Starting to feel Birthy... « Back to Group Discussions

[babytoes]

Is anyone else getting this feeling? Last week baby dropped, than two days later she dropped more and my hips started getting wicked achy, and I feel like I have a bowling ball between my legs! Than Thursday I started feeling a huge amount of pressure in my butt, like that feeling that you need to take a BM, but you really don't. I haven't felt birthy at all until the last two days or so. And now the BH have kicked it up a notch again too... Sheesh!

I want to have a March baby, but I don't know if I'll make it. The signs I have been having are about a week earlier than with the other two. 

How is everyone else feeling? Am I the only one getting this birthy feeling?

[maydaymom10]

Yes. Just in the last few days! Baby is super low & I'm basically having cramping 24/7 now. Some of your typical BH, but more of this weird crampiness that actually kinda felt like contractions last night. And baby is grinding against my cervix & I can actually feel her crawling lower. Joy! I'm also going to for March baby, but now I am beginning to wonder. My gut says she'll go at least to her due date, but now my body is hinting at something else. Probably just a lot of prelabor with my luck.

[veganyogamomma]

I'm feeling it but I don't even want to admit it anymore. I was up most of last night (yet again) with painful but irregular contractions. They finally calmed down around 5 and I got some sleep before DD woke up. I am soooooo frustrated.

[buko]

Definitely feeling "a little something" different.  Stronger BH (or mild contractions?) here and there, some cervical pressure, etc.  I really want baby to wait about another 10 days and 6 hours, and I'm sure I actually have at least 2-3 weeks, but we'll see!

[LightForest]

Wahoo I'm so excited for you guys!

Babytoes, it's funny that you mention the butt pressure thing because that was what I felt through my ENTIRE labor with DD. Every contraction came as an excruciating need to poop, the sensation got stronger and stronger, and it only subsided when she was born. Aside from this major discomfort (yeah, I classify an 8 pound poop, erm, I mean baby, as a major discomfort!), my labor was relatively pain free and my "contractions" never felt like what had been described to me in various books, birth class, etc. I seriously did not think I was in labor till I had been pushing for a while and was forced to face the facts.

So now, whenever anyone says "you'll just know when you're in labor" I get a little nervous! I've been through it before and I had no clue it was labor, so I feel even LESS prepared than I did before giving birth the first time!

[jodieanneanton]

Not yet.... At this point in my other pregnancies (I am 37 weeks, 3 days), I was "SOOOOO READY!"  I haven't even felt THAT feeling yet!  I am still thinking to myself. "What a wonderful design!  40 weeks is the PERFECT length for pregnancy!  Wow!"  and I generally have an awe about how cool my body is.  That makes me think this little one will be later than his/her sisters...and for now, I am sorta ok with that.... for now.  lol.

[micah_mae_]

I've been having pre labor like symptoms for about a week but I think they're gonna end up being prodromal labor that lasts forever. I'm expecting a due date baby. 4 more weeks!

[Bena]

Originally Posted by LightForest 

Wahoo I'm so excited for you guys!

Babytoes, it's funny that you mention the butt pressure thing because that was what I felt through my ENTIRE labor with DD. Every contraction came as an excruciating need to poop, the sensation got stronger and stronger, and it only subsided when she was born. Aside from this major discomfort (yeah, I classify an 8 pound poop, erm, I mean baby, as a major discomfort!), my labor was relatively pain free and my "contractions" never felt like what had been described to me in various books, birth class, etc. I seriously did not think I was in labor till I had been pushing for a while and was forced to face the facts.

So now, whenever anyone says "you'll just know when you're in labor" I get a little nervous! I've been through it before and I had no clue it was labor, so I feel even LESS prepared than I did before giving birth the first time!

That was exactly how I felt also!! And yeah...It makes me nervous that I'll barely make it to the birth center once again and I'm on edge for every little cramp theae days!

[LightForest]

Originally Posted by Bena 

That was exactly how I felt also!! And yeah...It makes me nervous that I'll barely make it to the birth center once again and I'm on edge for every little cramp theae days!

No way! When I've told people my birth story they usually look at me like I have three heads, so it's reassuring to know that my experience wasn't that weird! But yeah, I'm also on edge every time I feel a little crampy twinge!

[babytoes]

I just got back from the grocery store, and let me tell ya, that was NO fun. I am having so much of this butt pressure it was hard to waddle around the isles! I was trying to walk normal, but it felt like my hips were falling out of their joints...

And the nesting!! I am freaking out that we still need a few things on the birth list... like a baby thermometer (with a pos GBS test, we are suppose to take the baby's temp every few hours so DP ordered one on amazon last night), even though I know it'll be here in a couple days the anxiety is ridiculous! I am not the kind of person to have anxiety so this is a strange new feeling for me.

[maydaymom10]

Originally Posted by babytoes 

And the nesting!! I am freaking out that we still need a few things on the birth list... like a baby thermometer (with a pos GBS test, we are suppose to take the baby's temp every few hours so DP ordered one on amazon last night), even though I know it'll be here in a couple days the anxiety is ridiculous! I am not the kind of person to have anxiety so this is a strange new feeling for me.

Me too! I tried to go out today with DS & he's been feeling sick today, so we ended up having to turn around & come home. I'm seriously considering just ordering everything else that I think I need from Amazon just to ease my mind. 

