This may be better off in the VBAC thread, but i do have questions for just normal labour too.. so not sure exactly where to post this......

I have a friend who is in 38+4 days by her dr's dates, and 39+5 by her dates. She has been in and out of hospital for the last 7 weeks with on and off contractions and labour pains. Also her blood pressure has been up and she has been on meds for that and meds ot try and stop the contractions and steroids for the baby. Over all this time she has only dialated to 4cms, but she is in alot of pain, and now she is bleeding heavily.

Also a bit of backround, this is her second bub, she had her little girl at 28 weeks as she had a ginormous tumour growing out her bum. My friend needed a csection for this baby coz there was no way bubs and the tumour (which was bigger than bubs) was going to successfully come out naturally. SHe also had the long cut down the centre of her belly, not the little cut along the bikini/undies line. Bubs is doing fine now, she is great actually, tumour was removed and she is a terrific little girl!!

Now early in her pregnancy she did say she was "open" to VBAC, and good on her. But after nearly two months of on and off labour and pain, and now bleeding she has asked them to please just go ahead with a csection, and now apparently they are refusing her that choice. Or at least until she get's to 40 weeks by her Dr's dates.

My question is is the RIGHT?????? Surely bleeding heavily and being in a lot of pain are signals for maybe doing something abit earlier??? I am just curious if anyone bleed heavily during labour (she said she is filling a pad in an hour, if not quicker) or in pre labour that went on for more than a few days (she only started bleeding yesterday) The dr's are telling her that its just her plug and not to worry, but she is worried, and i am worried for her!! Could it be that her waters have broken????

They have been keeping an eye on bubs and he is going ok, his heart rate isnt getting too high or low and there is still good fluid there, but they want to send her home with panadene forte and let her "wait it out", which is what she has been doing for the last two months!!!!!!

Now i know that in most cases things are best to progress on their own and that this could all be ver normal, but as someone who hasnt had a full on labour, it just doesnt sound right to me to be bleeding heavily. And its not a thread i have some across of anyone mentioning bleeding heavily.

Also my friend is very young, she is only 19 and i just get the feeling that they think she is exagerating her pain (even though she did experience labour with her first bubs, who actually got as far as her head poking out before the drs beleived she was in labour- same hospital)

Is it just me being over protective of my friend and scared for her that something will happen to her lil baby if they dont do something, or does this all sound not right???????

TIA