Prelabour....help!!!

Hi all,
I am currently 34.4 weeks pregnant with my second child, and have a couple of questions with regards to prelabour.

DD was induced at 41 weeks, and prior to that I had absolutely no signs or indications that she was ever coming out. And the induction was mismanaged anyway, so I'm feeling like this is the first time again.

For the last week or so, I have been feeling a bit 'funny'. There's no other way to describe it really. I have been feeling liek I have morning sickness again, and that my bowels are a bit 'off'. I have lost my appetite, have stopped gaining any weight (although bubs is growing nicely) and am getting quite tired again. It's been like week 9-10 again!!!

Then last weekend I started getting these really bad period pain type of cramps. So bad that I had to rest with a heat pack on my lower belly to relieve them. My SIL was staying with me at the time, and she said that what I was describing sounded like early contractions. I've never gone into labour so that kind of scared me a bit. We just kept an eye on them, and they were never regular.I had about 3 last Saturday, and a couple on Sunday and a few here and there during the week.

Also, the downward pressure that I'm feeling is exraordinary at times! I saw my OB on Friday, and he said that bub has definitely made a good move south, and that the pains that I'm feeling are my body getting ready for labour - which I knew BUT ........

My question is (I FINALLY got to it!) is this going ot go on for 5 more weeks?? I know that all births are different, but has anyone experienced this type of thing this far out d gone to term, or should I be preparing for an early delivery??

Any thoughts on the matter, information or advice would be greatly regarded.
Thanks,
Kirst xx

Hi Kirst
It sounds like you are having Braxton Hicks (BH) contractions. This is your body getting ready for labour. BH contractions are usually irregular, you may have them for a few days and then nothing for a few days, They also often vary in strength. Some may be a little painful and then others you may not even notice unless you feel your tummy and notice it going hard.

Hi Kirst.

I'm 34.3 weeks and am feeling a couple of things similar to you. I have had to have a sleep every afternoon the last few days like I had to in the 1st trimester for one, and I've also been having the cramps but not anything painful like it has been for you. I am also getting a bit of pressure especially on my bladder but I feel this is due to bubs engaging. Well I :pray: anyway.

It's interesting Alan how you describe the cramps as BH, that you may have them for a few days and then nothing for a few days, which is what it is like for me. I've been trying to figure out if this was BH for me. I asked a midwife and she said it was my cervix, and I've also asked here on BB as I really don't feel like I'm getting any sort of BH at all!

Anyway Kirst, feel free to answer or not, but could I ask why/what you mean by your induced labour being mismanaged? This is my first bub and I am being induced at 37wks (not long to go) due to medical reasons.

Thanks Alan. But is this going to continue for the next 5-6 weeks?????? It's just that with this along with the back pain that I have anyway, it's getting hard to look after my DD.

And it just got so much last night that I had a MAJOR hissey fit at DH. He really copped it. Poor thing.

Is there anything I can do? I am trying to be positive and use this time to practice my breathing techniques, and sourcing different ways to alleviate the pain. But I just don't know if I can handle 5 more weeks of this.

Hi Kirst,
I know I'm not Alan but just wanted to let you know I have been feeling the way you are for the past 4-5wks and I'm still here! 2 Saturdays ago I was having period like pains that did hurt and my back was also aching (I am thinking it might be from all this extra weight on the front!). Sometimes I get BH which can be a bit painful/uncomfortable. I was very over all of this in the 1st week it was going on but here I am still plodding (maybe more like waddling now!) along with it. For pain relief I tried a heat pack and also got DH to rub my lower back which seemed to help.

I hope you are feeling better soon

*hugs*

I was typing while you were posting, so please excuse the doble-post.

I use the term 'mismanaged' as that is the term that a couple of midwives have used when I explain what happened. It's nothing too bad, so don't worry yourself, but it was my first pregnancy/labour and I had no idea what was meant to be happening.

I went in to the hospital and had my waters broken at 9am. Nothing was happening, and at 12pm they put the drip in. To me, nothing was happening. I was sitting quietly reading my book for HOURS!! The midwife in charge of me kept coming in every half and hour to take my obs and dial the drip up a bit. She kept telling me that I was in labour contracting, but I felt NOTHING. But here was me, first time, taking her word for it.

At the midwife shift change at about 5pm the new midwife looked at the drip and couldn't understand why it wasn't pushing more drugs into me, so she dialled it up - right up! Within half an hour I went from sitting there quietly reading my book to being doubled over in the most excrutiating pain - now that was what I was expecting labout to be.

Because my body didn't have time to get used to the increasing contractions, I went into shock and couldn't relax - therefore my cervix woudn't dilate. At about 6:30pm I was only 4cm and although I REALLY didn't want an epidural I started to consider it, as I didn't think that I could handle this pain for as long as it was going to take to get to 10cm The midwife conviced me at about 7:30pm to have a pethedine shot, and that seemed to do the trick.

My body relaxed, I dilated, and an hour or so later I was pushing my beautiful DD out without a problem (or a stitch).

Every health professional I have spoken to about this has said that by the sounds of things was dialled up too slowly during the day, it should never have been dialled up as quickly as it was at the shift change, and it surely led to me going into shock.

I should have trusted my instincts then, and stood up for myslef with the first midwife and insisted that I wasn't in labour. I think that even if you've never been through it before, you have to trust your body. You KNOW when you're in labour, and I wasn't.

You'll be fine.

Which takes me back to now. I know that I'm not in labour, but I wasn't too sure about having such intense prelabour symptoms so far out. You know?

Yep it can come & go over the next however many wks til bubs is born...

Som,e ppl have it start much earlier on in preg too, like from 20+wks so almost have their preg, it's annoying & you keep wondering if this is it... BUt it will happen & you will manage! hee hee

Hi Kirst11

I'm in a similar boat - 35 weeks pregnant yesterday and had period-like pains last week over about 4 hours, plus Braxton Hicks on and off plus pain between legs (could be baby engaging?). When I was having the period-like pains, I was actually at the hospital for my antenatal class which I thought was ironic.

I've got an obs apptment today so I'll ask him and if he says anything useful, I'll let you know. I have a feeling though that it will be a "yep, could be a sign; on the other hand it might not be."

It IS frustrating to be in pain and now know how long it's going to go on for. It seems I've swapped my back pain for my between the legs pain and I'm a bit over it too. Back pain had been going on for about 5 weeks and I was told not to stand or walk so I can't stay home and nest because I'll have to do too much bending!

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!!! That sounds SOOO like waht I'm experiencing!! I'm so glad that I'm not alone. I've felt like I've been going crazy.

Let me know if your OB said anything useful.

Hi Kirst
I don’t think I can add anything more to what the other girls have said. A massage can be helpful you could also consider going to a chiropractor to check your body posture.