Contractions that don't really end....

[its_our_family]

Ok, here is a crazy question for ya

I've been contracting, for the most part, about 5-8 minutes apart since 10am. Some are really really intense and some are just strong bh. Anyway, at about 6:00 they started acting funny. Let me try and illustrate:

If you rank a contractions strength on a scale of 1-20 (20 being the strongest) I'd say that they are ranking at about a 14. Instead of retreating back to a 2 or a 3 they are only retreating to about a 10.

It feels like the contraction really isn't going away. It is getting a little better now. I did this with my son but I was on pitocin and was told it was to blame. That I had too much pitocin in my system and that it was causing my contractions to even out and be "unproductive". By the end they said that the contrax were so intense I was bordering on rupture so I had a c/b. Well, the contrax are nothing like they were on pitocin so I know it isn't to that kind of point. But why does it feel like they aren't going away? My stomach was relaxing in between but now it isn't.

The questions never end I guess I jsut don't know what to expect... pathetic isn't it :

[copslass]

Take a warm bath and try to relax. This could go on for a week or more. Be patient.

Your body is doing its thing.

You are getting closer to birthing your little one!

My advice is, as a vbac mom a few times over, stop thinking about your previous labor. It can only be a drag on your current pregnancy and birth. That is over and done with. In the past.
Do not allow an ob to hang *their previous failure over your head.

This new little one with you deserves a fresh, independent birth, just as you do! Birth is hard, you and your babe were made for it!And it is worth every second and effort.

You are a healthy and strong new mother-about-to-be!



I'm not really a new member, just a very old member, recycled.

[mamabutterfly]

Re: Contractions that don't really end....

Originally posted by its_our_family
The questions never end I guess I jsut don't know what to expect... pathetic isn't it :

((((((( Megan )))))))) No, not pathetic. But I've been following your posts for months about various questions (not usually posting b/c others have responded well already). And what I'm wondering is whether you've found out what will help you most in moving from a place of fear to trust about the birth. It seems to me all these questions looking for some kind of assurance about how things will be are never going to get you there.

Of course, you could be in a place of total relaxation & trust and your baby still need the c-birth or whatever, but at least you would perhaps feel you had released into the experience beforehand.

Anyway, *I* think you will surprise yourself with what an amazing job you will do in this birth! Hang in there, mama.

(I would also recommend the long warm bath to answer your Q by the way)

[stafl]

I've decided that most women don't have the textbook perfect contractions they (hospitals and doctors) want us to have. They almost never see natural labor in the hospital anymore, and really don't know what it is like!
You know what? My vbac baby was born and I never had regular contractions at all! Some were real strong, some weren't. Some were real close together, some were farther apart. And my baby was born despite all that. Who knows what they'd have wanted to do if I had been hooked up to a monitor?
So my advice to you (take it or leave it) is to try real hard to relax. Trust that your body knows what it needs to do and is doing everything just right! It won't be long now!!! Congrats and good luck!

[DaryLLL]

One more idea, make sure you are well-hydrated! Drink water. I would get bad BH contrax when I was underhydrated.

(good luck from a one c-sec, 2 HVBAC mom)

[its_our_family]

Yup, I made sure to be drinking plenty of water!

And being on a monitor is exactly why I don't go in! I did that enough with ds. They would say...If you have 5 in an hour you need to come in. By the end they said, Come in is you have 30 or more in an hour..... real annoying! This time I'm ignoring the "If you have.... an hour come in" Cause I know if I do go in the contrax will stop and i don't want them to know it

it is so hard to relax but I'm doing good relaxing today. I haven't done anything I've just sat and played with ds and re-wrote my bp and made signs for the baby "crib" at the hopsital. That seemed to take my mind off things!

I had a friend deliver yesterday and I went and saw her last night. I cannot wait to be holding this kid!! But I'mnot sure what to do with a newborn .....except cuddle

[Artisan]

I had the exact same experience with #1 -- contractions that never went away. (However, I was in active labor and in lots of pain, beggin for an epidural. I didn't have any pit.) I think the others have given you good suggestions. Hang in there!!!!!!!!