Doper mammas....Were you aware of your water breaking? (maybe TMI)

[Shana]

How did you know for sure you were in labor? Of course, the contractions coming every five minutes would certainly clue you in...I was just wondering how many of you actually had your water break. I know that some women are not conscious of it because it leaks out slowly...Did any of you not have strong contractions and then just say, "Eeeek, the baby is coming?!"

My back is feeling funny - but I'm not having contractions...I don't think. I just hope I'm not going to be one of those women who has the baby in the backseat of the car :rolleyes: Our hospital is 45 minutes away....sigh.

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

For all 3 of my children, my water never broke, it had to be broken for me. THe first time, I thought I had a bladder infection - every time I used the bathroom, it hurt like crazy. Turns out I was in labor. Second time, a little more aware of the way it would feel, I went in and was sent home, only to go back again the next day. Third time, I went in three times and got sent home before they finally decided to induce me - two weeks early (there were a few risk factors involved). The night before my induction, I told my by-then highly skeptical husband to take me again, and I was finally admitted, and gave birth 30 minutes before the scheduled induction.

So in short, my answer is, one's mileage will definitely vary. With my third the contractions came every 5-10 minutes for *days*. I was at the doctor's office every other day (at their request) to get stress tests done.

If in any doubt whatsoever, call your doctor. Better to feel silly and have it be nothing to be giving birth in the front yard because you waited too long.

[LilyoftheValley]

My water broke at 4:30 am and woke me up. There is no way I could have confused it for leaking urine in my case. I was GBS positive, so I insisted on going to the hospital around 6. However, I never had a single contraction throughout my whole pregnancy that I could feel until around 11 am of that day (although they could see some on the machine at the hospital when they admitted me). The baby was born at 3:43 pm, and would have been born much sooner if she hadn't been turned sideways and stuck.

So I'm with TMINC, it's definitely YMWV. There's no harm in calling the doctor.

[Celyn]

Ooh Shani! Scary but exciting!

Not long now. :)

[NajaSong]

I can't give too much personal experience as I was induced. A friend of said that she had diarrhea before labor (either a few hours or a day before) & that she had more lower back pain than contraction pain.

Don't hesitate to call your doctor -- that's why they make the big bucks! ;)

[WhyNot]

With WhyKid, I couldn't sleep and couldn't stop eating. We had been in the ob's office that evening and he told us I was 80% effaced and about a centimeter dilated, and that I'd probably deliver later in the week (this was 3 weeks before my due date). All night I was just so restless. I finally got out of bed to read a book (had a huge snack as well.) Half-lying on the couch, on my back with my wrists resting on my belly holding my book, I noticed that my belly was even harder than late-pregnancy hard belly. It was as hard as an overinflated basketball. A minute or so later, it was back to normal.

"Huh," I think, and then go back to reading.

10 minutes later, my belly's hard again.

I didn't feel a single cramp, tug, pull, "downward rush" - nothing. But about two hours later, my belly was getting "basketball hard" every 5 minutes or so. So I called the doctor and we went into the hospital at about 3:00AM, and I was at 4 cm. And there it stayed for an hour or so.

They finally broke my water. I was put on an internal monitor, and then the back labor hit at about 6 AM.

With WhyBaby, I started bleeding at 23 weeks, and went to the ER. I didn't feel any contractions, cramping or anything, but insisted they hook me up anyway, since I didn't feel anything for hours with my first. It was inconclusive - sometimes it seemed as if there were organized contractions, but not definitively. She was born by c-section several hours later.

[WhyNot]

OH, I forgot to tell you - my ob said that walking is the best test of whether it's real labor or false labor. If you feel low back pain or pressure, cramping or hard belly, take a walk. If the sensation stops, it's not labor. Real labor is in fact quickened by walking, false labor is stopped by walking.

[Long Time First Time]

I had the water broken with my first two - with number one it got my contractions to go from so-so to "serious", with my second it didn't change much.

