i know its the wrong section but id like a wider variety of answers smile

1. did you get braxton hicks with any or all of your pregnancies and when did it start?

I ask because with DD, i never once had braxton hicks contractions throughout my whole pregnancy. Im wondering if i'll be more likely to get them this time and when to start expecting/waiting for it to occur.

2. Did you start to dilate before you actually went into labour with any of your pregnancies? If so, which ones?

The reason i ask this is because i hadnt dilated at all before going into labour and it took me about 12 hrs to reach 2cms dilation. I was watching a pregnancy show on Austar last night and one of the mums was already 2cms dilated at 36weeks and by the time she hit 39 weeks she was 4cms dilated and then went into labour a few days later. It was her 2nd pregnancy so it got me to thinking, maybe thats more common with subsequent pregnancies and maybe i'll be so lucky as to progress quicker next time.

thanks for sharing if you do smile

and as a side note question, has anyone else found that their taste in baby names has changed a lot between children? the names i loved when i was pregnant with DD i am not not completely in love with. And some of the names i didnt use to like, i now quite like. Overall i still like the same sorts of names, but i probably wont be using any of the names i had on my short list for DD.

1. did you get braxton hicks with any or all of your pregnancies and when did it start?

only with the second and at about 37 weeks onward, he was born at 39 1/2 weeks

2. Did you start to dilate before you actually went into labour with any of your pregnancies? If so, which ones?

No for DS1 as I was induced smile and I dont think so for DS2 but my waters broke and thats how the midwives assessed I was in labour, I didnt get an internal until I was 6 cms dialated and about 5 minutes later had to push and he was born


and as a side note question, has anyone else found that their taste in baby names has changed a lot between children?

The girls names stayed the same but DS2s name was not on my list for DS1, although our second and third choices for DS2 were on the list for DS1

I have two kids (one 4 and one 18months ) and I have never had a brxton hicks ..ever lol lol lol

first baby I was 10 days overdue ...hadnt started to dilate and wasnt looking like it happening any time soon ...was in labour for 19hour and only fully dilated for a few hours at the end of that ..I was induced and had every pain relief known to man (some twice over lol lol lol )

Had a few misscarraged in betwen and only lost one naturally ...needed a D&C for them as I diddnt dilate to get rid of them naturally sad

fell pregnant with Grace ...still no BH ...went to 9 days overdue being 3cm dilated at 39weeks ... broke my waters and she was born 12 min laterlol lol lol (had the gel that gave me silly little weak contractions ...but the show was on the road when they broke my waters lol lol ) your body will remember what to do smile

Hi there, dont know if i'm much help lol but.

With DS2 I started getting braxton hicks at 32 weeks. When pregnant with DS1 I never got them, i actually thought I was having BH when I was in labour LOL.

I was induced with DS2 so cant help you there, but with DS1 I started dialating once I was in labour ( was told I would be going overdue with him) Liars he was born on his due date.

If this one is a girl, I will be using the name I have wanted since DS1 was born. Boys names, I didnt like the name DH picked so I named him the day he was born, and DH is naming this one if it's a boy.

DS1 i had alot of BH towards the end, i kept confusing them with labor, i was in and out of hospital with pre labor for the last week leading up to labor. But once it really started i knew how wrong i had been LOL!!!

I never ever got an internal done until i was in actual labor. i was 3-4cms when i got to hospital and i gave birth 6 hours later.

DS2 i had BH from the get go, i had so much streaching/period pains every pain you could think of i had lol!!!

I also suffered with per labor again but for about 2 weeks before i gave birth.

Once again i never had an internal until i was in labor. i was 5 cm's on arrival and in 1 hour and 50mins i delivered another baby over 10 pounds smile

So for me it was all very smooth and easy going, but i always refused an internal prior to labor.

I hope your next one is a bit quicker although after my DS2 i was in utter shock and my second stage was only 6 mins!!! Now for a huge baby that was fricking fast and it was only about 20mins with DS1! lol.

no braxton hicks with either pregnancy.

With DD I was 2-3cm dilated 2 days before I went into labour. They did a s&s that day (which is why I know how dilated I was). Lost the plug the next day and then went into labour on my due date. Labour was 5hrs 55min from first contraction to delivery. DD had been engaged for several weeks before I went into labour.

With DS I had no idea that labour was even close (no bloody show/plug loss) and he hadn't engaged at all. 9 days before my edd I woke up from a nap with some slight niggles that I dismissed as a queasy stomach. After an hour with them intensifying we organised for DH to take DD to the people who were going to look after her as a 'just in case'. Thank God we did because by the time DH got home I NEEDED to go to the hospital. At about 2hrs 45min into the labour (including the hour of niggles) they did an internal which showed I was 6cm dilated. DS was still not engaged at all (they had trouble working out how dilated I was because they couldn't measure his head easily as he kept floating away). 45 minutes later I was holding DS. All up, from first niggle to delivery it was 3.5hrs.

We didn't know what we were having with DD (she didn't co-operate at the scans) so had names picked for both genders. DS's name is the boys name we picked when I was pregnant with DD. We didn't really ever think about names once he co-operated at the scans, it was just automatic that we were going to use the name we'd originally chosen when pregnant with DD. Admittedly, the boy's names we'd picked have personal significance within my family so that probably helped us to not change our minds.

