39 Weeks Pregnant with 2Nd Child ... Need Some Good Stories to Cheer Me Up

Went three full weeks late with my second daughter. Dr wasn't worried because "it is still small, maybe 6.5 pounds" . She was 8 lbs 11oz. Guess he was mistaken, LOL!!

Michelle C. might be on to something. Just relax and accept you will have him soon :)
I was 50% effaced and not dilated at all from 38-40 weeks. We scheduled an induction for 41 weeks and I went into labor before I could be induced. I seriously was thinking I was going to be pregnant forever until we scheduled it, then it was just like my body said Oh you want to have this baby, well here you go :)
Good Luck! I hope that baby cooperates!

At my 36 week appointment for my 2nd, my husband secretly put his foot on the scale and made it look like I had gained 50 pounds in one week. I had already put on 40 pounds and felt like a whale, so I burst in to tears when I saw how much I weighed. As I stood there sobbing, my husband took his foot off the scale and the office echoed with the resounding thunk. I started crying even harder because I was mad at him for making me cry. Both the nurse and I swatted him with whatever was handy.

By the time we got to the examination room, we were laughing so hard at this incident, we couldn't stop. The doctor I liked least in the practice was pretty irritated and accused me of planning on laughing the baby right out, there in his office. I laughed even harder and the doctor stormed out in disgust. Happily, he did not deliver my 9 pound, 5 ounce mini-whale of joy.

I know it's not quite the story you were looking for, but maybe it will make you laugh. I have many more. If you need another laugh, shoot me a private message!

Good luck!

I don't have a story to share with you , but just wanted to say that you should trust your instinct. Lot's of pressure is the baby's head pushing on you which means baby must have entered the birth canal , plus your other symptoms like crampy and losing some mucus plug. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel , your just a week away from your due date...hang in there and good luck!

Yep--37 wk check up--nothing of interest happening.
Went home and that very night during a coughing fit, my water broke and it was OFF to the races!
Hang in there. It will happen when it happens.
Congrats!

Well I was 1/2 a centimeter for the last three weeks of my pregnancy. At my 41 week appointment the doctor finally told me that I was a 1 MAYBE a 2. I was so frustrated and thought I was NEVER going to have that baby! We planned an induction and everything. I was like you and had been losing pieces of my plug (it didn't all come out once, just kind of came out in pieces), but really saw no hope and was convinced I was getting induced. The next night my water broke and I didn't even realize it! I was walking around for an hour or so cleaning and then I went to the bathroom and the whole plug had come out and well you know all the signs of my water breaking. I still didn't believe I was in labor though or was convinced that my water broke cause I didn't feel any contractions, although I realized that I was starting to get a slight little pinch in my back every 10 minutes, didn't hurt though. Me and my boyfriend decided to go to the hospital just to be on the safe side but were pretty sure I was gonna be sent home. Well I was actually contracting ever 2-3 minutes and was 4 cms dilated, and they verified that my water really did break. 18 hours later, I was holding my handsome little boy :)

It is possible to just suddenly happen! Although I do find it weird that they were saying all that and then she says something completely opposite

Doctors have different opinions on things. When I was 38 weeks I was 3cm and 50%, so the doctor told me to walk a lot, have sex, drink raspberry tea, blah blah. The next week a different doctor said I am wasting my time- nothing helps bring on labor. I had to be induced at 41 weeks, still at 3cm. They said it would be a very small baby and it would take about 12 hours. 4 hours later. I gave birth to a 9.5 pound, 21 inch baby!! Doctors don't always know what they are saying. They can be as bad as weather announcers sometimes =)

Yep, it's true you can be totally closed up on the day you see your doctor for an exam and go into labor that very night. My doctor always told me that labor would start when baby and your body were ready and nothing you can do will jump start it. Once labor does begin, you can "speed" things along by walking and staying active...but on the downside you get yourself tired out easily and you NEED all the energy you can muster for the grand finale, so to speak. You're almost to the finish line, hang in there! It won't be long now.