My third was born and thus his water must have broken at some point, but I was never aware of it. I, too, thought I was getting a bladder infection before I realized that it was labor. It's possible it passed when I was on the seat.

[FairyChatMom]

I was about a week and a half late rotten kid when I woke up around 11PM or so to go pee. As I was waddling back to bed, I felt a stream of wet going down my leg. :eek: So I roused my darling spouse. I got some stuff together and he cleaned up the mess I'd made. Then we headed to the hospital.

Our daughter arrived at 2:21 PM the next afternoon.

So, yes, I was well aware when my water broke.

[kittenblue]

I vividly remember my water breaking with the first one...especially because I had to stand in line at the records office to pick up my file before we went to labor and delivery (it was a military hospital...lots of do-it-yourself) and someone who shall remain nameless except for the name A**hole refused to go get the records and let me wait in the car. So I stood in line with a towel stuffed up between my legs under my dress so I wouldn't leak all over the floor. And the leaking was worse with each contraction.

I don't remember much about my water breaking with Number two, but it must have since my labor didn't start until they did an enema, and I wouldn't have gone to the hospital otherwise. And this time A**hole wanted me to press his uniform for him before we went...but I refused. Though he did make me wait and watch while HE pressed it. Very important for him to look fresh and tidy during my labor and delivery, I guess.

[Gail]

I went to the hospital with contractions at midnight. They broke my water...weird experience....I was wearing socks and the warm water just soaked them. My daughter was born at 3:00 am.

[Batsinma Belfry]

Mine was just a little trickle and I was already in the delivery room. I didn't even know I was in labor. I had gone to the hospital because I was spotting.

[Shana]

Yikes, no wonder I'm so stressed out! It seems that not everyone's body has read the mannual or sticks to the "contractions every 5 minutes call the doctor" rule...I'm seeing my OB at 11:00 AM so hopefully I will hold out until then....Actually, I did try walking and it does get better when I do that so I'm most likely ok.

I'm never been so scared though. I'll be glad when this is over!! (Where is the crying icon?) :(

[DiosaBellissima]

So is it wrong of me to ask for adorable baby pictures when the time comes? :)

[WhyNot]

Yikes, no wonder I'm so stressed out! It seems that not everyone's body has read the mannual or sticks to the "contractions every 5 minutes call the doctor" rule...I'm seeing my OB at 11:00 AM so hopefully I will hold out until then....Actually, I did try walking and it does get better when I do that so I'm most likely ok.

I'm never been so scared though. I'll be glad when this is over!! (Where is the crying icon?) :(
You're going to be fine. It's not that your body hasn't read the manual. It has. It knows exactly what it's doing. Your body, in fact, wrote the damn manual. It's just that we all have different models.

Remember your body knows what it's doing. Relax into it and let your body tell you what's going on. Listen - just like you did when you took a walk and noticed a change. You read that just fine, and you'll read the next chapter as it comes up. Trust your body, trust your baby (who's doing an awful lot of prep work and training in these last few days to get ready for that arduous 5 inch journey!) and remember that you're about to enter the ranks of millions of sisters who went before you.

Remember, for very person out there, someone went through this. And no two of them will share the same birth story - not even twins! Whatever works for you is what's right. Yours is the only manual that matters.

Good luck!

(And post pics when you're done, please!)

[GingerOfTheNorth]

Oh Shana! Don't be scared! You'll be great! And you'll have a baby when you're done!
(May I add that it's not as bad as many of the 'old wives' would have you believe).

My water was broken for me with Kid #1; with baby, it broke and I felt a squish. Labour didn't start until they hooked me up to a pitocin drip.

A word to the wise: EAT NOW. They won't let you eat once you're admitted, if you're heading in to the hospital today.

