Hi everyone,<br><br>
Anyone else have this happen to them? How did your active labor start/go once it finally took off?<br><br>
So, it's now November 2, Thursday. I was due one week ago (Thurs. Oct 26). On Tuesday, the 31st, in the morning I started having pretty regular contractions (5-20 min apart) and they were more than B-H, but not too painful. I slept some on Tuesday night, but was still having contractions. The contractions continued all day yesterday, anywhere from 3-8 min apart, getting stronger, but I could still usually walk through them and say a few words. Finally, we went in to the hospital yesterday around 4pm. Partly because we were getting so bored at home, and partly to find out if anything was happening, and partly to make sure that I wasn't one of those women who will be dialated to 8-9 cm before they feel anything!<br><br>
They checked me and I was 3.5 cm, which I was pretty happy about, given that it hadn't really hurt so far and at least I was making some progress! They then had DH and I walk the hallways of the hospital for 2 hours (and I thought I was bored before!!) and then they checked me again to see if I had made any progress. ...I hadn't, so they sent us home to get a good night's sleep. Again, that made me happy because I now at least knew that I had made some progress, but could go home and sleep in my own bed and not be in the hospital forever. I slept ok last night, I woke up some for contractions, but probably slept through weaker ones.<br><br>
The contractions have been a little stronger today, between 4-10 min apart. (they slow down still when I sleep or nap, though they often wake me up.)<br><br>
Anyway, my question is: Has anyone else been in early labor like this for days and days? If yes, (and I'm sure there are some mammas out there!) how did you know when labor really kicked in? And how long did labor take once it really did?<br><br>
I had prepared myself for a long labor (my mom took 36 hours with me, and while I know that didn't necessarily mean I would take a long time, I still was preparing myself mentally) BUT I didn't count on such a long early labor period, I was steeling myself for a long (and painful) active labor. Maybe this is better, but it's actually quite boring! (my DH is also now pretty sure that labor is not nearly as exciting as they portray it in the movies and on TV.)<br><br>
Any stories, advice, or comments are greatly appreciated!!<br><br>
thanks,<br>
Kate
Anyone else have this happen to them? How did your active labor start/go once it finally took off?<br><br>
So, it's now November 2, Thursday. I was due one week ago (Thurs. Oct 26). On Tuesday, the 31st, in the morning I started having pretty regular contractions (5-20 min apart) and they were more than B-H, but not too painful. I slept some on Tuesday night, but was still having contractions. The contractions continued all day yesterday, anywhere from 3-8 min apart, getting stronger, but I could still usually walk through them and say a few words. Finally, we went in to the hospital yesterday around 4pm. Partly because we were getting so bored at home, and partly to find out if anything was happening, and partly to make sure that I wasn't one of those women who will be dialated to 8-9 cm before they feel anything!<br><br>
They checked me and I was 3.5 cm, which I was pretty happy about, given that it hadn't really hurt so far and at least I was making some progress! They then had DH and I walk the hallways of the hospital for 2 hours (and I thought I was bored before!!) and then they checked me again to see if I had made any progress. ...I hadn't, so they sent us home to get a good night's sleep. Again, that made me happy because I now at least knew that I had made some progress, but could go home and sleep in my own bed and not be in the hospital forever. I slept ok last night, I woke up some for contractions, but probably slept through weaker ones.<br><br>
The contractions have been a little stronger today, between 4-10 min apart. (they slow down still when I sleep or nap, though they often wake me up.)<br><br>
Anyway, my question is: Has anyone else been in early labor like this for days and days? If yes, (and I'm sure there are some mammas out there!) how did you know when labor really kicked in? And how long did labor take once it really did?<br><br>
I had prepared myself for a long labor (my mom took 36 hours with me, and while I know that didn't necessarily mean I would take a long time, I still was preparing myself mentally) BUT I didn't count on such a long early labor period, I was steeling myself for a long (and painful) active labor. Maybe this is better, but it's actually quite boring! (my DH is also now pretty sure that labor is not nearly as exciting as they portray it in the movies and on TV.)<br><br>
Any stories, advice, or comments are greatly appreciated!!<br><br>
thanks,<br>
Kate
