Pregnancy Forum - Streeeess

I'm sure you've all heard this a zillion times over, but I am so stressed out because I haven't gone into labour yet! This is my first pregnancy and yes, I am aware that often the first is late, but I can't stand it anymore.. I want this baby to come out! I'm a nervous type of person and I don't like people and I am especially uncomfortable with doctors - and can not talk to them. This whole pregnancy has been stressful for me because we all know how often you see the doctor while pregnant and how often those are not the most happy and modest check-ups. Plus, I was finalyl warming up to my doctor when she went on maternity leave a month ago.. So for my last month of my pregnancy I have this new doctor!

In any case, I am 40 weeks pregnant and feel that my emotions can not take another clinic cervix exam. Tomorrow is my next check-up and every time she meassures my cervix and I just hate it to death... I'm sure no one likes it... But it just makes me all panicy inside and because I am so stressed and worked up about it, I get so tense that it because a very very painful experience. Last week's exam was probably the most painful experience of my life and I am so scared of going back tomorrow. Last week the doctor said she expected to see me in the hospital within the week because it seemed like I was ready to go into labour at any point... But so far i've had no such luck!! I want to go into labour before my appointment tomorrow so that I can get the inevitable over with and skip any more weekly exams.

Ive been having contractions on and off for over a week now and they have done nothing but get my hopes up and then dash them to pieces... As well as stress and confuse the heck out of me even more. It's one thing to do as much research as you can on labour and to be well-read on as many pregnancy subjects as you can... But it's another to really understand whats going on with you.

I've always had bowel / stomache problems even before I got pregnant.. So these past few months have been hellish in the way of gas and constipation pains. Whenever I get really bad cramping in that area and my back, I assume its gas and constipation pains because thats how they also feel... But last time I was at the doctor's I was having that sort of pain when she was listening to the baby's heartbeat and she picked it up as a contraction. I wouldn't have believed her that it was a contraction and not just gas pain except that she said "you're having a contraction!" without me even telling her I was in any sort of discomfort. So now, i've been paying attention to these pains and have been noticing that they come and go much like how early contractions are described as doing... And over the week they have been getting stronger. However, they'll come a few at a time and then be gone for hours and hours... Which is really disheartening.

Also, sometimes I get other pains in that area that also feel like they could possibly be contractions but they feel different than the other pains. I've been told by other mothers that first time pregnany contractions can start off as being really weird, random and 'different' feeling from contraction to contraction... So i'm wondering if they are all contractions or if i'm just having lots of stomache problems as well as contractions.

I want to go into labour before tomorrow afternoon so that I don't have to go back to the clinic for a cervix measurement - like I said before.... So, although I originally was in the mentality that I would just wait and the baby would come when the time is right and all those natural ways of indusing labour are just silly and for the most part old wives tales... I've been trying as many as I can learn about that don't seem like they'd cause other problems even if they, some of them, just seem plain silly. So, in the last three days my husband and I have tried going for long, brisk walks... We've tried sex a few times... I've also been drinking lots of strawberry herbal tea.. Ive tried nipple stimulation... I've eat whole cans of pineapples... And even though I laughed at the person who said I should try it, I even tried riding in a bumpy truck on a pot-hole covered road Embarassed

...Anyhow, most of those things gave me realtively to really strong contraction feeling cramps for the first two hours after trying them.. The contractions will fade and completely dissappear for around 12 hours or so after that! I'm sure its just a sign that im not ready yet and I should just give it a rest and be patient.. But I really do not want to go back to the clinic tomorrow, it scares me half to death.

I know my fears seem ridiculous to most people and i'm sure most of you will either say "get over it" or "talk to your doctor about it".... But I can't talk to my doctor because im much too uncomfortable around her to.. And its not that she isn't a super nice doctor or anything, i'm just a nervous person. But honestly, I was in so much pain the last time I was measured that I don't know how I could bring myself to knowingly go through that agian when it seems kinda pointless in the first place. I mean, im not in labour, so why do they really need to measure my cervix every time anyway?? Last time she felt that the baby's head was down and that I was dilated and I should be having the baby any day now.. So, why not wait until im in the hospital covered in sweat from serious contraction pains to start checking my cervix dilations all the time?

My husband works in out of town... He leaves at 5:30am and getshome at 7:00pm... I'm home alone all day. It takes him about an hour to drive home. I don't want to call him home too early.. Especially if i'm going to be continuing to tease myself with these random contractions that feel really strong and then dissappear... Because he only has a week off work to be with me and the baby and it starts when he leaves work to come home when I first go into labour.......... But I don't want to call him too late if he's going to take an hour to get home and will be all muddy and gross when he gets here and will need to shower. My mom lives in the city and can come get me if I suddenly have to go to the hospital on very little notice, but I want my husband there with me as soon as possible.

Anyway... That is my stressed-out rant!

Hi, btw, i'm new :p