[WhyNot]

Hmm...so, it's been 34 hours since Shana's posted anything. Think there's a wee one yet? :D

[Winnie]

Mine broke almost 2 weeks to the day before I was due. Out of nowhere. I hadn't dropped, no contractions, wasn't even remotely dialated yet. I thought I had peed myself, honest to God. The next morning I went to my doctor's office just to get it checked out because it did seem rather strange that I would pee myself while just lounging on the couch. They did some tests and determined my water had indeed broken and because I was GBS positive was admitted to L & D immediately. Never felt a contraction, nothing. The rest of my water came gushing out in the bathroom at Labor & Delivery while I was changing into my buttless gown.

Another vote to EAT EAT EAT while on your way to getting checked out at the doctor. I was so freaked out by the surprise of having a baby 2 weeks early that I didn't stop anywhere on the way to the hospital to get anything. My son didn't come until almost 15 hours later. That's a VERY long time to go without eating, and hospitals don't exactly have a buffet open at 12:15 a.m.

[Velma]

Oh, Shana! Hopefully you are through it all now and have a lovely baby. If not, try not to be scared, your body knows what to do.

My water didn't break until I was about 7cm, and then while the nurse was doing an internal check. Big rush of water, no mistaking it. My sister's water broke suddenly before any contractions with both of her babies so that was what I was expecting. Just goes to show how each person is different.

I was having false labor for a few weeks before the real thing. Hard belly and tightness, a few times I was sure something was starting, only to be disappointed a few hours later when nothing happened. For me it was worse when I was active and stopped when I laid down. My Dr. also told me that real labor would progress, and that if I was having contractions while laying down to walk, and if having them while walking to lay down. If they stopped they are just 'practice.' I had them often enough I was worried I wouldn't know the real thing too, and waited for a while when labor started 'to be sure.' After a few hours they got stronger and stronger and they felt different, I had pain low and across my back. I knew this time was different.

Update us either way, good luck!

[Shana]

Still no baby...This labor/false labor thing is a tricky business I'll tell ya....My OB said I was "effacing nicely" but still no dilation. I told her about the pains in my back and the pains in the front of my uterus and she gave me the same advice as Velma's doctor....There was a brief moment today when I thought "Wow, this is it. This really HURTS! This must be labor!!"...but no, it went away after I laid down for a while. I suppose you just have to wait until it's so bad that you can't walk or rest it away? My nerves are quite frazzled, but I'm trying to calm down. Most women have such long labors the first time. So there's no reason to think I won't make it to the hospital in time....

Thanks everyone so much for your input and concern!

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

Just to reiterate, if you're ever unsure, call your doctor. There is no way of knowing how it's going to be for you until it happens - and even then it varies from one pregnancy to the next. If you get to the point where you think you might be, call your doctor - don't wait until it gets "too bad" to handle". That 45 minute drive to the hospital could prove very long indeed. And OBs are perfectly used to getting called up at all times of the day to help women decide what they should do.

[Mama Zappa]

It was absolutely, definitively unmistakable with Dweezil: I was on the toilet, attempting to deal with certain natural excretory functions, when ***pop*** ***WHOOOSH***.

I remember calling the doc's office, and they suggested I stop by so they could test to see if it was really amniotic fluid. My response was something along the lines of "I may not be a doctor, but there is absolutely no way this could be anything else".

With Moon Unit, well, I was sort of distracted by the fact that I was undergoing a c-section and the epidural wasn't quite working :eek: so no, I guess I don't remember the exact moment it broke.

[Cyros]

Still no baby...This labor/false labor thing is a tricky business I'll tell ya....My OB said I was "effacing nicely" but still no dilation. I told her about the pains in my back and the pains in the front of my uterus and she gave me the same advice as Velma's doctor....There was a brief moment today when I thought "Wow, this is it. This really HURTS! This must be labor!!"...but no, it went away after I laid down for a while. I suppose you just have to wait until it's so bad that you can't walk or rest it away? My nerves are quite frazzled, but I'm trying to calm down. Most women have such long labors the first time. So there's no reason to think I won't make it to the hospital in time....