[writermama12]

I'm thinking I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I'm feeling more birthy every day. I know I still have a while (I'm 37 weeks tomorrow) but I don't know if I will go overdue again. I've gotten the "dropped" feeling in my pelvis and electric bolts through my cervix a lot this week, but especially today. It was DH's birthday and we all went to walk and collect shells on the beach. It was gorgeous out today. We did a lot of walking and I had to walk with my legs spread apart because the baby took up so much space.  A lot of yucky feeling/stronger contractions too. Baby is moving a lot less as well. It is so cramped in there he just kind of stretches a limb here and there but that's about it. 

[sunshinelove]

Its hard to tell if this baby has dropped since hes always been riding low, but i'm definitely getting more cramps and BH contractions (stronger ones too). I refuse to get my hopes up about it until I KNOW that its the real thing (i'll probably be in transition when i finally admit to myself that this is the real deal lol). Last time i'd get excited whenever i had a few contractions in a row...i spent a month doing that, really not fun. So now i'm doing the other extreme

This little guy definitely has less room to move around, too. I'm not feeling much of the happy little kicks, more like random stretching and this odd spasm that happens once or twice a day--like he got startled even though i didnt do anything to startle him.

[Chapsie]

I'm not anywhere near giving birth yet (only 36 weeks), but tonight, every time I sit up or stand up, I start contracting nonstop.  It only stops when I lay down for a while.  This is getting very annoying!!!!

[writermama12]

I was just rereading VYM's posts about her contractions progressively leading to labor like a day later. But Jodie felt NOTHING to tip her off that labor was on it's way. How funny! And nerve-wracking. I'd prefer to at least have a clue as to what to expect. But my last labor was just like Jodie's in the lead up. Nada. I felt so normal the day it happened that I was totally depressed...I told DH "this baby is never gonna come. I feel less like I'm going into labor today than a month ago." I went to take a nap and feel sorry for myself and BAM! Active labor woke me up and I had a baby in my arms 3.5 hours later.

[babytoes]

I have been up around 4am for three morning in a row now. It's very annoying, and the contractions I am having do not feel like they're accomplishing anything at all, they're not painful but they are crampy, like the period pains we've all been complaining about. I am so tired, too. Yesterday I took a 2.5 hours nap, and then went to bed early as well. Although, I was awake this morning around 4:30am... ugh!

I have a midwife appointment today, we're picking up the birthing tub, and MIL is bringing another twin mattress over tonight to set up in the living room. 

I have to be honest... I do not want baby to come this week. Next week, fine. But not this week. The boys are off from school and their father is completely unavailable to take them for a few days, whereas next week he will have them and then I won't have to worry about what they are doing or them arguing while I am trying to labor. 

[SlimP]

Eek, just read Jodie's last post where she guessed baby would be late if anything. And LightForest and Bena, awesome but also mildly worrying that there often are no signs of impending labour. I'll happily take that over prodromal or prolonged early labour!
I really don't feel ready yet though there are signs my body is gearing up like stronger BH and increased discharge, ahem, excuse if TMI.
I have been tucking into prenatal herbal tincture, RRL tea and EPO, orally so far but I'm planning daily cervical application of prostaglandins ( from varied sources, hee hee) also. Pineapple and papaya enzymes are said help ripen cervix and eating dates can bring an easy labour (by moving the bowels?) What else y'all doing to promote a natural induction and a good labour?

[LightForest]

SlimP, I remember reading somewhere that pineapple enzymes are only effective if the pineapple is fresh. Not canned or frozen or anything. Then again, I also remember reading that you'd have to eat some gargantuan quantity of fresh pineapple for it to have any effect. I wish I could remember where I read all this. It was back when I was about 41 weeks pregnant with DD and getting antsy for things to commence. Maybe someone else will have some info on this. I love pineapple and papaya anyway!

I always hear that spicy foods can help to kick things into gear...

Interesting that you mention the dates - my midwives are eager for me to try them (eating 6 daily) because they recently read that study (linking date consumption to shorter labor). But they couldn't tell me WHY the dates might help to shorten labor (which annoyed me!). So far I haven't been able to stomach that many per day - I find them too candy-sweet to just eat out of hand.

[cabbitdancer]

Yeah, the last thing I read about pineapple said that you'd have to eat 7 whole pineapples for it to be effective. ;) I also read that the spicy food would have to be EXTRA spicy to get things moving. And anything that causes you to get all crampy is supposed to help kick-start things, but I imagine it's about as uncomfortable as extra spicy food would make me. ;)

[beautifulnm]

Originally Posted by LightForest 

SlimP, I remember reading somewhere that pineapple enzymes are only effective if the pineapple is fresh. Not canned or frozen or anything. Then again, I also remember reading that you'd have to eat some gargantuan quantity of fresh pineapple for it to have any effect. I wish I could remember where I read all this. It was back when I was about 41 weeks pregnant with DD and getting antsy for things to commence. Maybe someone else will have some info on this. I love pineapple and papaya anyway!

I always hear that spicy foods can help to kick things into gear...

Interesting that you mention the dates - my midwives are eager for me to try them (eating 6 daily) because they recently read that study (linking date consumption to shorter labor). But they couldn't tell me WHY the dates might help to shorten labor (which annoyed me!). So far I haven't been able to stomach that many per day - I find them too candy-sweet to just eat out of hand.

The pineapple core also has more of the bromelain, and canned pineapple won't help. (Not sure about freezing though, but I assume it's less damaging than canning to bromelain) 

And have you considered maybe a tagine with the dates? Moroccan food seems to tame dried fruits like apricots and dates..