So we are past 40 weeks and just waiting for the boy to arrive. She had a little blood last night and then contractions. We went to the hospital and were there until 4am and sent us home at 2 cm dilated. 14 plus hours later she is still having contractions about ten minutes apart or so. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. No water break. We have been told to wait until they are five minutes apart but it’s hard to watch this. We have excellent care by the way with a terrific doctor. So I am home watching this. Any other doper go through this and want to share their experience?
Congratulations! Is this her first? Could go on a while. My first labor was probably going on for a day or two before I noticed it, sorry to say. Is she able to sleep at all? If so, she should, even if it’s just dozing between contractions. Will she let you sleep? If so, you should! You’re neither of you going to be getting much sleep in the next few days.
If the contractions don’t stop when she walks around or takes a bath, then yes, she’s in “real” labor, but this stage can take forEVER before the contractions start coming close enough together to warrant going to the hospital. Trust me, as frustrating as it is to do early labor at home, it’s even worse to do it in the hospital.
It may seem as if nothing is happening, but there’s a whole lot going on inside right now. If she wants to speed it up a bit, you can try gently stimulating her nipples, and/or giving her a nice foot and ankle rub (there are a whole bunch of uterine stimulating nerves in the feet and ankles). Or you can have sex, if she’s willing and her water hasn’t broken yet. The prostaglandins in your semen will help to soften the cervix. Prostaglandins also work, uh, orally, ifyouknowwhatImean, but that might be a hard sell right now! 
I suggest some ice cream, and a slew of mindless movies. Nothing you have to concentrate on, but something to distract you both.
And make sure she’s drinking enough water. Being slightly dehydrated can prolong things.
Good luck! 
Thank you Why Not! Indeed our first and it seems to be taken forever! I’m just worried that we will be in this latent stage forever!
I can pretty well guarantee you that it won’t last forever.
Congrats, Dad!
StG
Labour can go from ‘latent’ to ‘OMG’ status pretty quickly. 
As you mentioned though, the contractions are still not really regular, so whilst they’re doing a lot of work effacing the cervix they haven’t gotten down to the job of dilating effectively just yet. So, as WhyNot suggested, get some damned sleep while you can, and enjoy this relatively peaceful time together. I can guarantee you that in a few hours, you’ll be wishing you could turn back time. 
kam…who went from irregular contractions that went away whenever she lay down (@7pm) to delivering a baby (@ 10pm.)
Good luck, and congrats.
Thanks guys. This is making both of us feel a lot better. A little over ten minutes apart now.
It’s also not just how far apart contractions are. For fun, try timing the length of a contraction, from its beginning just to its PEAK. Once they’re lasting more than 30 seconds (just to peak, remember), then they’re working contractions. Before that they’re warm ups. Try to rest and eat. Good luck.
Interesting on timing the length of the contractions. Her most recent is about 50+ seconds long but now 15 minutes apart. Not sure what to think.
First off, congrats Lochdale - don’t forget to post pics when the little one arrives!
Seriously? Somewhere in the evolution of humans, sex and blow jobs were considered beneficial for encouraging labour and child birth? I’ve never been pregnant, let alone given birth, but somehow I think that wouldn’t even cross my mind! Amazing!
I think maybe you’ll get some sleep tonight, and things will start to get interesting around 3AM.
Is there a Doper Pool on the timing of this Doperbaby?
Ha! Well we’re on central time and it’s 10:11 pm here. She’s just feeling miserable.
I had a 39 hour labour with my first child; went in to get checked at the hospital after 24 hours (told it could be another week!) but she was born early the next morning. The slow labour she’s in right now is probably doing its thing, but it can be tiring simply because of how long it goes. But when active labour starts that will be a whole other ballgame, so she should try to rest and eat when possible to keep her energy up. Best of luck, and remember that each contraction is one more step on the road to meeting your new bub!
Thinking speedy thoughts for you both! Good luck
Thanks guys. Just going through the motions here and waiting to consistently drop below ten minutes. A lot easier for me than her!
I know it must be hard for you to see someone you love so much in pain, no matter how natural and expected. I hope you’re both getting as much rest as you can under the circumstances. Good luck!!
Just try to relax and encourage her to sleep as much as she can tonight. Labor takes a long time, but no contraction is for naught. Every contraction, even short ones, are bringing her that much closer to baby time.
Try to have her labor at home as long as possible, please don’t get in a hurry to go to the hospital. If you get there too early you can be sure they’ll want to pump her full of pitocin (which is used for induction and makes contractions come on much harder and faster than they would naturally, this often causes the woman get an epidural, which leads to any number of interventions) to get labor moving. On its own, labor is going just as it is supposed to, but it is a lengthy process. Hanging out at home will be more comfy than being in the hospital, the time will pass more quickly. And at home she can move around, eat and drink as she pleases, etc. Once she’s at the hospital they’ll have her on an IV and in a bed. Hopefully they will be agreeable to her moving around and laboring in positions that are comfortable for HER.
If she’s up for it, you (or she) can try nipple stimulation, and orgasms are also verrry helpful. Orgasm contractions never hurt anything! lol There are other natural ways to get labor moving, but I don’t know them off the top of my head. You’ve probably already learned all about this stuff.
I’m excited for you! What a wonderful experience you are embarking on. Childbirth can be such an amazing thing for both the mother and father. Keep your eyes and ears open and be there to support and advocate for your wife. Don’t be afraid to question what you hear, and remember that she can say “no” to interventions if she doesn’t want them. Your wife is lucky to have you there for her! I can’t wait to hear how everything went. I’m sure it will be so wonderful for you both…my thoughts are with you!
If her water breaks, make pronto to the hospital. And it’s not always a gush; sometimes it’s a slow leak. Good luck!
We went in at 4am on Saturday morning. My son was born at 9:40am. All are healthy and happy. Thank you all who posted. It made a difference in my mental state. I owe you all the drink of your choice. Now to attend to my snoozing son…can’t believe I just wrote that.
Woo-hoo! I’ll take this “I told you so!” happy dance, sir!
Yay, babies!
Congratulations! The easy part is over, lol!
It’s all over now, but for the benefit of those who might be curious about labor, my water never broke, it was more of a slow trickle all day. Strong contractions, though not really painful, for about 12 hours. No ‘bloody show’ until I’d been in the labor room about 3 hours. So things are variable, not necessarily what you see in the movies.