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a couple of labour and birth questions

Hi ladies, g/c a little bit but hoping to join you very soon!! My 1st baby is due next Thursday (eek!!) and I have been reading up on the signs of labour and how everything starts off. I am aware of the main signs of labour - bloody show, losing my plug, waters breaking and contractions, but I was also wondering what, if any other signs or symptoms you experienced. Was there any little niggles, or feelings that you had, or just an instinct baby was on it's way? Also, is it possible for labour to start off straight away with contraction and no show, waters etc?

Many thanks ladies

Autumn 38+6

xx

Replies

  • Hiya,

    I didnt have any niggles, a show or anything, just woke up in the middle of the night with contractions. I didnt have a show untill about 2 hours before ds was born. (had to have my water broken so dont know about that)

    Hope to see you over here soon
  • With my first I was induced but with my second I went into labour naturally, and I kinda knew that I was going to. I was just a little 'funny' feeling, don't really know how to describe it, kind of felt a little more restless than usual and had a bit of tummy ache and sort of period pains. I phoned hubby who was at the pub and told him not to drink anymore and come home and then my waters broke about 2 hours after he got home.
  • hi

    my waters didnt break until i was 9 cm dialated. i lost my plug over several days. in the week or so leading up to labour, i had a few good clear outs (poo's) sorry tmi! my contractions started ramdomly without warning really, i was just bouncing om my birthing ball at home, i was convinced when we got to hospital we would be sent home as was beginning of labour, but when i got there i was 9cm!

    good luck!!!

    ashy xx
  • Don't really have any advice or anything as I was induced. Just want to say lots of luck!!!
  • Thanks for replying ladies, It's actually really nice to hear of your different experiences. I guess I'm impatient to meet my little one now and looking for ANYTHING which might mean things are kicking off lol!! I'm a bit scared that things will start and I wont realise it, I am only 30 mins max from the hospital but still have visions of giving birth in a layby lol!! I have a ball at home, will bouncing on it bring labour on? How long and how often should I use it? I have 1 other question (sorry lol!) Did anyone use any of the old wives tales to start labour - curry, pineapple, sex, walking etc and did any of them work?

    Thanks again, I can wait to join you all

    xxx
  • my baby was back to back from about 30 weeks so from then i bounced on the ball for a coupld of hours a day (not all at once) then once on maternitiy leave i was on it for about 5 hours a day (a lot i know!) everyone, even the mw thought my baby would be early, but he was 9 days late, and i tried everything except sex lol, curry, i ate pinapple every day, rasberry leaf tablets, walking loads but nothing worked! annoyingly, baby will come when its ready and not a minute sooner!

    ashy xxx
  • I tried all the old wives tales but I was still 7 days over. As Ashy said i'm afraid lo will come when they are ready. Sitting on the ball is good anyway though as it helps get baby in a good position.
  • I tried everything to induce labour (nothing worked!) although I had been bouncing on my ball and then someone recommended doing figure 8 shapes on it. 6 hrs later I had my first contraction and 4 hrs later baby was born! X
  • Hi hun

    I didn't have a show until I was fully dilated (!) and waters didn't break until the 3rd push!! So yes contractions without the other signs does happen!

    Good luck!!

    xxxx
  • g/c ing but I have had 2 and pg with 3rd and both my labours have started off slightly different. with dd I was 2 days late, had decided it was eviction time so I did follow the old wives tales, starting the day after I was due by dtd, then up the next morning and had a pinapple for breakfast, curry for lunch then out for a long walk, I had also started taking raspberry leaf tea capsules regularly the day she was due, anyway, came back from my walk, went to have a hot bath and I had by show/lost my plug, contractions started 3 hours later, 12 hours later after my waters breaking at between 9 and 10 cms I had my baby girl, I never got to eat the curry I had got out for tea that night!
    With ds I had a couple of niggles through the day but wasn't convinced it was the start of labour, I had my first contraction (and boy was it strong) at 8 pm, I had him at 11.40pm after waters breaking again at 9-10cm. I never had a show with him or tried any of the old wives tales to get him out, he was four days overdue. So not all labours start with a show and/or waters breaking, but even for the same woman each labour can start differently. And I really have no idea if dd had been born when she did even if I hadn't tried all the eviction methods. But trust me on one thing, you WILL know when you are in labour!
    Good Luck! xx
  • I was so convinced that I would need to be induced so when I went into labour at 40+3 it was as if my body was telling me things but my head just ignored it. I felt pretty uncomfortable for the afternoon and thought I had trapped wind / constipation, but didn't think it could be a sign of anything. I eventually lost my mucus plug and went into hospital, but I must have been quite dilated by then because when they assessed me in the hospital I was 9cms. My waters went at some point once I'd started pushing. So unfortunately there is no set pattern for how it'll happen. I thought I would be doubled up with agony when I had a contraction but was able to breathe through them. Good luck x
  • I had no signs at all. I woke up at about 1am feeling unwell - like I had a dodgy tummy and cramping - it wasnt until two hours later I realised the cramping was coming and going - every 15/20 mins! haha. It was completely not like I expected, I started being sick with each contraction which was horrid but as soon as I got to maternity suite they gave me anti sickness and I was fine. Good luck! enjoy it, I absolutley loved it and cant wait to do it again already! xx
  • my waters didnt break, although i was convinced they were trickling as my knickers were constantly wet.. turns out it was discharge/wee!! TMI!!

