Labour?
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Category: Pregnant
Forum Name: Pregnancy
Forum Description: Pregnant! Wanting to chat to other mums-to-be (or dads-to-be)? Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas... This is that place!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30236
Printed Date: 25 August 2025 at 11:23pm
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Topic: Labour?
Posted By: aklgirl
Subject: Labour?
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 8:52pm
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Hi ladies, I have just discovered this website and 1 day overdue!! Anyway, I am planning a natural water birth - if this baby comes this week. Otherwise I will be heading for induction! I have no idea what the pain is like, how will you know your in labour? I have had no show, no waters breaking etc. i am now fully engaged and the last week had like period pain ache low down in my belly, but that is all. I get excited that something is going to start and then nothing. I was awake 2 hours in the middle of the night with my whole tummy aching, not cramping, just uncomfortable ache. Do you get signs before labour, or can it just happen? Some people are saying - it will happen tonight, but when you feel nothing all day, I doubt it will happen that night. Or can it just happen?
Thanks for the advice and sorry for all the questions. |
Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 8:57pm
| You can get a build up or you can just go straight into full blown labour. its very individual. For me I had "false labour" with contractions on a friday, nothing at all on saturday and woke up early hours of sunday morning in labour. |
Posted By: aklgirl
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 9:03pm
| Pregnancy has too many variables!! I also heard most labour starts at night? |
Posted By: jaycee
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 9:20pm
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not always - both mine started during the day, well 5.30am with one and morning tea with the other. My older daughter was then born at lunch time and the other at dinner time.
Welcome to OB and the uncertain world of parenting - nothing is every straightforward   -------------   
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Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 9:41pm
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My first labour, I had false labour for several weeks before I went into real labour... the contractions just never got regular. It was such a terrible experience.
My second labour, I had quite a backache and then that night I went into labour, regular contractions straight away. Unfortunately there is no predicting it! I did get a show both times, but first pregnancy was about 4 days before I went into proper labour, and the second time I had a show once I was IN labour. ETA: I ended up having my waters broken both times after being in labour for a while, so that's not really an indicator either, unfortunately! ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 9:54pm
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My first labour , I had no signs apart from the fact that I was over due, was sitting down doing a puzzle with my sister, and WHAM contractions, intense intense pain, , there was no mistaking them .
second labour , back ache for 2 weeks, niggles for 4 days, 3 then 4 cms dilated for 4 days, but contractions weren't doing their job effacing , then I went to the mw for a check and on the way home, BAM , contractions again . Contractions, once they start , are very easy to spot , mainly because they start getting closer together , longer and more intense. With both my kids I went into labour at midday , and I had no show, no waters breaking or anything. ------------- 
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Posted By: Jelly
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 9:57pm
Just have to thread jack for a second - Is it obvious from the first contraction that that's what's happening, or did you have to have a couple more just to be sure? Probably a stupid question, but seeing as I've never had them...  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: FreeSpirit
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 10:09pm
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I had one contraction and it was like "Oh heck, that doesn't feel like a braxton hicks!!!". ------------- http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 10:58pm
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Welcome to Ohbaby, both mine were completely different. One was days of build up, the other caught us all on the hop, no build up at all, no major BH's either!
Jelly, Yeah you know the real ones! ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 30 November 2009 at 11:28pm
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every labour is different
with my first son, I had my water break, the show and first contraction all in one. (in the morning - 8.10am) second son - I honestly thought it was me just needing to go to the toilet (it was 3am) but then they started getting painful and regular - he was born that night |
Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 7:29am
| I couldn't mistake mine - my waters broke at 3.30am (I was getting up to go to the loo). First contraction not long afterwards. I had no indication whatsoever until my waters broke (but was only 33w4d). I had my show once contractions were every 5ish minutes later that morning. |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 7:43am
No it wasn't obvious for me. I got up at 1am with contractions and put up with them having a bath etc until 430am when I got DH up. I went to hospital at 6am and even in the car I was wondering if this is real contractions or not lol. They hurt like crap but I was still wondering if it was real labour. It wasn't until my MW told me I was 5cm that I believed it |
Jelly wrote:Posted By: Roses are Red
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 9:51am
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With my first I had false labour for 10 days, niggles and pains but when the real contractions started I knew because the pain was so much more intense, in fact they woke me at 4.30am. I got up and started to time them, ringing my midwife at 6am when they were about 6 minutes apart.