BTW: with my first two, I clearly remember going to my doctor's appt and leaving totally disappointed that there was no good news to share...but in a matter of days afterward, my body began changing and labor began. You'll have your baby any day now! Good luck and best wishes.

Please let us know when you deliever. We had a doctor on a team of doctors we couldn't stand either....and guess who was on duty that night. So the only thing I could do was to tell everybody I knew...don't go there for prenatal care and don't let anyone you know...she had the worst bedside manner and even got into an arguement with the nurse during the final minutes before the baby was born (of course it was a one sided arguement....because the nurse wouldn't dare speak...the doctors rule in the hospital). Good luck chick...it will all be over soon!

My son was due on January 16th. I had an appt 12/23 where I was 1 cm. My husband was convinced I was going to have a Christmas baby. Nope. A couple weeks later...still 1 cm. My last appt was on my due date and still only 1 cm. Everyone in my family had their babies a little early. I was convinced I would too and felt so over being pregnant and just wanted to meet my lil guy finally. The Dr scheduled to induce me the following Sunday (4 days later). I felt such relief knowing he was finally going to be born. I was talking to my friend that night and told her no matter what, he will be here by Sunday. I said that I feel so much better that now I know he will actually come out. She looked at me like I had three heads and said, of course he is going to come out no matter what. I said, tell me how you feel after being pregnant 40 weeks :-) My water broke two days later. I swear it finally happened because I finally relaxed with the relief I would finally meet him in a couple of days. I know it sounds ridiculous but at the time, the non logical part of my brain was convinced I would stay pregnant an extra month lol. When your baby is ready, everything may develop very quickly. Congrats on your soon to be arrival.

Do not worry. I was in early labor with my first at a Dr appt and the dr said I was still .5 cm and we would talk about inducing the following week as she did not think I was in labor!!!!! I went on to have my son 18 hrs after that appt completely naturally! With my second the dr thought I would go past my due date at my last appt before my daughter's birth, I ended up having her 3 days after that appt again completely naturally. A number is just a number; mom knows her body more than anyone else! I work as a birth doula and have seen moms walk around for 2 weeks at 4 and 5 cm dialated with nothing an d I have seen moms go from 0cm to baby being born within 12 hrs!!! So, rest assured your body is doing what it needs to do. Keep yourself calm as anxiety levels constrict the uterus and will keep baby inside. Relaxation does the opposite allowing your uterus to relax and release allowing baby to move down easier. You will do fine!!! Best of luck!

Not exactly, but when I was in being induced with my 2nd child, a student came in and felt my stomach and said I had a VERY big baby in there. The doctor (the only one out of 6 in the practice that I did NOT care for) checked my stomach after her and said "that baby is 8 lbs or less" in an all knowing voice. Well, she was NOT 8 lbs OR less, she was 9.11!!! I was 10 days late, but still....that is a BIG baby.

Just sharing because sometimes, they just don't know even though they spout something off.

That baby will come when it's ready. I had to be induced twice...three days apart each try to get baby # 2 out, so you just don't know.

Good luck!!!!

With my first child, I asked how dilated I was and my midwife actually laughed. She said that in her own experience, she had had women spend weeks at 4cm, actually having to be induced. On the other side, she has seen women who had made zero progress, no dropping, effacement or dilation, give birth literally 2 hours later! I was also told that with second babies, they tend to drop later or drop and then move back up, only to drop again later. So with my second I didn't even have anyone check. Like you, I was pretty anxious and very ready to be done being pregnant. It will be over soon!

