Some fairly serious contractions today. I woke up in awful pain from lying still all night, and Rob massaged my legs until they were better, then he took the girls out and I went back to sleep; when I woke again I'd leaked colostrum - enough to stain my nightie. That never happened before; Linnea was still breastfeeding when I was having Emer (who never gave me any early labor symptoms anyway) and I didn't produce much until Linnea was born, either.

Later I had some unpleasant contractions - I couldn't handle a hug but Rob held my feet while I breathed through some of them, which helped. They still feel preparatory, not active, though.

Also, I smell different, at least to myself, and the whole mucus thing is really starting to get into gear - what my midwife calls Cervical Weeping, and I call Fascinating But Probably Gross Goo.

I'm kind of hoping that half a 180ml bottle of wine a day isn't going to make me a raging alcoholic, because it's about the only way I am going to get to sleep until this stops. I'm determined not to end up as exhausted and in as much pain as I did six years ago, because there's no reason to and it will be much easier if I'm not entirely knackered.