    i kept thinking id had my show but when it actually came i was thinking, wow! it was like pinky tinged thick discharge and i didnt think much of it as i had read that it can come away days before labour, although that was at 6pm. i was bouncing on my ball while watching tv for a few hours, then the strongest braxton hicks i have ever felt along with period pain/wind. at 11pm they were 3 in 5mins so i went to hospital! on the gas and air (amazing stuff!) i was standing/walking the whole time and the midwifes were amazed how quick i progressed, so if you can help it, stay upright!!!! image at 6am (exactly 12 hours after my show) i was holding my gorgeous baby!!

    btw.. i know loads of mums worry about pooing.... seriously... when the time comes you wont be thinking about i promise you!!! image

    good luck!!! excited for you!!!!!
  • hi there,
    I had my LO a week early. Before that I was getting very strong braxton hicks for a few days. My waters broke at 8am in the morning, when I got out of bed. ( I never had a show) I then spent the morning bouncing on my ball and started having mild contarctions around 11am. They were pretty bad by 6pm but we managed to stay at home until 9pm. The contractions got very intense and the gas and air just didn't seem to work for me, so had a shot of morphine. This slowed things down a bit but made me cope better and then when the contractions got intense again I felt able to cope Baby was born at 4am after 30 mins of pushing. I realy think I went into my own zone and concentrated on what I had to do, my hubby said I was amazing.
    Good luck.
  • By the time he was born (after a very long labour) Toby was 16 days overdue! I went straight to contractions, everything else happened when at hospital. Took FOREVER though so be prepared for a long wait if this is your first!!

    Good luck!
  • I went straight to contractions, lost my plug in labour and my waters broke just before I started pushing... my only sign was LOTS of braxton hicks for the 10 days up to when she was born xx
  • i didn't lose my plug leading up to labour either, had a lot of braxton hicks building up to the day, excessive cleaning on the day!! i went into labour, started leaking pink fluid ( waters possibly as was quite watery and not what i thought plug woudl be), contractions, no real progress for a while then progressed really quickly, baby here within 20 mins of starting to push. i was really lucky and was expecting a long labour. lasted from 9p.m -8a.m but wasn't unbearable till about 5am.this probably sounds mental but try to stay as relaxed as you can during contractions, i stood up with each one as sitting was unbearable, and thinking back i was tensing and not helping matters for a while, but had some pain relief which relaly realxed me and helped.
    i would go into it expecting to be long, and if it's not, bonus image!xx
  • Hi there,

    I had to reply to you as I very much had lots of signs that labour would be starting.

    About a week before I had period like pains, lots of crampy muscle type pain in my bump and also in the tops of my thighs. My MW said this was a very good sign.

    My show was on the Friday am and then my waters broke early Monday morning. During the Sunday I had the strangest feeling of being very unsettled and edgy, I could not choose what to eat, book to read etc...very hard to explain but I really felt odd!!

    I would say though, enjoy this period now...gets lots of rest but also do all the things that are going to be difficult once the baby has arrived...so wallow in the bath for hours, go out for coffee and lunch, paint your toenails, read magazines...enjoy it!!!

    Good Luck and let us know how it goes

    XX
  • wow ladies thank you so much for all the replies. It's amazing how different everyone's labours have been. I am keeping my fingers crossed baby will appear without me having to be induced, have been staying as active as possible so hopefully that will help. Just getting really excited now and also a little bit impatiant - Lord knows what I'll be like a week today if I'm still here lol!! I am very much hoping I will be joining you all sooner rather than later, keep you fingers crossed for me ladies!! I will be trying everything in the hope that something works and if it doesnt at least I'll feel like I'm doing something lol! Maybe TMI but the knicker watch now is as bad as when I was TTC lol!!!

    xx
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