Question for mommies!

jenmgo

jenmgo

Cathlete
Hi everyone :)
I will be 39 weeks this week and i am wondering if someone could answer some labor related questions for me. I am having my first baby soon, and this is all very new to me.
Friday i saw my midwife and she said the baby is still up high and that i have not dilated yet. thats two weeks in a row i have zero dilating going on. But she did say i was 65% effaced. Those pelvic exams are BRUTAL and my cervix is inverted and hard to find. WIll that make labor harder i wonder??

that was not my question, lol. My question is ...has anyone gone into labor WITHOUT having any fake contractions prior (ie braxon hicks??) I have not felt a single labor pain, false or not. So im curious. Is this a sign its going to be a lot longer before i give birth? Or does it not matter? I know every pregnancy is different etc but im just curious to see if anyone all of a sudden gave birth without prior pains etc.

i have noticed i have a crampy feeling tho, like what i used to get before my period started. is this a sign of anything labor related?
 
jen , it is totally normal , esp for a 1st pg, to not feel anything prior to the big event.
and the way your cervix is posotioned wont make labor hurt more!:)

for my 1st i had no bhx - labor was 8 hrs and i pushd 3x
2nd - no bhx, 2 hr labor, half a push
3rd - bhx ALL THE TIME!!!:D 1 hr labor, no pushing!:D:D:D:D

crampy can mean anything at this point.
but relax! your baby wont stay in there forever!:D
 
Jen Im so excited for you!
I had bhx constantly. When labor hit me I thought I just had an upset stomach, didnt feel like I thought labor would.
I was in labor 18 hours and pushed I think 3 times and had her a day before her due date. I think everyone is different. When it hits..youll know it!
 
thank you kate :) sometimes i feel silly asking questions that are maybe obvious
good to know about the cervix and not feeling bhx....it just seems like everyone i talked to would get them or does get them so i felt maybe something was wrong wtih me or that i was going to be pregnant for longer than 40 weeks lol. the midwife said they wont let me go past 42 weeks...

you said you had minimal pushing. i did not know it was possible to give birth without pushing....or am i missing/misunderstanding something?

susan - i saw your post after i replied to kate's. thank you for your input. i guess everyone is different. i guess thats good, becuase it still means i can go anytime. if only i'd start dilating! i wont have my next appointent until friday and then i will be 39 weeks, 2 days along. Wow 18 hour labor, that scares me! :)
 
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i have wide hips!:D
honestly, it wasnt much more than a deep breath out.
i guess my body was just made for birthin' babies!:D
 
Jen -
The contractions push the baby down for you till its ready to be born then YOU push. It will feel like an uncontrollable urge anyway (unless you have an epi). I pushed for less than 10 minutes with both boys. I think like 4 with my first and 9 with my second (he was a bigger baby).
 
I had no BH that I ever noticed.
My labor went from going for my regular checkup at 38 weeks - no dialation, but soft, to contractions every 3 minutes over night.

I could feel the contractions in that I felt the pressure, but at that point, I thought they were BH since I'd never had them and I didn't feel any pain.
I was at the hospital for an NST that day (day after regular apt) and they told me I was in early labor. As things progressed, there was NO mistaking true contractions with BH.
26 hrs later I had my little guy!

I was very worried that I wouldn't know when I was in labor. And though I didn't know when I was in early labor, 9 hrs later, there was no mistaking it!

I also had minimal pushing. I only pushed for 10 minutes with Mason. I think that the hospital let me go for long enough to get to that point, which is what helped. Basically, while in labor (I had an epi) they would come and check my progess every 2 hrs or so. At one point, I told DH that I had a LOT of pressure, and felt like I had to had the biggest poo (TMI I know, but...) and told him to go ask someone what to do.
Turns out I was ready to push! And it WASN'T poo! LOL!
 
Jen, how exciting that it is almost time for your baby!!

When I was preg with DS, now almost 4, I had no labor signs whatsoever before. I went to my 38 week appt and NOTHING, although the baby had dropped and it was painful. 2 days later, I was holding my baby. You just never know. Be ready ANY MINUTE!:D
 
lol about the poo!!! w/ my 1st that was my BIGGEST fear! i knew i could get thru the ctx, but i was mortified that i might poop on the bed while pushing. well, i did, and theyve seen it many times before. at that point you dont care too much about anything anyway! pooped w/ my 2nd too!:eek: julia, the good sweetie, did push any out w/ her!:D

jen, you're prob. freakin' out doubletime now!!!!:p
 
I was worried about pooping too, especially since I know my OB personally. But, by that time in labor, I wanted to poo! I was actually happy to know I wouldn't feel constipated after birth...and I didn't.
 
In my opinion being "checked" was the absolute worst part of labor. They mentioned something about my cervix too but I don't remember what they said. Anyway, I don't care what anyone says, if I had opened my mouth while being checked you could have seen the doctor's hand! (And no, I am Not kidding.)

No I never had any Braxton Hicks contractions. I never even felt anything when my water broke.

Here's my timeline:

10pm Sat - Slow leak of fluid. Not a big deal I thought. Went to bed

4am Sun - Woke up and still leaking. Went to hospital. No pain, discomfort at all.

11am - Still no contractions or dilating. Started pitocin

2pm - Contractions getting more intense

3:30 - They checked me and I was fully dilated

3:45 - Dr came and told me to start pushing (Only pushed 5 times)

4:00 - Here she came!! (8 days early)

Good luck.
 
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Jen- Wow 39 weeks already!! No bhcx for me with #1. Like Susan said everyone is different so don't worry! We'll be waiting to hear the news!!

LOL about the poo!

Lisa
 
My friend Abbie just had twin boys on Thursday night (first pregnancy!)... She was at 36.5 weeks and she had no contractions-- Braxton Hicks or otherwise-- until her water broke at 7PM on Thursday. Then she ended up having them before the night was over.

(Plus, maybe TMI, but have you had a bloody show? Usually actual labor starts within about 24-72 hours of that, but not everyone has it or notices it.)

Incidentally, my mother's last two pregnancies progressed in a similar fashion. No contractions at all until her water broke, then the contractions came hard and fast and both my siblings were born in about 3 hours.

It's insane how different it can be for different women! Although I don't have kids myself, all of my friends and family have said actual contractions started one of three ways: as either crampy feelings like menstrual cramps, feeling like they had diarrhea and had to use the bathroom, or ever-increasing lower back pain that doesn't go away even when you change positions or stretch.

Just try to enjoy the little time you have left before she makes her entrance and becomes a WHOLE lot less portable! :)

MC
 
Thank you everyone! Guess i'm pretty normal after all.
No bloody show, no nothing really. I do have pains, but i think its more sciatic nerve and swelling in my feet. So its anyones guess as to when she wants to make her grand entrance into the world

lol on the poo stories everyone. i really hope that doesnt happen to me, but knowing my luck ...
 
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