went for the sweep (though had not noticed any contractions at that point). Within a few hours of the sweep, I was having regular contractions. Laboured through the night, mostly at home, then baby arrived shortly after I got to hospital. The waters didn’t break until I was pushing. The whole thing from sweep to birth was about 16 hours, most of which was fine and manageable. The last 4 hours or so were challenging.

Second baby also came at 41 weeks, spontaneous labour this time and much quicker than the first, so I concluded that 41 weeks is probably my natural gestation!

I was 38 weeks. Had pretty much a whole day of period pains. My waters broke at 12am. Went to hospital. In the pool by 1am, had him at 4.41am. No gas and air or drugs.

I'm 20 week pregnant with my second so hoping for similar this time round 😂

It’s hard to know when to go in when it’s your first. What might be intolerable pain to one woman might be manageable to someone else.

With my first, I went to the birthing centre where I hoped to give birth. I can’t remember what the dilation was at that point but they sent me away telling me it would probably be another day or so (it wasn’t- I was progressing fast!) The birthing centre was quite a distance from our home and by the time we got home, the contractions were intense. I was considering throwing myself down the stairs to make it stop. 😬 Ran myself a bath and asked OH to phone our local hospital mat dept. The midwife asked to speak to me so he passed the phone over and the midwife asked how I felt. I was just coming into a massive contraction and I told her I felt like I needed to do a massive poo and then started bellowing as the contraction hit. Midwife said: ‘oooh, perhaps you’d better come in then’. Went to hospital, immediately stripped off completely naked (no idea why) and had a baby.

So yes, phone them first and the midwife on duty might be able to tell from your voice and your responses whether it’s time for you to go in. Don’t be too disappointed though if they send you away again- it happens a lot with the first one. And you might find that you’re back in within hours!

@Waitingfordoggo That sounds like an ideal situation for me! My midwife said most sweeps don’t do a lot and to basically have one as a last resort before Induction and that it’s best to wait and let baby come when ready. (She didn’t say it in a way of influencing me) Thats what I had in my mind anyway let my body do it naturally and only intervene at last minute if need be!

My mum was nearly 42 weeks with my brother, her first! Hopefully he’s not THAT late 😂. I think she was 12 hours in total labour and birth but a traumatic pushing stage and a ton of stitches apparently and she got called an iron maiden (30 years ago) I think I’d go ape shit if I was spoken to like that!

any advice on coping with contractions?

@mrsed1987 That sounds a good labour 😆😂. I have had all sorts of weird symptoms which I’ve put down to late pregnancy, feeling hot alot and odd dizzy spell, it’s not pre eclampsia so I’m sure it’s hormones changing! Hip pains/tingling in back every now and again but I think that’s just baby probably putting pressure on nerves and an odd awareness of my bits like I can feel my cervix sitting down very odd 😂

fingers crossed it’s that quick for us both!!

It was as good as it could be for pushing out a baby 🤣

I think though it's actually made me more anxious this time hoping it's as good as last time! My expectations are high 🤣

@Waitingfordoggo Yeah, my family are very much stoic with pain and have said “none of us had anything, pethidine pointless and gas & air made us sick” and that it isn’t THAT bad. These are people that power through flu and pretend they’re fine though 😂. I tend to take what they say with a pinch of salt but I’m the first one to halter a headache with some pain killers so god knows how I’ll deal with it, a lot of it is mindset and how anxious I feel that will exacerbate symptoms for me!

I guess there’s no harm in being checked and sent home we’re only 5 minutes away drive so that’s abit more relaxing given that it all goes smoothly!

@Anonymousm, I’ve also heard that about sweeps. I think the only reason it appeared to ‘work’ in my case is that I was probably already in early labour so it just nudged things along a bit.

As for coping with contractions- try not to hold your breath, try not to clench your jaw- all much easier said than done. I found the tens machine really helpful. I didn’t need drugs but I know they’re a massive help for some women. For me, once the contractions got to the point where I was thinking ‘I’m going to die’ (sorry- alarming I know, but quite common I think), I was going into the transition so I was nearly there. And then once I was pushing, I don’t remember feeling contractions anymore. It becomes a different sort of fight. You’re working with your body and responding to the pushing urge and it feels productive. Painful and difficult yes, but you know you’re nearly there.

@mrsed1987 Haha, it goes one of 2 ways, I like knowing what to expect, bit of a control freak and I’m not into surprises so this is making me anxious not having a clue how I’ll react/when it will happen 😬. I’ve been very calm up until the last 2 weeks I’d say, if anything lets me down it will be my nerves/anxiety! I just need to tell myself I can do it 😂😂

It might even be faster for you with it being second, whether that’s a good thing 😆

You can do it and it will be fine. I always remember someone at work (who's children were adults) said 'I'm not going to lie giving birth hurts like hell but you do forget 🤣'

I think she was the only person to actually say that! Lol

@Waitingfordoggo
Yeah, I think I’d actually ask if I’m “favourable” so like yourself abit dilated first rather than trying to force it open if it’s no where near ready. My friend said hers felt like free fisting off the NHS to be precise and I do not want that 😆😂.

