how far off do you think labour could be? advice/reassurance sought

okay so i need some reassurance, positive labour vibes, opinions - SOMETHING!

i am 40 weeks plus 2 and the day started out like this:

couldn't feel baby move for a few hours this morning, tried cold drinks and pressing my tummy etc, and got nothing... so went into hospital to be hooked up to the ctg... baby's heartbeat strong but not fluctuating, he must be asleep.... i get asked 'do you realise you are having contractions'... hmmm so thats what that tightening strange feeling is... they keep me on the monitor as they want to see some variance in baby's heartrate... my contractions are every 2 minutes roughly and registering as quite high... they are not painful but i am definitely aware of them...
the midwives seem excited and so i text a few select friends saying i think this is it etc... after several hours of this the contractions don't get any stronger... on examination my cervix is tightly closed, however is soft and doesn't feel very thick...
i am told once they are satisfied with baby's heartrate i can go home.... labour could start tonight, or it could start next week, i am not closer to knowing... still having the contractions and cannot believe they are braxton hicks... have been having them every couple of minutes since about 8am this morning...
the hospital is quiet with no one in labour, i would have had my own room guaranteed...!! (the maternity ward is booked out this month and i am paranoid about it being busy etc and sharing)...

what the hell is going on... i kept asking 'but this could turn into labour couldn't it, if the contractions get stronger then its labour' and they really couldn't say... some people have fantastically regular braxton hicks for days or weeks!

i am so disappointed... had to text my friends saying false alarm... i am now vowing not to text anyone until the baby is out!

so positives are braxton hicks are doing some work and apparently my body will have less to do in labour (hmmmmm?) and cervix is soft and thin, so some work has been done there, it could be worse it could have been hard and thick as a fist...and the baby has dropped and instead of being 4/5 engaged is now 3/5 engaged... i am also having quite a lot of pressure in my pelvis and unfortunately, bum!

i am still gutted, and not impressed about these contractions which are quite uncomfortable, every 2 minutes, yet are not labour!

does anyone have any words of wisdom, opinions on how far off labour could be, advice, any experience with anything similar... with my first baby i went on time and never had any false labour/braxton hicks... i am getting so disheartened and feel like i will never be sure i am in actual labour (even though i know i will 'know it' and be in major agony).

HELP ME! :(

Hi hun, I had reular bx cx for about 48 hours before dd was born. It is a postivie- your body is doing the work without the pain, so hopefully when you do go into 'proper' labour it will be a quick one ;)

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be. try to relax a bit and appreciate the last few hours or days as a mummy of one, and not dwell on what's going on with your body too much. I promise you, you will not be pg forever :hug:

Hun, I so know how frustrated you must feel. Pre-labour is exhausting physically and it is hard not to get your hopes up that this is 'the real thing'.

The good news hun is that your body is working perfectly. Those nice gentle ctx are getting your body ready for a smooth birth. Try not to dwell on the when. I know how hard this is, I was in your situation a few weeks ago. Try to distract yourself with a good book, a nice walk, something yummy to eat.

I don't think it will be long for you hun, it sounds like things are starting to ramp up.

Hang in there babe, you're very close to meeting your bub.

Spring xx

thank you...
for the last hour they have been sixty seconds long, and 2-3 minutes apartment and quite painful! i am thinking they have progressed from braxton hicks to something more 'real', due to the pain.... am waiting to see what the next couple of hours bring.... hopefully things are happening, i would hate to think i am enduring this pain and its not real labour!

Sounds like the real thing, BH won't get closer together and get more painful.
Keep busy (a watched pot never boils) and I hope your labour is fantastic :)

xx

Woooo sounds promising!!!!!! :D :D :D

Go for a walk, when I wasn't sure if mine were the real deal, I walked up and down the stairs a few times... and it ramped them up for sure (even though at the time I was convinced I was only in pre-labour!! lol)

GOOD LUCK!!! Will be thinking of you and sending awesome birth vibes :D :D

turns out i was in prelabour - should have trusted my gut right?!
finn jackson was born at 5.50am on 17 January after a lot of hard work, but i got my vbac... still recovering but baby is doing great. thanks everyone for your advice...

Congratulations!!! I love the name too.

Wonderful news. :dance: Congrats on the VBAC hun. Enjoy this special time getting to know your baby boy.