Hi,
Here's the situation. I am 37 weeks pregnant as a gestational surrogate. The dads are here right now visiting, because I was supposed to have an OB appointment yesterday. They live in San Francisco, I'm in Portland. They got here on Thursday.
On Thursday afternoon I started having regular contractions about 2 minutes apart and 50 seconds long. They were slightly uncomfortable but not painful. I was concerned that because my first labor was a posterior baby and my contractions were SO painful, I might just be underestimating the strength of the contractions this time. After a few hours we called my Dr.'s office and a nurse recommended we go in to the hospital to get checked out.
At the hospital at 5pm I was 2 cm and about 40-50% effaced. They checked me again 2 hours later and it was about the same. The contractions were getting more intense, however, so I decided to stay a little longer. An hour later I was 3cm and a bit more effaced. My contractions were definitely more intense and still very close together. I got checked 2 hours later and I hadn't changed, so they sent me home at about 11pm.
When I got home I went to the bathroom and my mucus plug started coming out. I went to sleep at 12am, and at 1:30 the contractions had gotten to the point where I couldn't sleep through them. I was up until 3:30, went back to bed, and dozed until 4:30, although I didn't sleep through the contractions. At 5 I couldn't walk or talk through the contractions so we went back to the hospital. I was told I was still at 3.
At about 10:30am my doctor came and checked me. I was 4cm and 80% effaced. As soon as she came, however, my contractions just seemed to go way, way down in intensity and frequency. At noon nothing had changed, so I was sent home again. I took a nap, went swimming, had dinner, had sex to try and get things going again, went to bed and slept a solid 9 hours.
That brings us to today. I took several long walks this morning (until it got too hot) and took a 2 hour nap. My contractions have been very mild, with a few strong ones here and there. I've been having consistent bloody show (including the hugest glob of bloody mucus I've ever seen) all day, which is now starting to taper off.
The dads are booked to fly home tomorrow evening, and come back in about 2 weeks to stay. Since I'm already at 4cm, I'm really afraid that if they leave and I go into labor, they're not going to make it. None of us are sure what they should do.
My question is, how long is it likely I will stay at 4cm, 80% effaced, my mucus plug gone without going into active labor? I know it COULD conceivably be weeks, but what's likely? I'm considering asking the guys to just stay on now, because it seems like I should probably go into labor within the next week. Am I wrong? When we talked to my doctor about all this she was frustratingly non-committal, saying that anything could happen and not giving any recommendation.
Opinions please!!!
Here's the situation. I am 37 weeks pregnant as a gestational surrogate. The dads are here right now visiting, because I was supposed to have an OB appointment yesterday. They live in San Francisco, I'm in Portland. They got here on Thursday.
On Thursday afternoon I started having regular contractions about 2 minutes apart and 50 seconds long. They were slightly uncomfortable but not painful. I was concerned that because my first labor was a posterior baby and my contractions were SO painful, I might just be underestimating the strength of the contractions this time. After a few hours we called my Dr.'s office and a nurse recommended we go in to the hospital to get checked out.
At the hospital at 5pm I was 2 cm and about 40-50% effaced. They checked me again 2 hours later and it was about the same. The contractions were getting more intense, however, so I decided to stay a little longer. An hour later I was 3cm and a bit more effaced. My contractions were definitely more intense and still very close together. I got checked 2 hours later and I hadn't changed, so they sent me home at about 11pm.
When I got home I went to the bathroom and my mucus plug started coming out. I went to sleep at 12am, and at 1:30 the contractions had gotten to the point where I couldn't sleep through them. I was up until 3:30, went back to bed, and dozed until 4:30, although I didn't sleep through the contractions. At 5 I couldn't walk or talk through the contractions so we went back to the hospital. I was told I was still at 3.
At about 10:30am my doctor came and checked me. I was 4cm and 80% effaced. As soon as she came, however, my contractions just seemed to go way, way down in intensity and frequency. At noon nothing had changed, so I was sent home again. I took a nap, went swimming, had dinner, had sex to try and get things going again, went to bed and slept a solid 9 hours.
That brings us to today. I took several long walks this morning (until it got too hot) and took a 2 hour nap. My contractions have been very mild, with a few strong ones here and there. I've been having consistent bloody show (including the hugest glob of bloody mucus I've ever seen) all day, which is now starting to taper off.
The dads are booked to fly home tomorrow evening, and come back in about 2 weeks to stay. Since I'm already at 4cm, I'm really afraid that if they leave and I go into labor, they're not going to make it. None of us are sure what they should do.
My question is, how long is it likely I will stay at 4cm, 80% effaced, my mucus plug gone without going into active labor? I know it COULD conceivably be weeks, but what's likely? I'm considering asking the guys to just stay on now, because it seems like I should probably go into labor within the next week. Am I wrong? When we talked to my doctor about all this she was frustratingly non-committal, saying that anything could happen and not giving any recommendation.
Opinions please!!!
) Unfortunately you aren't going to like what I have to say (ducking) This pregnancy with the twins I was 2 cm dilated around 32 weeks, at 35 weeks I was 4cm, at 36 weeks I was 5 cm, at 37 weeks I was 6 cm and the day before they induced me at 38 weeks I was 7 cm dilated!!!!! They made me stay at a hotel near the hospital that night (because I really wanted to wait till the next day for them to break my water and they were afraid to send me home at 7cm) They broke my water at 38 weeks and 7cm and I STILL didn't go into labor until 4 hours later! The good news is that once I went into labor both babies were out in 2 hours...the bad news is that once I went into labor I was essentially in transition which was a bit of a rough "start"...I have a history of precipitous birth...
