Start-and-stop labor for days??

[teachma]

Anyone else having start-and-stop contractions for days on end? This is my third, and I know what real labor contractions feel like-- especially the back labor ones. These *feel* so much like the real thing, but then they stop after three or four hours. It's been happening since last weekend! What's the deal? Is this normal, or is it an indication that I may need help for this labor to progress? Trying to avoid medical intervention this time, as I successfully did last time, but I'm getting worried. Both my other children were born by now! Ideas or advice? Anyone in the same boat?

[jkg]

Sort of. This is also my third pregnancy. I am having twins this time, so I don't know if that is why my "false" labor has been feeling like the real thing, but I have had intense contractions every night for the past 3 nights. They actually feel like the start of labor, but then after a few hours they are completely gone. I'm just hoping that they are productive and my body is making some progress. Good luck mama, hopefully we'll both be in real labor soon!

[peilover010202]

I did that with ds2. Over the course of one week, I had them off and on. Everything about it was inconsistent - the length of cx, the strength of cx (some were very uncomfortable, some were just "there"), even the frequency. They did eventually become real later on in the week. My water never did break and I really think that ds2 was trying to get into a better position.

[xbabymamax]

Count me in for the stop/start.
Im just trying to do a little yoga here and there to move my pelvis around. just wondering if baby is trying to get into the best position.

[Bexo]

Originally Posted by teachma

Anyone else having start-and-stop contractions for days on end? This is my third, and I know what real labor contractions feel like-- especially the back labor ones. These *feel* so much like the real thing, but then they stop after three or four hours. It's been happening since last weekend! What's the deal? Is this normal, or is it an indication that I may need help for this labor to progress? Trying to avoid medical intervention this time, as I successfully did last time, but I'm getting worried. Both my other children were born by now! Ideas or advice? Anyone in the same boat?

I haven't experienced this personally, but to answer your question, yes starting and stopping labor can be normal in the way you describe. Try to think of labor as a process as opposed to something that happens in an instant. So often we women look for "the sign" that this is it - like our bag of waters breaking, etc. The truth of the matter is that the entire 9th month of pregnancy our bodies are preparing for labor. Those contractions that you're feeling are doing SOMETHING, and hopefully once active labor sets in you'll get to meet your baby sooner as a result of all the hard work your body has been doing!

[IncaMama]

yes, welcome to prodromal labor. i had it for DD and for this one. it sucks BIG time. all i can say is, rest as much as physically possible. seriously. sleep. often. as much as you can. you will be exhausted. *hug*

[Sasharna]

Count me in.

I'll have contractions regularly for a while (with pressure in the back--not just belly tightening), then they taper off and I don't have any for hours. I got excited about a large amount of bloody show yesterday morning, but nothing definite appears to be happening.

[teachma]

Originally Posted by IncaMama

yes, welcome to prodromal labor. i had it for DD and for this one. it sucks BIG time. all i can say is, rest as much as physically possible. seriously. sleep. often. as much as you can. you will be exhausted. *hug*

That's exactly what I have been doing today. My body must already be feeling wiped out from this craziness; it is good, though, to know that it is a normal process of some labors. My others were very different. I never did have my water break on its own, but once the real contractions began, they stayed!

[daisyem]

Yep. This is my 3rd also. I've been in start and stop mode for almost 2 weeks now....

[Murph12334]

I believe that everything with contractions, even when they stop and don;t produce baby coming out, are still getting your baby ready and gearing you up for birthing. And the great thing with start and stop is that it might dialate and efface you so when baby is ready to come out it will take an even shorter amount of time!

[EdnaMarie]

I am kind of having nice false labor- they will be for 1/2 hour, period-level or actually not even that painful, and then go away. Then 12 hrs later the same thing will happen. I have no problems with that as it's so manageable for me and helps keep it all from being so intense at the end. So I am lucky!

[Murph12334]

ok, so i wrote my other post when it wasn't quite evening....now that it's later in the evening i'm going through oddly spaced contractions that are just annoying me. Almost every night and it's freaking annoying. Just produce baby to come out or stop already until then...grrrr

[octanebeetle27]

Not from your DDC but I had to chime in...

I had lovely prodromal labor with my #3 child. Every single night for four nights in a row, about an hour after i went to bed I would wake up with contractions strong enough to where I would have to relax and even sometimes vocalize thru. They would be anywhere from 4-8 mins apart and last about 60 secs. Those nice little sessions would last from 4-6 hours and then as soon as the sun came up, the contrax would space out and weaken to the point where I could fall asleep. Sooooo frustrating!

Finally, one morning they didn't go away and my midwife's assistant came over and checked me and I was dilated to 7! I was so relieved that I cried! Baby was born 7 hours later (yikes!). So anyway, yeah, the prodromal labor contrax felt the same to me as the ones leading up to my baby's birth. Everything is probably fine with you and possibly your body is just getting the baby into a better position! Good luck!