My last baby was breech criss crossed butt down facing the world till I was 38 weeks,she flipped on her own.Now after being checked I never dialted I was a 1 at my last appt. so they were unable to strip my membranes per my request,I was in sooooo much pain but I walked had the contractions back pains,peed every 5 min stomach aches, but I choose to labor as much as I could at home she was 2 days past my due date but that night she came my water hadn't broken I went from no i'm not ready to an 8 when the Ob checked me again just 5 min later broke my water (that wasn't going to break anytime soon the membrane was too thick)then as soon as the last deep breath I took out she came I had her in a total 30 min.active labor,1 push.
BTW I remember told that all our fingers are differnt so it may feel that were dialated more or less with different Dr.s,midwives & nurses

To be honest, I don't even know why they do these vaginal checks, because they are not at all good predictors of when the labor would begin. With my 1st one I wasn't dialated at all at my 37 week appointment, yet had the baby next day. With 2nd and 3rd, I was 3-4 cm dialated at 36 weeks and went to 39 weeks. So please don't focus on the fact that you are not dialated as much as you would've liked. The fact that you are loosing the mucus plug, and that you are feeling a lot of pressure means you are getting close. No too much longer now, good luck!

My mom said she felt constipated a few days before she went into labor. Isn't that called back labor? It sounds like you and your doctor are more correct than the doctor you saw today. I remember that low pressure feeling especially with my 2nd pregnancy. I remember it was a Friday evening and my husband came home from work. I was reclining in our lounge chair with tears streaming down my face because I absolutely could not bear to move. I woke up at 3am because my water broke and I had my baby at about 6am that Saturday morning! At 39 weeks you really could go at any time. Oh and my doctor always told me that I never appeared dilated, effaced or anything during my appointments either-so you could be a lot closer than you think!! Good luck and try to stay comfortable. You are almost to the finish line where a great prize is waiting for you!! :-)
A.

Are you really constipated, or perhaps it's the baby's head. I was convinced that I was constipated during the entire weekend before I went into labor with my 1st. Even during labor, I was convinced, but turned out, I was having back labor.

LOL. With my last baby the nurse midwife tried to tell me I had to go to 39 weeks before she would induce. I wanted induced because I had my last baby in 20 minutes. I was only 37 weeks. The next day I went back to her and she checked me and I was dilated to a 5 and 90%. She admitted me and I had the baby that day.

I wonder if you should take a laxative?

Don't get bummed out! Docs use a "fingertip" scale to determine how dilated you are, and just by feel tell you how effaced you are (and both can change when you're having any contraction, even if you don't feel it). It's a guess. With pregnancies other than your first you may not "drop" until you're in labor...so baby has more mobility in there and might not "engage" in the pelivs until later. With my DD, I was 1 1/2 cm for a couple weeks, and had her 10 days early...with my DS, I was scheduled to be induced (long story...but not medical) at 40 weeks, doc checked me earlier that week, I was 1cm (but having crazy contractions for weeks...so we had all expected a very early delivery and was even kept overnight due to possible preterm labor at 34 weeks...but just wasn't dilating, thank God). Day before my induction date, I started labor on my own, and had baby boy less than 5 hours later!!!! Surprise! My doc almost didn't make it to the hospital (I was only there about 30 min). It can happen tonight, or it might not...but that baby will be here eventually...the docs are making "somewhat educated guesses"...but that's all it is. Good luck and congrats in advance! (Oh, and the symptoms you're describing all sound like pretty strong pre/early labor!)

My first I was induced at 41 weeks (high bp) and had 51 hours of labor... I was certain it would happen the same way the second time, too. But my midwife kept telling me it would be different. I lost pieces of my mucus plug at around 38 weeks I think the second time, then went into labor at 40 weeks. I had contractions every ten minutes one night, then they went away for a day, then picked up again the second night. Every 10 minutes again until they were suddenly every three or four minutes. Less than two hours later my baby was born.

Don't wear the maternity belt - I've never even heard of that technique. How crazy! Only your baby and your body know when it's truly time to go into labor... wait for that moment! I know that it's really, really had to wait it at the end, but you could still have another month to go. But just keep going one day at a time and suddenly you'll have your baby!