With my son I had a really bad backache all night, I eventually got sick of it, had a hot shower and went to bed, got up at 1.30 to go loo and realised I was in labour. I guess its not till you actually go into labour you know what it feels like but I liken contractions to someone having your uterus wrapped in cloth and they are squeezing the cloth tighter and tighter till the pain is all over your tummy and sometimes into your back then it all eases only to start again. ------------- 
 Angel March 2011
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Posted By: babyg
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 10:44am
Oh and some of us don't get contractions at all I only got backache with my labour - not one single contraction, didn't even have any idea when to push. My body was naturally contracting but it was doing it silently (painlessly) and so apart from the tight tummy I wouldn't have known they were happening.------------- Ev, Mum to: Carys Ruby - 4 October 2007 Spencer James - 2 July 2010 |
Posted By: aklgirl
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 11:41am
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gosh so many variables, I guess you never know. Over the last week I have had period ache low in tummy, but otherwise nothing - I just hope it hurry's up soon.
If you go overdue, how long tends to be normal??? What will they not let you go past if pregnancy is normal? |
Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 11:57am
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Some MW's will induce after 10 days, others wait 14 days. I think I've seen figures that say something like 12% of pregnancies would naturally go over 42 weeks. If everything is fine, and remains fine, then its up to you whether to agree to induction.
But honestly, if you are only one day overdue, there is heaps of chance for you to go naturally in the next couple of weeks. Don't worry about it yet ok? 
Oh, and my experience so far - I had a bloody show 8 days ago, but no further sign of this baby wanting out! It's a weird head space to be in, isn't it? Wondering if you'll have a baby today or not. Good luck and I hope you get your little one soon! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: RinTinTin
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 12:07pm
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Agree with T_Rex (I agree with you a lot At Antenatal they said that the average to go overdue is 9-10 days.
And yes it is the weirdest ever head spae to be in, wondering if this little person will come out of you today or not. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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)Posted By: BessieBear
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 2:00pm
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He was 5 days OD, we were playing monopoly on a saturday arvo I'd been having constant annoying BH and had to go wees. When I wiped I noticed the show and it was on my liner too. We knew it'd start happening soon. I think later that night I had my first contraction. But it wasn't until Monday morning that i was getting easy to time contractions. He was born that arvo. ------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel 07/08/2014
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Posted By: Nutella
Date Posted: 01 December 2009 at 11:28pm
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I have been wondering too what it feels like! are they all over tummy or just at top or bottom or what! so much unknowns. have had braxton hicks and the period type cramping so will know is different i guess... ------------- 
Oct 11
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 02 December 2009 at 4:49pm
With C (my first) I had been ringing the mw and she kept saying to me "when the contractions start , you'll know" and I kept saying "how the hell will I know if i've never felt them before " But, she was right, mine were intense from the start and there was no mistaking them for braxton hicks, it was a pain that had me stopped in my tracks . The second time , I was so eager to feel contractions that I thought I was feeling them all the time, but when they actually properly started (while out at lunch with DH and his parents ) I was like "ohhhhh, THATS right ! " and I knew this was it . Also, with C , I had a bit of back ache the night before -------------
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 02 December 2009 at 4:57pm
They are similar to period cramps, except a million times more intense, and to me , it felt like someone was standing in my body pulling my stomach inwards . They went around the middle of my stomach , down to my thighs and around to my back , and as labour progressed they got closer and longer and you get to a point where it is very hard / impossible to ignore the pain . -------------
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