Due February 2024 Thread 6!!🤰🩷💙

[AllAboardTootToot]

Last thread just got full so starting a new one for us to keep chatting :)

@Ebonythoughts latent labour can take weeks but it's hard to not get all excited when contractions seem to be coming regular. Yesterday my contraction app said I was in established labour 3 times on and off and was on verge of ringing my mum for childcare for my daughter when started to tail off 🙈
It doesn't help that my uterus is a bit irritable so just standing up sets off Braxton Hicks, then if I sit still for long enough my bladder will be full enough to trigger them too, so can't win!

Want to wait out my daughter getting over the cough she has currently, especially as means we are all a bit knackered from broken nights 😴

I'm trying to embrace the extra time by getting some decluttering and more meal prep done, and balancing this with downtime so not tiring myself out too much too. Might help to reframe it?

That’s brilliant that your hospital does scans when you go in. I got scheduled for one next week(my 3rd time of CT belt).

Am I the only one who's never had braxton hicks or anything similar so far? 36w today.

Im not sure if Ive had them or not! I get mild cramping that could be wind! Otherwise no idea

@Cheetocat 38 weeks and still no braxton hicks either - or at least not that I’ve noticed. I think my uterus is just storing up all the pain to let loose in one go.

@AllAboardTootToot - good luck, hope everything goes smoothly 🤞

@Cheetocat I'm not sure I've had proper BH either (37w today). Sometimes I get cramps but they don't seem to come and go like contractions might so I think it's just random cramps/wind

@Cheetocat i think you can have braxton hicks and not even realise! I had some slight discomfort and pains (hardly noticeable) down my groin didn’t think much of them. At my last CTG monitoring I could see the bottom lines raising on the machine and they never have before and midwife said they were braxton hicks

I'm 38 weeks and if I've had Braxton Hicks I definitely haven't noticed them.

Don't feel any different to ten weeks ago 😅🤷🏼‍♀️. I always felt I'd be over and I'm just totally convinced now.

I've been in for monitoring today, explained the pains I've had, and she said more than likely braxton hicks.
Period type pain comes and goes

I’ve been getting my belly going rock hard and then softening a few times a day for weeks now and I thought that was BH? From what I read BH aren’t really painful, just a bit of tightening of the uterus and doesn’t compare at all to full contractions.

You're not alone! I'm 36 weeks tomorrow and still nothing resembling Braxton Hicks. I'm trying hard not to imagine it means anything labour wise, as I'd rather not go very overdue.

It took me replying to load the rest of the thread. Thankyou so much to everyone who's shared their experiences, it's so nice to not feel alone 😊

Yeah, my belly has never tightened or anything, I'm glad I'm not alone, thanks everyone for sharing if you have had them or not.

I feel like baby is already out of space, he has hiccups right now and I can feel his whole body jerking but held firmly in place.

I feel like we’re out of space too xx

This is really interesting. I suspect I’ve got an irritable uterus too because my first labour started at 36 weeks (and the contractions were immediately 3 mins apart despite not being even remotely painful). I ended up being admitted for a few days with what they called prodromal labour, and then baby arrived on day 4. So the contractions were doing something, just very very slowly. I also wonder whether having multiple cervical exams could have triggered actual labour and in reality I might have been able to go further with the pregnancy?

I’m almost 34 weeks with my second pregnancy and the same thing happened this time at 32 weeks. I was given some anti-spasm medication to stop them this time because of my past history but I’m super on edge now because literally everything seems to be triggering contractions. Standing too long, lifting something too heavy, laughing too much! It feels like I’m just not going to be able to have a life for the next few weeks.

No BHs here either, not that I’m aware of anyways. I feel so uncomfortable thou and baby seems to have plenty of room still because I’m feeling so much movement this last few days, like flipping right around regularly 🤢🫨 (nearly 37 weeks)

anyone else feel like time is all of sudden on a go slow the closer we get? I feel like Aug- Jan flew by and now I’ve been stuck in January for at least 3 months 😅🙈

Well ladies, I've just been out food shopping and I honestly think that'll be the last time I do anything like that until he's here. I had to sit in the car for a while when got home cos so crampy 🙈

I also haven't had any BH, or at least I don't think I have. I imagine it's the case that I'd know if I was having them. I've got awful lower back pain tonight though.

Has everyone decided what pain relief they'd like to have when they give birth?

@Meeting im aiming for just gas and air if I go naturally x

@DmcinT Yes!! I was just thinking today, god it was went so quick until like new year now it's taking forever!!

@Meeting I'm open to anything! I did end up having epidural first time round, cause wow I knew it would be painful but it was ridiculous 😂

@glasspaw it must be really stressful after a previous early birth to have something similar again, especially if needed meds to prevent. Have you started your maternity leave yet?
I've basically been off apart from some mostly WFH admin since 32 weeks and officially off as of this week (37), but was really struggling with the physical side of my job from mid pregnancy. They said I was contracting at my 20 week scan even. I would recommend going off if you haven't already tbh. And fingers crossed you make it term!

I've basically paced myself, let my husband do pretty much all childcare for my 3 year old for a while now, and kept her in nursery while I've been on maternity leave as can't hack much solo.
And I get you on even standing long periods setting off the tightenings. Makes trying to batch cook take ages as have to keep taking breaks and resting. Been having the odd bad one that is reminiscent of labour but avoiding anything mildly strenuous helps. I have read a lot of books and watched a lot of TV tbh 😅

@Meeting with my first labour I managed almost to the end with gas and air, there were complications and the pain was suddenly unbearable, I needed episiotomy and ventouse delivery very quickly. I had morphine injection. I'll have same plan this time, hope to get through it with gas and air but morphine if more intensive pain relief is needed. For me personally I'm phobic of foreign objects lodged in my skin or body (I can't even really look at other people's piercings let alone have any) so I prefer to avoid epidural, but that's a pretty specific preference. I guess most people opt for epidural over morphine in labour.
@Mummapenguin20 it might be worth researching the more intensive pain relief options so you can make a choice in your birth plan, obviously hoping you'll never need it.

my husband has been genuinely amazing and doing a lot of the heavy lifting with looking after our toddler. I am still working but my job is mostly WFH anyway so I’m lucky to be in my own space (and have a manager who is totally happy for me to manage my diary how I see fit!) I am due to be off from 36 weeks though so not long to go now!

this last bit feels like it is going to drag SO much now.

@Hankthehonk this is my 4th baby, I do have in my birth plan that I only want gas and air unless I need intervention then I’m happy to have a epidural but only if I need theatre. I had the suction cap and was cut on gas and air. Needles scare the life out of me 🙈xx

@Mummapenguin20 fair play, sorry I didn't mean to come across as patronising or anything!
Here's hoping we both have natural labour with just gas and air this time eh 🤞