Thanks everyone so much for your input and concern!But effacing is progress! That's a good thing!

Forgive my addled brain, but when is your due date?

[WhyNot]

I suppose you just have to wait until it's so bad that you can't walk or rest it away?
No, not that it's so BAD that you can't walk or rest it away, just that it's so established and consistent that you can't walk or rest it away. I had some doozies of painful Braxton-Hicks in my last few months, but, like I wrote above, I literally couldn't feel a thing for hours and hours of my actual labor. Not even a light menstrual cramp type pain. I can't promise you'll be the same way, of course, but don't look for pain, or intensity of pain, as your marker.

[Shana]

Cyros , I think we're due around the same time aren't we? My due date is September 16th...Although I don't think I'm going to last that long - but you never know!

WhyNot , I had some major back pain in the early morning. I tried walking it off and my belly got extremely hard....but then it went away yet again! Grrrr.... I guess I will just have to listen to my body like you said. My husband stayed home from work today because he was nervous about me...but unfortunately he can't stay home everyday.

Ah well, it will be fine. I keep telling myself millions of women have done this, millions of women have done this, millions of women have done this, millions of women have done this.... ;)

[Cyros]

Cyros , I think we're due around the same time aren't we? My due date is September 16th...Although I don't think I'm going to last that long - but you never know!Yup, my due date was September 15th, but the induction will be next week. Maybe our babies will be born the same day.

[Velma]

It sounds like you are going through something very similar to my experience. I stayed home from work a few times here and there in the weeks before my due date, I was sure something was starting only to be disappointed (and yet relieved? I was afraid of labor too.) each time. I had braxton-hicks contractions that continued for hours, only to stop as soon as I was really starting to think 'this must be it.' I was very worried that I wouldn't know when it was real, but I did, and when it did happen I was sure. Not because it was so excruciatingly painful, but it felt different, and very strong, and lower. I was frustrated by my Dr. telling me 'when it happens you will know' but it turned out to be true.

Previously I had even gotten false contractions 5 minutes apart for a half hour or so but they were irregular and inconsistent. When the real thing came I steadily progressed both in strength and timing. By this time I was used to contractions so a few hours went by before I really took notice, because I was afraid of it going away again. Yet I still knew when it was really time to go to the hospital. I still waited until I was admitted and got a room before calling people and telling them it was it though :).

I agree that if you want to be sure or want reassurance, call your Dr. And I know it does no good to say this, but try to relax and enjoy this last bit of time. I know time slows down the closer you get to due date (I made it worse because I was so sure I would go early...by the time my due date came I felt like I was already overdue. I went into labor on my due date...right on schedule!) My poor friend was pregnant the same time as me and had a due date 10 days before mine. I gave birth first, and she told me later she wanted to kill me :).

Good luck, take lots of naps if you can!

[Cyros]

I agree that if you want to be sure or want reassurance, call your Dr. Where I live, you can also call Labour & Delivery directly and they'll tell you whether to come in. Sometimes it's hard to get a hold of your own OB and the L & D people seem pretty on the ball.

[Shana]

Cyros , maybe we will have our babies on the same day? I did read about your induction in MPSIMS. I wish you luck, luck, and more LUCK!! I can't wait to hear how it all goes for you...and to see some pics of the little one :)......

Oh and I have already called the hospital a few times with questions. They have a great hotline and have been very helpful (good tip Cyros). They seem to give me more of their time than my OB, who always seems rushed to get off the phone!

Velma , thanks for the vote of confidence. I do hope I will know when the real time comes. I must say it's confusing the heck out of me right now. Sometimes the contractions seem to last a long time. Sometimes they get worse with walking and sometimes not. But I will just keep on trying to be in tune with my body. Maybe I will not go early but end up going past my due date....That would be funny...Um, no, actually it wouldn't!

