h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well we thought it had all started lasst night as I started getting mild contractions at 10pm but they never got any quicker or harder so it was just false labour after all. I do think it is going to happen soon though. Walking is uncomfortable and my back is killing me! Even the doctor reckons I won't make my due date. Also been on tour of delivery suite at hospital and it was interesting. What is crap is that they had a birth pool installed but it never drained properly. Somehow the contract was so rubbish they can't get the contractor back in to fix it - what a waste of tax payers money!

Ah, the low bidder!

It's a wonder we ever reached the moon with all the contracts given to the low bider...

Hang in there! When you feel a sudden urge to throw a party or clean the whole house, instead start getting your things together!

That's the way it worked for both of our kids anyway! Hours after my lovely bride went on a cleaning tear, we were on our way to hospital.

He He he! Well I just swept the kitchen floor and directed DD in cleaning up the lounge - I think that might count. I also just came over all faint and have had 3 contractions half hour apart - you never know this could be it - I might be a mum within the next 24 hrs.

If you can hold on until Monday, the baby will share my birthday. No pressure or anything...

Okay Jim. I will try but I draw the line at crossing my legs!

Don't know if it counts... but I've even tidied up my toolbox!

I'm sure she won't mind waiting Jim.

Trouble is I was supposed to hit my mate's birthday yesterday, an aunt's birthday on the 28th and another aunt's birthday on 3/10. I can't hit them all - it is only one baby after all!

Look at it this way - you've got a good chance to delight at least one person.

And you are still in the running - it was yet another false start. They are very frustrating because I get all excited that the baby is goin to be here and then the contractions just fade away again. Life would be so much easier if every labour started the same way. That way you would know for sure. I think now I am going to not know when I am in labout because I'll think it is just another false start again!

Aw, how frustrating!

Babies do often seem to start off, and then change their mind - the same thing happened to me. I'd go into 'labour' for an hour or two, quite convincingly, and then it would all stop and go away again. This went on for several days, until eventually one night, it kept on going. I wasn't absolutely sure I was in labour until it had been going for 4-5 hours though, because it kept on fading away, and then coming back on again, much as it had on the other nights.

I remember the midwife saying that if it comes on at night and you can sleep through it - you're not in labour. Which is kind of helpful, maybe?

The good thing about it is that it may mean that you're dilating a bit during every one of these 'false alarms' so you're actually working towards it slowly, but bit by bit, rather than in one full-on go. Which has to be good, you're getting there! Not long now!

I've been working on the sleep through it principal too. Having said that I am getting a bit fed up so have gone to the max allowable dose on the raspberry leaf capsules. Also had curry last night and am currently burning lavender oil all day. Tomorrow I am off to get jasmine and clary sage oil. I WANT THIS BABY OUT NOW!!!!!!!!! Not very patient am I?

When the baby comes you'll remember how much easier it was to take care of before it arrived, you'll be getting no sleep, you'll have sore boobs (probably) and you'll miss having it close by - in your tum. Enjoy being pregnant while you can! Although yes, I know how just you feel wanting it to be here now! Not long though, whenever it decides to come.

I'm getting caught up in the excitement, just from reading this journal!

I am excited because I have waited for this for a long time. I had a miscarriage last october and one the october before that so I had become a little convinced that it was never going to happen for me. I know I won't totally relax until the baby is wriggling and crying in my arms and it is that which is making me so impatient.

Were you very depressed yesterday?

I'm not really a depressive person but I did get a bit low - became very convinced that there might be something wrong with the baby or that something could still go wrong.

Everyone I know has had a bout of pre-labour blues, within 24 hours of real labour. It seems to take the form of feeling that the baby is never coming, and being very low. For me, each time, I've spent the day bursting into tears at intervals and saying that the baby was not coming/would be so overdue it died/would have to be induced/would be born by caesarian after I failed to go into labour.

Even the second and third times I was convinced that the baby wasn't coming - I convinced myself that this feeling wasn't pre-baby blues, it was real.

If you felt like that, get Doug to let us know how it went, tomorrow, and good luck!

Ahhh - the question is a lot clearer now. I feel like that every day about the baby - it is just going to stay in there and I really don't think I can take another 2 weeks of this. Last night Doug didn't tell me when he was leaving work and then he got stuck in traffic but had no mobile so I didn't know that. He didn't get in until 7.45 and I had been trying to get hold of him at work. We live on the emergency services route and I kept hearing all of these sirens and got myself convinced he had been in a terrible accident and been killed. I was almost hysterical by the time he got home - does that count?

BTW - for some unkown reason h2g2 refuses to recognise Ginger anymore so for boobybabe read Ginger the Feisty.

Back as myself again. This split personaility can be a real grind! Just tried clary sage oil - here's hoping it starts something off!