Hellobee Boards

I don't have much advice - mine started and progressed pretty quickly. I spent most of the morning on HB trying to figure out if I was even having contractions!

Good luck!!!

@travellingbee: I watched a movie too!
@atoz: I knew it was early labor around 6 am bc I lost my mucus plug. So I called the hospital and they said to come in when I couldn't stand it anymore. I went in before that - around 1:00 pm. Baby was born that night!

I did whatever felt good- so I watched tv and movies while that was comfortable, we went for walks, picked up breakfast to go (so I didn't scare anyone breathing through contractions!), took a shower... Basically keeping my mind off of it was better. I had a long early labor which I think really helped prepare me for active labor, since the intensity ramped up slowly. As things got more intense sitting on the yoga ball helped while I watched tv. If you think you can sleep definitely do- like @petitenoisette: I was so excited I didn't sleep, so I was very tired by the time she was born, then I had such a huge rush of adrenaline after that I still couldn't sleep and just laid there looking at her for the first sleepy hours.

Good luck! So exciting.

Can you take a sleeping pill to get some rest? Just a half dose of unisom or something?

Do you know how dilated you are? Both of mine were short labors, 9 hours start to finish. I was 4+ cm dilated by the time I went into labor both times - 1st time my water broke, 2nd time I wasn't even sure I was having contractions. If you know you're far dilated, I'd get to the hospital. If you're not, well then I would listen to these other ladies Definitely eat and drink water now though.

My labor progressed really quickly (my water broke before contractions started), but I had a whole plan for early labor to hang out around the house on a yoga ball, watching funny movies, reading trashy novels, and just resting. Actually, I did manage to read some of my trashy novel at the hospital after I got my epidural. The nurses thought it was hilarious but it was good to just rest and distract myself. So I would try to relax as much as possible (hard, I know). Also keep up your food and fluid intake since you won't get much at all once you have to head to the hospital. Good luck!

I went into early labor from about 9pm... and it ended up taking almost 24 hours to have her. I wish I'd slept. Going into labor at night was so hard, because I was literally exhausted by the end. Sleep, sleep, sleep.

My labor started at 6 pm, so I ate what I could, picked my bags, took a shower, and basically walked for 10 hours straight with a few rests in between.