[Velma]

It will be over before you know it. Ahhh, spoken like a woman who is not 9 months pregnant, right? ;)

Get your husband to pamper you right now, and rest up!

[RealityChuck]

In my wife's case, the first indication of her labor was that her water broke. She woke up, realized what happened and we went to the hospital.

I remember them pulling away a sheet of paper from beneath her covered with a jelly-like liquid.

She never felt a single contraction, BTW. Despite that, the baby went into distress every time the monitor indicated she had one. At one point, the baby heart monitor flatlined. It was the scariest moment of my life. Turned out the scalp monitor had just come loose and was no longer registering. But the baby went into severe distress at every contraction -- my wife still not feeling them -- so they did an emergency c-section.

Turned out the baby was severely anemic after transfusing blood through the placenta. (My wife's blood later showed 4% baby's blood.) This was despite a fairly good Apgar score (7). The baby had showed signs of apnea, so they rushed her to neonatal intensive care.

But all ended well. A blood transfusion did the trick and RealityDaughter was fine the next day.

[Kiminy]

Even with experience, it's hard to tell "when it's time."

My waters didn't break for either of my kids. With the first one, I felt the contractions in my legs at first. We were doing yard-sales that morning, and it took me a while to figure out what the sensation was. (I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for a few weeks, but this was completely different.) I popped into a bathroom at a local mall, and noticed that the mucus plug had come out. We timed the contractions, then went to the hospital an hour or so later. Once I was at the hospital, the contractions moved up into my back from my thighs, but they were slow and steady, and becoming much closer together. I had an epidural which completely stopped the contractions for a while, but Daughter was born about 14 hours after we went to the hospital.

With the second child, I actually started having labor pains (and yes, I am sure they were labor pains, even though they didn't feel anything like the labor pains the first time around) about two weeks before the due date. They got very intense, and when they were five minutes apart, we called the doctor who had us go to the hospital. At the time, it didn't really feel like I was in labor, even with contractions at three minutes apart. The nurses also felt that this looked enough like labor to be treated like labor, even though I didn't really act like I was in labor. The contractions gradually petered off overnight, and by the next morning, I was about 2cm dilated, with no more contractions. They sent me home, but promised I would be back by the end of the week.

For the next FOUR weeks, I had intermittent labor pains (the kind that make you stop in your tracks) several times a day. The doctor kept saying that the baby would come any day, but I wasn't dilating, and there didn't seem to be any reason to rush things. Finally, two weeks after the due date, I went into labor and KNEW I was in labor. No broken water, no mucus plugs, just a certainty that the time had come. We called the sitters to come over to stay with our daughter, I cooked dinner for them, then we left for the hospital. After about three hours of labor, the doctor cut open the waters, and our son practically rode out in the surf.

[Shana]

Kiminy , I think I am having a similar experience. Intermittant (and rather intense) contractions that have been going on for days now. Hopefully it won't be 4 weeks...gah! It's hard not to be in a constant state of nervous exhaustion. I'm always wondering and timing and worrying. I called my doctor again, but she keeps saying to let her know when they're five minutes apart (which they unfortunately are not)....sigh.

[Shana]

Evidently pregnancy makes your spelling worse...That would be intermittent!

[Cyros]

Shana, I hope you get some relief soon, preferably by way of delivering that baby!

[Rushgeekgirl]

I had braxton-hicks contractions several times in my last month, and I went to the hospital once because my back and pelvis were hurting so bad I could barely walk. Nothing regular though. They said the back pain was from the baby being so low in my pelvis. My weight wasn't helping matters much.

The morning I started actual labor, I woke up around five a.m. (christmas morning!) not feeling pain, just little squeezy feelings going from around the bottom of my ribs down the sides and to my vagina. Thing is, these weren't painful squeezy feelings. Nothing like those braxton-hicks contractions! But I KNEW I was in labor. They weren't ten minutes apart but I knew. It was confirmed around ten-thirty when they were five minutes apart.

