How did your labour start?

To anyone who already has their baby or previous...what were your very first signs ?! Did you know something was happening ? I had a very off evening on Sunday and was so restless, and keep getting minor sporadic pain lower down in the evenings but still nothing other than that, I keep thinking is this something starting or just me being overly alert to every little thing now 😅😂 I'm 38 + 2, first baby!

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i had on and off, very uncomfortable period-like pains over the course of a week! id get a little period of time where i’d get a few of them, and then i wouldn’t get any for a while. my waters then broke, but my contractions didn’t properly start until 2 days later. sounds to me like something could be starting for you with the sporadic pains! x

Water bag burst! Wasn’t dilated enough to be admitted so did most of my contractions at home which were bearable period like cramps and then got a bit intense and often.

I was really exhausted for like 4 days then the day labour started I had intense back ache most of the day, then around 4/5pm I started feeling abit off, like poorly or I'd overdone it and not rested enough, then my waters broke at 9:10pm xx

I had period pains on and off for 24 hours before. Felt sick and tierd the whole day before my labour started!

Thanks ladies, my pains currently are so minor, literally nothing of note at all so probably just baby sitting lower down! Felt queasy on Sunday evening but so far this week, nothing else. Can't get through a day without a nap but that's been normal for a while 😂 last midwife app tomorrow so see what they say! 😊

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Anyone else up feeding their Bebe?

As above. Trying so hard to keep my eyes open

Is this normal??

I’m 29 weeks pregnant and having really aching legs and they’re all lumpy and swollen. Above the knee and behind the knee . Should I be worried ? My legs have never looked like this up until a few days ago. ??

Induction experience

I just wanted to share my experience with being induced as I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it may help others.

I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

I had been in my room for approx 20minutes when my waters broke by themselves and I was now 10cm and actively pushing…. There was no time for the epidural and my beautiful girl arrived into the world within 2 minutes of pushing.

All in all I would say the cramps/contractions were manageable up until the third gel where it became pretty unbearable however it was for a very short time a gas and air helped take the edge off. The worst part about any of it was actually the later cervix checks where after stimulating the cervix my contractions were at their most painful.

If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Gave birth (vagina) 5 days ago and yesterday morning and this morning getting lot of pain in my right bottom side and lower back

It’s my birthday tomorrow.

Ok so I am going to be 35 years young. I can’t believe how much this life has thrown at me but it’s okay I’m a survivor. I am truly blessed to be alive. 🥳🧁🎂 The only downside is I won’t be celebrating my birthday because my man can’t take me out. So many emotions right now.

Exercise 6 weeks after c section

What movement did people start to introduce? I won’t do anything too vigorous until I’ve seen the pelvic physio as I don’t want to compromise anything that may have been extremely weakened through pregnancy! But just wondering what types of classes/movement people started off with?