"The Cha Cha Slide sent me into labour" Mums describe some unusual catalysts for their babies' arrival

MY labour started when I was laughing at a favourite television programme. Recently, I interviewed some other mums for Practical Parenting magazine about their experiences...and there were some corkers.

WHAT sends women into labour? Forget old wives' tales about curries or sex, - these mums share their stories of unexpectedly ‘getting going.’

Anneka Holton, 29, of Nottingham lives with fiancé John. She went into labour with twins Lily and Summer, three, at 34 weeks, dancing to the Cha Cha Slide.
“I was at a pub where John worked. I loved the Cha Cha Slide so as soon as I heard it I jumped up – and a really big twinge happened.

“Everyone was staring at me, they thought I was about to drop any minute as my tummy was so big with twins and they were right. But I couldn’t resist having a boogie – I thought it would be a laugh.

“After the twinge I went to the loo and I was soaking wet. John put me in the car and drove to hospital. Summer and Lily were born three hours later.

“I don’t know what I was thinking of jumping up like that – but I still love The Cha Cha Slide. I’ve told Summer and Lily all about it. These days they dance along with me.”

Jo Swan, 33, of South London, is mum to Eliott-Jude, three and is married to Matt, 30. She went into labour while watching the last episode of Friends.

“I'm a huge Friends fan and had been really looking forward to watching the last episode but as soon as it started I started feeling really emotional and weepy,” says Jo.
“We’d tried sex, curry and raspberry tea the week before but I was still a day overdue.

“I was having twinges and they started to feel uncomfortable. I watched the last bit weeping. All I remember before the pangs started was really hoping that Ross and Rachel would get together.

"Eliott loves the theme tune to the show, it probably reminds him of being in the womb."

Adrienne Cohen, 36, of Watford, is mum to Arabella, three, Guy, two, and wife to Roger, 42. She says admiring her handiwork in a shiny new kitchen sent her into labour at 38 weeks with Arabella.

“I was drooling over all my hard work once I’d moved my utensils into my new kitchen,” says Adrienne.
“I felt a little light headed so headed off for bed. I felt a horrific crunching in my stomach – it sounded like two iron bars being scraped together.

“What I didn’t know at that time, was that it was my daughter turning over into a converse spine to spine position - despite being in the right position for the rest of my pregnancy .

“I got emotional and started apologising to Roger, he had a job interview the next day and it was obvious he wasn’t going to be able to make it.”

Nicola Haxell, 30, is mum to Richard 13, Erik 11, Ninette , four and Ted 2. She and husband Rik, 37, live in South Yorkshire. She went into labour while buying a new car.

“We were just signing the paperwork and I was feeling increasingly grumbly. My pangs were really spaced out so I didn’t say anything. I reckon Ted was hanging on until we’d bought the bigger car.

“But on the way home they began to kick in more. I still didn't mention anything until we got home. Then I said that I thought we should get to the hospital – in our new car.

“The pains were getting stronger. I was worried that I'd end up having Ted in a lay-by.

“At the hospital, they said I should go back home as I wasn't far enough gone.

“But 10 minutes later I couldn’t stand up. Ted was born very quickly after that.”

Kate Holmes, 39, of York, is married to Paul and is mum to Cavanagh, seven, Willow, three, and Ramsey, two. She went into labour with Willow while on an Easter Egg Hunt at Cavanagh’s nursery.

She says: “I agreed to do the hunt even though I felt huge and uncomfortable. Skipping around, the inevitable happened. I’ve always thought Willow took one look at the easter eggs and thought "I want chocolate. Get me out of here.”

Karen Harrison, 31, lives with husband Richard, 34, in Bradford. They are parents to twins Adam and Jamie, seven and Callum, now four, who was born after Karen went into labour while arguing with Richard about watching football.

She says: “When Richard said he was going to the match the next night, I screamed at him that I hoped I’d go into labour so he couldn’t go.

“When I slammed the phone down, I got a shooting pain. Within half an hour the pains were every two minutes. An hour later, I could barely breathe. Then I rang Richard and this time I was laughing – I told him he’d better come home.

“When we got to the hospital, I was 8cm dilated. As they were wheeling to the delivery suite, Richard still had the cheek to say “I take it I can’t go to the football then?”

Expert advice from midwife Denise Tiran of www.expectancy.co.uk, author of “Teach Yourself Positive Pregnancy” (Hodder Headline)

* You have to allow your body to do its own work and try not to rush your labour.

* Remember that normal labour can occur any time between 37 and 42 weeks: going into labour at 37 weeks isn’t premature labour, so just relax if it happens.

* If you don't go into labour until two weeks past your given date, that doesn't matter either. The important thing is to stay calm, it’s just one of those things. However, if you go into labour before 37 weeks, then again, don’t worry.
* Contact your midwife or doctor, who will probably advise you to go into the labour ward for a check-up, and take it from there.

* Shock shouldn’t put you into labour, because when your stress hormone levels increase this can actually suppress the hormones needed for labour.

* Gentle physical exercise throughout pregnancy helps to prepare your body for labour but regular intensive exercise may increase your stress hormone levels which can disturb the baby's environment sufficiently to put you into labour early.

What to do when you go into labour unexpectedly? By midwife Denise Tiran:

Keep calm and call for help from your midwife or doctor. Try to get your partner to keep calm too.

Always carry your maternity notes with you , even when you go away for a weekend, just in case any problems occur - at least then you have your notes to give to whoever looks after you.

If it seems as if your contractions are getting stronger and more intense before your midwife arrives, call an ambulance and sit down or lie on your left side.

Did you know?

Louise Morris, 33, of Telford, Shropshire, named her daughter Clementine after Mark Owen’s solo single after going into labour two months early at a Take That concert.