(about damned time too, since I was three weeks past due and was scheduled for the pity-drip the 27th)

Isabella was born at midnight on the 26th. Ahhh sweet relief!

My water was broken by the doctor so I have no help for ya there.

Best of luck!

[Shana]

Thanks Cyros ...I hope so too!!

Rushgeekgirl , I've been having "squeezy feelings" today...but then they go away! :smack:

I am starting to feel like one of those annoying, alarmist patients that is constantly pestering the doctor with annoying, alarmist questions. Today I called yet again, practically in tears. My OB wanted me to come in to have my contractions monitored, but I didn't have anyone to take me...so I waited it out and they disappeared. I was half relieved and half dissapointed. It's such a strange feeling! You want it to come and yet you're terror stricken that it will come...Maybe that's why my body is being so schizophrenic?

Just wanted to thank everyone again for your responses....I'm going to try to sleep now I think!

[Salem]

The best thing you can do - and the most difficult- is try to relax. Work with your body on this one. Don't fight it. When you get any kind of contraction-type pains, just think that there's one less to go when you're in full labor (maybe not in a literal sense, but your body is prepping itself) and relax and breathe through it til it passes. Don't tighten up, let it happen. It's a great time to practice any kind of breathing/relaxation technique you've been taught. You are going to have this baby no matter what. It WILL happen! With my first, my water broke at 4am (a week early) and there was no mistaking it. Didn't start contractions til 9am and didn't go into more pronounced labor until 4pm when I decided to take another shower. I think it was the getting up and moving around, rather than sitting there waiting for each contraction, that helped move things along. My next two were both induced (one a week late, one on his due date) so, although I had been having lots of pre-labor contractions with both, I never went into full labor. Not only is every mother different, but every baby is different, too.
Best of luck to you!

[norinew]

Well, with my first daughter, I was actually on the toilet, had just finished peeing, and another stream of water came from somewhere. But it didn't feel like I was peeing more. So hubby took me to the hospital, where they did a ph test, and said it was urine. I didn't think it was, but hey, they're the medical folks, right? On the way out of the hospital, more trickled down my thigh, they tested again and said "oh, our mistake; it's definitely amniotic fluid". Turns out the sac had broken up high, producing a slow trickle of fluid.

With baby number two, I was having contractions, went to the hospital, and they sent me home with a sleeping pill. They said if it was true labor, the sleeping pill wouldn't work and I'd be back in a few hours, but if it was false labor, the pill would help me get a good night's sleep and I could come back the next day. We'd been home and back in bed for a couple of hours when I felt something really strange going on down there. I thought that my water was going to break, and tried to wake hubby up in time for it not to soak him, but was not successful. Strange popping feeling (no pain, though), big gush of water. No mistaking it for anything other than what it was.

Both of those labors ended up in C-section for failure to progress, and they were both large babies (9lbs. 1 oz. for baby number one; 10lbs. 6 oz. for baby number two). Baby number three, my water never broke because she was a scheduled C-section; good thing, too, because she was 11lbs. 14 oz. :eek:

[Dangerosa]

I had mine gush in the middle of the night during one of those frequent bathroom breaks (they are really just to prepare you for the next three years without a full night of sleep). A big gush. By the time we got to the hopsital, none left, but my S&M practicing L&D nurse didn't believe me and wanted to test. But there was nothing to test, not a drop coming out by that time. So now she really didn't believe me.

[Chotii]

Oh yeah. I knew. I had been clocking my contractions for hours, but they were erratic and not very long. Finally I gave up and went to bed. I got up an hour later to use the toilet, and WHOOOOSH, I would never have thought there could be that much fluid inside me anywhere. I was glad I was on the toilet when it happened! By the time I got to the hospital half an hour later, I was in full-on, can't-miss-it, boy-howdy labor. Baby was born VBA2C, larger than my firstborn who was taken by cesarean as 'too big', 6 hours or so later.

