Hello lovely ladies. Well, thank you for asking. It was... um interesting. I had a sweep and stretch, which is a somewhat euphemistic phrase... I'm not sure it this will help or put you off but it basically involved a midget obstretrician (thankfully female) putting half her arm up my ying yang and having a good old proddle and push. It was painful, but very short and rather more surprising than properly painful. Thank God DH had left the room, when I described it, he said it sounded more suitable for a very very specialist/ wierd porno than a hospital.... Anyhow. The only thing worse than someones forearm being up your ying yang, is someone's forearm being up your yingyang and then no bloody contractions!!! None, at all!!! So I'm booked in for an induction on Monday at 6.45am if nothings happened by then. And strangely, I feel a lot more relaxed about it now I have a deadline. I had great plans of walking lots today but its currently piddling down in Melbourne so I have decided (drum roll please) to do lots of housework so that I'm stood up and moving about as the next best thing. Maggiepie - I don't know if you know but it's the law that only one person on this thread can do housework at a time, so you'd better go back to bed and relax : )

Wishes - what wonderful news, although it must have been very distressing to begin with. So so pleased that everything turned out all right for you in the end. I am so very grateful that we live in a first world country. We are so very lucky.... one in eight pregnancies result in maternal death in Sierra Leone, isn't that utterly shocking. Sorry, wasn't meant to depress you.... I just find it astonishing that we fanny about putting men into space when we can't even help women in labour. Anyway.

Renee - of course - the list is all yours!!! Well volunteered!! I had been wondering what to do with it. I look forward to seeing all of you do your birth announcements in time. It seems only a moment since I was at the bottom.

To all, huge belly rubs and thinking of you all. x