I know to expect a small portion of this impending feeling of doom, I’ve read that means the ends near and your probably transitioning, I’ve tried to do my research! I was told to expect an upside down vomit feeling Fetal ejection but I know it doesn’t happen for everyone so that’s abit scary considering I’m scared of throwing up. I actually think I’m more scared about being sick stupidly 😂

1st baby I went 12 days overdue and not a single twinge! I was intending to go up to 14 days before trying any intervention.

(when baby came, I was only in labour for 45 mins and made it to hospital 15 mins before his arrival!)

Following with interest to see how you get on, I'm 38 weeks today so not quite there yet 😊

Congratulations!

I was convinced I'd have my show but I never did. Went into labour on the evening of my due date. Lots of tightening across the bump which became contractions proper.

Later on - diarrhoea and my waters broke about 12 hours in.

My advice would be to try and get as much rest as possible. I was having insomnia by this stage (heat wave) and it was hard to rest in the day as it was so hot. My labour was long, as first ones are, and you need to preserve energy. Get bouncing on the ball and be kind to yourself for the next few days.

Exciting, thinking about it is making me want a second

Ps the rest of labour post waters breaking was not great as had slow progression, but then I had an epidural and the drip to speed things up and it was hands down the best decision I've ever made. By the time it was time to push I felt calm and in control and my midwife and I worked together to ensure I didn't tear as she guided me through pushing. I'd really recommend that if things go that way. Don't let anyone tell you an epidural is somehow cheating!

@mrsed1987 Thanks, I’m sure I’ll deal with it in my own way 😂 show myself up with no dignity 😆!

@Dontmesswiththeyakult

I just think that pumping your body with false hormones potentially will have negative effects/more painful contractions because it’s not natural and that scares me and the fact it can take days of being stuck in hospital also worries me! That’s why I don’t want it, I’d be more at ease with a section I think if it comes to that. Hopefully it wont because I do feel like my bodies ramping up for something!

Hopefully my body is kind to me and gives me a nice labour!

if anything lets me down it will be my nerves/anxiety! I just need to tell myself I can do it

Yes! Definitely work at getting yourself back into a calm headspace. Anxiety and fear makes everything ten times worse. With my first, I was really really scared because I didn’t know how much worse it was going to get. I genuinely thought ‘I can’t do this. I’m not like all those other women who’ve done it and got through it’ and that thought- that feeling, made the pain so much worse because I was so clenched, so frightened. It caused me to try and ‘brace’ against the contractions- to fight them- and that doesn’t work. The contractions are going to keep coming and you’ve got to try and ride them! But this is one of those things that is clearer in hindsight and can be very difficult to do at the time! Hopefully you have good a birth partner(s) who will quietly and calmly keep telling you that you’re amazing and you can do this; you ARE doing this (that’s what my DH was like, and it was helpful).

When I had my second, the whole thing was much more enjoyable- first birth had gone smoothly so I was at home and in a birthing pool for DC2. It was really only the last half hour that I found difficult to cope with. And it’s because I knew I could do it. I had done it before and I knew then that the pain itself couldn’t kill me. That made it easier to ‘submit’ to the contractions. It was an amazing experience and ten minutes after he was out, I said to the midwife ‘I want to do it again’.

So try and minimise your fear- meditation or whatever works for you. And yes- you absolutely CAN do it!

NB- I know births don’t always go to plan and some women need interventions. Hopefully OP, you will get the spontaneous labour you’re hoping for, followed by a manageable and speedy birth! (But not too speedy!)

@TulipVictory Good luck and congratulations! It’s so hard at this stage watching and waiting! BUT we will have cute new babies for Christmas, my trees up and most my presents wrapped in preparation so I don’t have to focus on anything but baby when he’s here ❤️ Can’t wait for some cute under the tree pictures

Oh and also- we all love a labour thread so do keep us posted if you want to share when it kicks off!

@Borgonzola Labours really are so so different! It’s all about how you cope by the sounds of it, I haven’t got a birth plan as such but in my head I know what I’d prefer currently I’m opting for stand alone midwife birth centre, I’ve been assured though if they think something is wrong or I need more help that they can offer they will blue light me to another hospital which is only 20 minutes away!

I would take the epidural if I ended up with the drip I think for my own sanity or I’d opt for the section I think if it came to me not going into labour naturally with no option but those 2.

For the past 2 nights I’ve had the best sleep I’ve had for a while, only 2 wees in the night and no heart burn because I think he’s dropped a lot, I’ve even napped through the day the last two days too, maybe my bodies prepping me! 😬😬

@Anonymousm I completely understand and I felt exactly the same. Due dates are not an exact science so I held out as long as I could even though I was offered a sweep at one week overdue (which I declined) and an induction at 10 days overdue (which I also declined). One thing I would say is that through my whole first pregnancy I was told first labours are long - and to be fair, they usually are. BUT for about 5% of women they can be very quick, under an hour, and with mine I went from nothing, to an urgent feeling of needing to push.

I am very grateful for an 'easy' drug free birth but it was quite scary at the time!

Mine was 9 days overdue.
Started with period pains. Then they got stronger. Then I had a few hours of uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhoea.

I stayed at home for 12 hours, went to hospital at 4cm dilated and baby was born 12 hours after that.

A hot shower at home did actually help with the pain.

I phoned labour ward a few times and they talked to me about the time between contractions etc and told me to stay at home. The third time I phoned they said to come in.