[Shana]

Do y'all think that if I jumped up and down really hard my water would break?? Or does that only work for not getting pregnant after sex?....WHOOPS! THAT DIDN'T WORK EITHER!! ;)

Hahahahahaha (joking)....I can't sleep. My ute (yes, I call it my ute) hurts!!! Sorry, I'm getting a little punchy thinking I might have a couple more weeks of this. Sob.
This sucks.

But I'm trying to relax!

[BobLibDem]

What always worked for my wife to get into labor was an enema. Don't know why but it never failed her.

[WhyNot]

Lots of sex can bring on labor. The uterine contractions when you orgasm can sometimes trigger real labor contractions. Plus, the prostoglandins in sperm can soften the cervix and bring on labor (obviously, this won't work if safer sex.) When my mother's labor with me stopped in the hospital, one of the nurses told her sometimes sex could help, and then mentioned they would all be on a coffee break for the next half hour before sending my father into the room! :D

There's horseback riding, of course.

Blue Cohosh and Bethroot (aka "Birthroot") tinctures 15 drops taken every 15 minutes. Every 30 minutes if you puke.

uhh...

enemas are good.


cod liver oil if you get really desperate!

[Chotii]

Of course, the very best thing to do is wait until your baby says "I'm ready to come out", barring medical indications otherwise. And it really is the baby who decides, as science has discovered in the last few years. It's true that most babies who are induced will do fine, but some percentage will actually not be ready yet, and will have prematurity issues. Also, induction when the body isn't ready (and yes, I include induction techniques such as herbs and bowel stimulation in this, not only doctor-instituted) is more likely to wind you up in the surgical theater having a surgery "because your body just didn't work right, and you had to have a cesarean to save your life" and other lies you'll believe rather than admit you were manipulated into major abdominal surgery for no good reason. :/ Been there, broke out of the lie, wasn't easy. (Disclaimer: some cesareans are really necessary. But a heck of a lot of them are not, or were not before labor got "helped".)

However, if you find yourself having 'prodromal labor', meaning nonproductive labor that goes on and on, you might try spending as much time as you can on your hands and knees. Baby's body should (unless you have some unusual pelvic structure,or baby has a very short umbilical cord) obey the law of gravity and rotate around so that his heavy butt and back are along your abdominal wall, and he's facing backward, and this is exactly what you hope for. Many babies do come out "sunny side up" but a distressing percentage of them wind up "cesarean for CPD" (doc speak for 'too big, won't come out the pelvic outlet") when in fact they might have come out if they'd been sitting in the pelvis slightly differently. And prodromal labor is one of the hints that baby is lying in a posterior (back along your back) position, not an anterior (back along the front of your tummy).

So: hands and knees. Do the yoga 'cat-cow' position a few times, or pelvic tilts, to help baby shift position. Rest your big old tummy in a depression in a beanbag, and read a book on your tummy. Never slouch in a couch, chair, or even your car seat with your knees higher than your pelvis - sit on flat chairs, use cushions, or use a kneeling chair. Rest on your left side if you can. Anything you can do to get baby into an ideal position now (LOA - left occiput anterior, which means head down, facing toward the right of your body) will aid in an effective labor, besides having baby's head press on your cervic optimally for dilation and descent.

I can't promise these things will assure you a quick and easy labor. I can tell you that there are fetal positions that allow easier birth, than other positions. I can tell you my first child was taken by cesarean as 'too big' when in fact she was merely in a posterior lie (after 2 months of prodromal labor), and my third child, larger than the first, was born vaginally after 2 cesareans. I can promise you that it won't hurt you to do things like...scrub your kitchen floor on your hands and knees, and it might help. Plus your floor will be clean, and it will be a long time before you get a chance to clean it really well again.

