Thanks ladies. I managed to sleep for an hour or so so feel a little bit better at least for that.

Contractions still coming irregularly but the longest ones are now lasting over 2mins

OH is being great, he's bringing tea and soft food and timing the contractions and trying to cheer me up.

I do have a tens machine which helped a lot on the first night, but it was more just a distraction and when I put it on again the second night it didn't do much other than make me feel sick so I took it off again - might try again later. I've been trying to avoid going in the bath too much because I know it can slow things down but everyone keeps pushing it on me! lol

I feel a little bit stronger and hopefully will better still once I've had something to eat and the house has warmed up to 'tropical' (can't seem to get warm!) - not sure how it'll be if the contractions ramp up a gear like they have done in the afternoons, they've calmed down again at the moment, but there's no point going into hospital until I absolutely can't take it any more. Rather be at home in my own bed.

We've to go in tomorrow morning anyway to get checked over again to prepare for the induction so I think if I can make it til then if nothing much is happening then I can maybe see if they'll bring the induction forward from Monday. The original plan was we go on Sunday and if I have dilated enough for them to be able to break waters on Monday then they'd just send us home again and come back on Monday - if no dilation I'd be kept in and given the pessary thing to start things off. I'll be interested to see what happens now.

I had planned to try for a waterbirth and will still request that I think if it's an option when we go in for real, because sometimes the water seems to help. I really wanted to avoid an epidural but obviously in the light of all this, if that's what it takes then that's what it takes - I'm not going to struggle on if I can't cope because it'll just make it worse in the long run I think. We'll see how it goes when it's happening and in the meantime I'm crossing my fingers that the contractions just get closer together rather than more painful!

I did read somewhere that the longer and more difficult the latent phase the easier it makes the actual labour - I'd like to believe it (all these contractions have to be doing something, right?) but don't know if people just think that because the labour seems short in comparison to all this, iykwim? And for people who didn't get much warning it just comes on all of a sudden and seems worse because there was no build-up.

Anyways. Thank you again, it makes me feel better to know at least I'm not the only one. Only an hour til I can take more tablets and at least I'm late enough for them to be wanting to induce me anyway so if nothing starts happening there's that to fall back on.

I would insist of them inducing the labour, I dont think it's good that you go a bit dilated and you are after due date as well!

have you tried having lots of warm baths to help with the pain and to relax? you need to keep eating and drinking plenty too. how about a birthing/exercise ball? this can help gravity a bit to bring babys head down in the pelvis.good luckxx

Sounds similar to mine - have popped a link to my birth story - I ended up taking 4 days but made it in the end - i think the toing and froing slowed mine down alot. Try and distract yourself a bit - maybe watch some tv - nothing that requires too much concentration.

Fxd your LO is here soon - good luck

http://www.babyandbump.com/birth-sto...rth-story.html

It kind of sounds like baby might be back to back, causing the pain between contractions. I had that too, and it is horrible. If it makes you feel better though when I was in labour the midwifes refused to give me pain medication and insisted I wait until I was further along because it would get so much worse, but they were wrong, it did get worse but I gave birth before they even gave me pain medicine. You could suddenly start dilating really fast, who knows!

Stephen didn't engage until I was in established labour! We had our appt a few days before and she said that it might be a while as he is still 3/5ths but then I went into labour the week after. My early contractions were the same and then literally we had our check up at the hospital (as our first waters went two days before) and she said they're still irregular go home - but as we were waiting for our blood tests back I was contracting every 3 mins. She still sent us home but told my OH we'd be back tonight... I was back in hospital two hours later and at 5cms! You'll find that they'll be irregular and then all of a sudden BAM they're the real deal! He was born 4 hours later!

I know they say you'll know and you don't understand how you will cause it's your first baby, but you should notice the change in contractions when it happens!

I was in latent labour for almost 5 days, from Tuesday night until Sunday morning when I was induced. I just had the first set of pessaries inserted and went into active labour within a couple of hours. After that things went quite quickly.

The active labour pains felt the same to me as the latent ones, they were no worse.

I had an epidural when I was 10 cms as I was utterly exhausted and could not push. It ended up being a ventouse delivery. Doesn't sound great but I had loads of fun and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Good luck

I have no advice re the labour hun I was in labour 6 hours, but I noticed you said you didn't want an epidural. There is no shame in having one hun, so if are finding it unbearable and want one you shouldnt feel bad about it :-) Sounds like you are having a right time of it at the mo, so I think you deserve a bit of pain free time (or at least reduced pain!)

Good luck though and hope your bubba gets it's bum in gear soon and makes it's move! xxx

Oh sweetheart, bless you I totally know what you're going through, my labour was very similar.

Do you know if your baby is back to back? That the reason why my labour was so long and the early contractions so painful.

Things got much better after an epidural, it took three days for me to dilate to 4 cm (in complete agony!) but once the epidural was in I got to 10cm in about an hour.

I really feel for you hun, but on the plus side weeeee your baby is almost here!

So feel for you - I had a week of latent labour before waters broke after a sweep then still no established labour & so drip. It's horrible & like you contractions on a whole were manageable but could not sleep through them so literally had 6 hrs sleep in a week, awful! Just know it will be over soon & you'll have your lo soon