Finally! A successful sweep!

So... excuse my wording... I use humour as a coping mechanism. But prior to today, this week I've had 3 professional fingerings where my cervix has been hiding and when they could reach it, it was tightly shut.

The lovely midwife yesterday did mange to give it a massage and I lost the tiniest clump of mucus this morning (but not really any more since)

Then today!!! Rachel (God bless Rachel) managed to get her finger to the opening and as she did so, I felt a period cramp and my cervix opened enough for her to get 1 finger in and finally perform a successful sweep around the membrane around babies head... but with it being 1 finger, it wasn't classed as a stretch!

Now this was at about 2pm.

I've not really felt too much in terms of pressure or tightenings since... maybe the odd bit here and there.

We had a family thing booked straight after where I sat to eat but then spent the rest of the time pacing then sat on my ball when I got home and paced a bit as well. (Don't fancy braving the hail storms for a walk unfortunately).

I've had a lovely bubble bath with some clary sage and I'm going to crack on with some house jobs(changing bedding, hoovering etc)

Is there anything else (other than sex) that I can be doing to be bringing things along?

I'm booked in for induction at 11am tomorrow (at 41 weeks) but I'd really prefer another sweep and to be given another 24 hours if possible and just want to give my body the best change of spontaneous labour!

I already dodged 1 doctor trying to admit me for induction yesterday and I'll be damned if I can't advocate for giving my own body the time it needs whilst everything is OK to do so!

in our community

Perineal massages

Hey everyone

I’m 38+3 weeks and I tried doing perineal massages for a little (one day) and found it so hard to reach and uncomfortable but that was a while ago now.

I’ve been having baths, raspberry leaf tea, collecting colostrum, having dates, walking, resting and bouncing on my exercise ball.

I am worried not having been doing perineal massages and pelvic floor exercises that I’m then missing big bits out.

It would be great to know if people found it helped doing them and if there’s any other tips you’d recommend in the lead up to labour?

VBAC?

Hey mom's! I am pregnant with my secound baby and I was wondering if anyone has had experience with a vbac before. I want it to work out so bad. Does anyone have any tips or tricks on how to have a successful one?

Edit: when I give birth I will be about 22 months post c section I am aware of uterine ruptures but I heard it take 18 months to 24 months for your scar to recover

Prep for recovery/ recovery kits

Is there anything that you would recommend buying to prepare for the recovery e.g. support band, scar patches?
Anything else you found helpful?

Thank you!

Contractions? Or braxton hicks?

The midwife said the 4am could’ve dipped because I hadn’t slept at all.
The 10am picked up to similar to 10pm but don’t have a photo of that end of the trace . When the midwife took me of the monitors I was having a tightening that read up to 60 and took my breath away.

My thought is that surely braxton hicks down last over 18 hours ?

14 hours of contractions

I’ve had 14 hours of contractions since 9pm last night, have not slept, they last for around 1 minute and every 8min or so. I called triage and they said not to come in until it’s 2-3 min apart. How can it be 14 hours already of this? Is this normal? Each contraction is intense! My first baby.

2 mons pp

i threw up yesterday twice last night, i haven’t gotten my period but i did get some bad cramping. this morning, i wake up and use the bathroom. blood on tissue like the start of my period. anyone else experience this? painful cramps? i never really dealt with bad cramps or vomiting anymore since i was a kid and it seems like after pregnancy, this what i’m experiencing. i did feel better when i woke up this morning and i did take something for the cramps last night. well at 12:48am.