As for water breaking before labor starts, that only happens in a small percentage of labors, and it doesn't mean anything. If it doesn't break, it will keep that fluid in there and allow baby to wiggle around better and get into a better position, more easily than if somebody breaks it for you "to get things moving" and baby gets stuck in your pelvis in a less ideal position. And almost all membranes eventually break, usually during the pushing stage, if not broken (artificially or naturally) before then.

You can probably tell I'm a big fan of letting your body do this naturally as much as possible. Deep in the primitive part of your brain, your body knows how to deliver a baby. Mucking with that is as likely to mess things up as not (I mean honestly, think about it - all mammals creep away somewhere quiet to give birth, and any meddling can disturb their labor. Humans go to a hospital, get given drugs to make their utes work on schedule, and then surprise! in some hospitals, as many as 4 out of 10 women are wheeled out five days later as surgical patients. And in the birth climate we have now, most of those women will be forced into surgery forever after to deliver their babies, because hospitals are increasingly denying women the right to give birth after cesareans, for policy and financial, not medical, reasons.

I'm sorry this early labor hurts you. Pamper yourself. Spend time on your hands and knees. Talk to your baby. And remind yourself that you aren't in labor yet because your baby hasn't said it's time to come out yet. You really honestly won't be pregnant 6 weeks from now (though the average first-time mom delivers 11 days after her so-called "due date", which makes me wonder why your doc is so eager to induce you before your "due date" even comes around). Be patient. Your body really does know how to do this, if you give it a chance.

[Kiminy]

When I was going through labor pains for four weeks, we really did try everything we could think of or that anyone would suggest to us, but nothing helped. I even kept working until I actually gave birth--teaching three days a week at a university, so it wasn't strenuous, even though I was on my feet a lot.

Everytime I had a contraction, I would *pray* that this was IT, then I wouldn't have another contraction for several hours afterwards.

The day I actually went into labor was actually a very quiet day. I didn't have classes, but I went into work to do office hours and get caught up on grading. I was so overdue by this point that the doctor had scheduled a stress test for the next day, just to make sure that the baby was doing all right. (A non-stress test earlier in the week was inconclusive, since the baby appeared to be asleep at the time.) Since I had heard that the stress test could induce labor, I wanted to have every piece of homework graded so that I could give them to the substitute to give back to the students.

I was at the office until about noon, and left the lesson plans and graded assignments in the sub's mailbox. Then I went home, ate a little something for lunch, and decided to take a short nap before going across the street to pick up our daughter at daycare. As soon as I was in bed, I conked out, and slept the soundest sleep I can remember having in a long time. Mr. Kiminy came home from work around 5, and was surprised to find me in bed and sound asleep, with no sign of our daughter. I told him Daughter was still at daycare (which didn't close until 6), so he got her while I got up and started to get dinner together.

While I was fixing dinner, the contractions started in earnest. By the time dinner was cooked, they were about ten minutes apart. We called the sitters, and they came over to take care of Daughter (and eat the dinner I had fixed, since I was in no mood to eat at that point). We got to the hospital around 9pm, with the contractions about five minutes apart or so, and Son was born at nearly 2am.

I was *extremely* grateful for the nap that afternoon, but both Mr. Kiminy and the doctor were somewhat unhappy about having to stay up so late.

If you're really worried, ask the doctor's office about a stress test. :)

[Spongemom]

Mine broke in the hospital. I left my doctor's appointment earlier that day, on instructions to get myself to the hospital in four hours, he let me run all my other errands, since I wasn't having any pain and was only 2 cm dilated. I got all my stuff done and went to the hospital a little early, waited about 45 minutes, got in my room, the nurse handed me a hospital gown, and on my way to the bathroom to change into it, all of a sudden I felt like I was peeing myself and couldn't stop. That was a mop job. I offered to help clean up, but they made me get in the gown and get in bed, after sitting on the toilet for 10 minutes waiting for it to stop...and waiting...and waiting...until the nurse finally tells me that it won't stop, not till after the baby's born, that it will keep "refilling" itself as long as the baby is in there. Good to know.