prelabor start and stop - what to do?

i did the same thing with both my girls and really didn't have any issues about giving birth.. i think sometimes it just is the way your body needs to do it. i will say, as frustrating as it would be, i was grateful it happened because dd1 took only 3.5 hours the last time it started up and finally kicked over, and dd2 was under 10 hours and would have been alot quicker but she was posterior. since your due date is still a couple weeks away, i'd say - and do this through gritted teeth - to try to see it as a good thing as much as you can. your body is working hard and when it kicks over to active labor it might happen quick..

i did end up taking a little castor oil with both girls but that was post due date and with my m/w's approval...it just helped kick things over when my body was finally ready. i really don't think it would have worked any earlier to be honest.

hang in there...you are doing what a lot of women do and yes, it's frustrating.. i'm sorry you have to go through this...but it won't be much longer...

Well, in an important way, every time these bouts of labor of occur, it really IS 'it'! It really is another installment of 'labor by installments'...it really is bringing you closer to holding that baby.

And I think you're probably right that it's your own feelings that are impacting your daughter. She is not thinking about the new LO, and the impact it will have on her, the same way you are--she's just going on how the present moment feels to her. Of course, HER present moments are all very much influenced at her age by YOUR present moments. Not to blame you--more to point out how you can help your daughter while helping yourself and baby: that is, relax! Take good care of yourself in all the little ways.

Hey, you're about to have a baby, soon your whole schedule will be topsy turvy anyway--just go with the way it is now. This means, rest/nap whenever you're tired; eat/drink according to need rather than on a particular schedule, get a nice soak, a massage, a bit of stretching or walking, sex, whatever helps you feel relaxed and cozy again. Every day! Enjoy these final days/weeks of having an only child--enjoy your DD, love her up, she will be so happy instead of cranky. Thank your body and baby for doing this by installments instead of all at once, be happy about it!

I would not, however, use the breastpump or any other method of trying to bring things on at this point. Not sure why your mw would suggest that, this early on. The risk you run is (at least) bringing on hard contractions that lock the baby into a suboptimal position just when baby is clearly making it's way into the most favorable one s/he can manage given his/her head shape and size, and your pelvis shape and size. There is *nothing* at all wrong with labor by installments, and often *everything* right about it. Labor with a malpositioned baby is nothing to mess with--you're talking at least a more difficult and lengthy labor, at worst a csec--whether because you finally become too exhausted to go on laboring, or the baby actually experiences some distress.

If you are getting too tired to cope well now, of course, that is not good. But some women find that a bedtime dose of benadryl or a glass of wine/beer helps them sleep more soundly, more relaxed instead of being so sensitive to each contraction and baby movement. You don't have to consider doing this every night--but maybe now and then when you're really tired. One good night's sleep can make all the difference!

Meantime, remember that while some babies are perfectly ready to be born at 38-39 wks, some are not....look into the research now coming out on 'late preterm babies'. Because so many docs have adopted the attitude that induction for convenience, large baby size or whatever other lame reason, there is now a very large pool of late term induced babies to study; many of these babies have issues relating to being slightly preterm, not quite ready for life on the outside. The results are pretty strongly saying, 'no induction prior to term without medical reason'. I don't have any links to share, but I'm sure others here do (cuz I've seen them posted). And if you do search this and find that I'm telling you the truth, show the links to your mw--she needs to know, too, IMO.