Leisa.

1. I had Braxton Hicks with both pregnancies. DD (1st) was worse and I would literally be on my knees rocking back and forward crying at around 34 weeks.

2. I was 2cm dilated when I was checked at 35 weeks with DD (1st) and was induced shortly after. The Dr informed my I probably would have gone into labour on my own within the week in any case. I had pre eclampsia. With DS I had an internal 2 days before he was born and I was 3 cms dilated.

As for the baby names, we have always liked unique names but we have changed our list each time. I guess what you think suits changes each time.

thanks for all the replies smile

I have 2 kids.

1. Nope, no braxton hicks with either pregnancy.

2. With DS(3 yrs) I can't really remember but I'm pretty sure I had an internal around my due date and I was about 1 cm dialated. He was born 3 days overdue.
DD(9 months) I had a stretch and sweep on my due date and she couldn't even get in to do anything. I was not dialated or anything at all. I was induced at 10 days over and had only just started to soften up.

3. I think my basic taste was the same. There were a few names I didn't like anymore but there were some I did.

1. did you get braxton hicks with any or all of your pregnancies and when did it start?
I had painless Braxton Hicks with DD1 but with DD2 I had painful ones starting from around 26 weeks. They weren't really painful but I felt them more than I did with DD1. They got increasingly painful towards the end of my pregnancy.

2. Did you start to dilate before you actually went into labour with any of your pregnancies? If so, which ones?
DD1 I went in to have a stretch and sweep at 9 days over and I was 2cm, I had no idea! With DD2 I didn't have any internals but I suspect I was dilating for about a week before my water broke. I was ready to push as soon as I got through those hospital doors!

Our taste in names did change quite a bit, we didn't want to use the boys name we had picked out for DD1 if DD2 was a boy, we didn't like it anymore.

BRAXTON HICKS

Preg 1 - started around 20 weeks
Preg 2 - started around 18 weeks
Preg 3 - started at 7 weeks (edit - this pregnancy ended up resulting in 3 premature labours being stopped at 27, 31 and 32 weeks)

DILATION

Preg 1 - when in labour
Preg 2 - when in labour
Preg 3 - 4 weeks before labour I was 1cm. Remained 1cm till going into labour

All pregnancies I progressed fairly slowly. First labour was 11.5 hours, second progression was slower and labour was 25.5 hours. Third labour I was given syntocin after 5 hours due to exceedingly high blood pressure but dilation was still very slow and he didn't arrive for another 7.5 hours.

NAMES

We had boy/girl names picked for all pregnancies. DD2's name is from our short list from preg 1. DS's name is just a random one we decided we loved, and hadn't even been on the short list for either of the first two pregnancies.

I had braxton hicks with all three - probably started in late 20weeks? Can't remember now! lol

With DD1 and DS I was induced at I think 8 days over and 4 days over - was so not dilated at all - in both cases my cervix was still high and closed or whatever the terminology is laugh

Had the whole works to get going with them - 2 lots of gels, drip, waters broken etc.

With DD2 it was a slightly different story - went to 10 days over and had her an hour before I was booked in to be induced..

I started having serious contractions at around midnight and then by 5.30 when it was getting too much, went into hospital. I was 4cms when I got in there.. She was born (after much hassle with epi not working and her being posterior) at around 2pm.

We had picked out 2 girls names that we loved when pregnant with DD1 - we used one with her and DD2 was always going to have the other one.
DS was hard to name! Finally after watching a Metallica doco and seeing Lars' dad's name come up, we both liked that name!
We didn't know if DD2 was boy or girl, so had to come up with another boys name - so hard!! Was watching ER and we suggested the name Lucien and that was a goer for a while, then DH changed his mind but I can't remember that name... Luckily DD2 came out a girl!!!! laugh

DD1 I had BH from about 36 weeks-ish. She was 11 days over, 36 hour labour, 30 hours to get to 10cm.

DD2 no BH, 5 days early, 6cms after 9 hours.
(Both c/sections)

Names- we did choose a different boys name, only because after DD1 we decided 2 was enough (I decided 1 was enough, but here we are!), so because our boys name started with J, I didn't want to J kids and no-one else. Girls names- same taste, but N only came up when trying to pick for her- never heard it before I was preg with her.

I had no obvious braxton hicks with first pregnancy. With the second I got quite a lot in the last month or two. With number three I have been getting them most of the third trimester and they are stronger.

I wasn't checked for dilation until I was in labour so not sure about that but both previous were really quick. I was 4cm after arriving at hosptial with number two had had him about an hour or so later. I don't think having braxton means you have necessarily started dialating.

Q1. No braxton hicks with no 1, had them from 35 weeks with no 2 & from 27 weeks with No 3.

Q2. I wasn't checked for dilation, Dr was going to do an internal with No 1 @ 36 weeks but DS decided to come into the world 2 days before that, DD was also born at 36 weeks, Bub No 3 not due for another 12 weeks so not sure. DS only took 4.5 hours & DD took 3.

Q3. yes, there are names I didn't like before that I do now and vice versa.

thanks for all your answers smile

i dont think BH has much to do with dilation either, i meant them as two separate questions because i dont think having them has any effect on dilation (not that ive heard or read anyway)

its interesting to read how different each person, and each birth is!