FTM in labour - advise please lovely ladies 🙏🏻

[Insidemyownhead]

Hello everyone,
I hope you’re doing better than I am!

Currently 38W+3D. Since yesterday (8th) very early AM (01:30), I had been painfully contracting every 10 minutes for 1 minute. The intensity of these contractions have meant I haven’t been able to fall asleep between them, or through them.

Ive tried a short walk, a hot shower, and bouncing on my yoga ball, but there has been little to no reprieve. I contacted my midwife about 12 hours into these asking if I needed to be checked over, but she said to wait until they ramp up, or ease off (as it was likely either fake labour or early labour). Neither such thing happened, it stayed the same for 24 hours.

Last night I managed to sleep from 11PM - 1AM where again I was woken by the contractions. These were much the same intensity, however had moved to intervals of, on average, 7-8 minutes apart (a few were 4-6 minutes apart).

After 2 nights of minimal sleep and contractions, I am beyond exhausted. I went into the hospital for assessment this morning, and baby was fine, however I was one contraction within a 10 minute window short from being admitted onto the ward. The lovely midwife could see how tired I was, so gave me a dihydrocodiene tablet to take and sent me home, which did allow me to sleep for 3 hours pain free/spaced out.

The tablet has now worn off and I’m back to 10 minute intervals again on paracetamol which isn’t touching the sides. I’m now experiencing major anxiety of facing another long night of no sleep in pain again, I don’t know how to cope another god knows how many more hours of this.

Has this happened to anyone else, that could share their experience of what happened? Any hints or tips? I feel embarrassed reaching out to the hospital about how I’m coping but I fear I may have to tomorrow if I get little to no sleep again.

Any help would be so welcome ✨

Reach out again. It's what they're there for.

Can you get someone to get you a click and collect TENS machine? I used one in my second labour and it really helped.

https://www.boots.com/boots-maternity-tens-bundle-10325669

Absolutely call the labour ward and don't be embarrassed. They won't think badly of you. It's absolutely awful being deprived of sleep. Do you have someone to advocate for you? Asking what the options are is usually a good idea.

Something which might help is every time you have a contraction, do some kind of movement which will help put the pressure of the baby's head onto your cervix and open it up. So anything involving something close to a squat position - hang onto the handle of an open door, on both sides, to stop yourself falling over, or if you have someone with you hold onto their hands to do this, or bounce on a yoga ball/labour ball, or sit on the toilet, or hold onto the handle in the bath and crouch down next to the bath. Or go up/down stairs sideways, so you have one foot on the higher step, one foot on the lower step. Or go for a walk along a kerb with one foot on and one foot off the kerb. Obviously please make sure you're stable and not going to fall down the stairs!

With DC3 I had this kind of long labour and I kept trying to sleep because that's what I'd needed with DC1, but actually once I started to "use" each contraction like this, things got moving in the right direction.

I know a lot of people who were admitted purely for pain management rather than being far along in labour, just demand you are in too much pain to stay home

Contact them and tell them honestly how your feeling.
You need to advise them that you can't labour effectively and push baby out if your so exhausted you can barely string a sentence together.
They have heard every different scenario you can imagine and they will be able to admit you for pain management and exhaustion.
Please go back, just ask them to keep you in and tell them genuinely how your feeling. They need all the information to make the best decisions for your care.

Also when in labour with DC2 going in the lift to the 3rd floor progressed my labour.

All the best OP I really hope you have baby soon!

Sounds to me like baby is not in the best position.
Look up a forward leaning inversion on spinning babies (there are some contra indication so do check) and do one of those.
Then try doing some kerb walking (one foot on the kerb and one in the road), or walking up and down stairs sideways.
You could also go back in to your maternity unit and ask for some pethidine but I would try the movements first.
Good luck

You poor thing, long labours are exhausting. I was 29 hours in labour on my youngest, and had no sleep for close to 48 hours. When it did finally pick up it moved very quickly though, and I hope that's the case for you.

If you get checked again ask them to assess the position of the baby. That can slow everything down if they're back to back with you, or at an angle.

Also ask them to assess your dilation, and think about if you'd break waters or try pitocin to speed things up. Interventions can cascade sure but giving birth exhausted isn't good for you either.

Squats are your friend, the ball is your friend. If you're trying to sleep, upright with pillows between your legs to keep your pelvis open. You'll get to a stage where you're so exhausted you'll sleep between contractions.

Gosh I feel for you op. I was 29 hours in labour with my first with constant contractions similar to what your experiencing, I managed the first 13 hours at home (with constant baths and paracetamol) and got to a point I was in constant pain so they admitted me for pain relief, I was only 2cm it was deflating.
it turned out DD was actually back to back which made the contractions so much more intense and really dragged labour out so like PP have suggested ask them to check baby's position. Hope it isn't too much longer for you op!

I'm really sorry to hear this OP, sounds exhausting.

Agree with PP. How can you have the energy to go through active labour and bring a baby into the world naturally when you are exhausted?

Hi everyone,

thank you for taking the time to reply! It’s greatly appreciated hearing everyone’s hints and tricks.

an update, baby boy made a very dramatic entrance into the world yesterday, but he’s happy and healthy.

thank you all again 🫶🏻