Prodromal questions

[fyrebloom]

So for those who have had it or if there's any MWs or MW apprentices out there, how can I contract for 6-10 hours and not have any cervical changes! I was contracting SO MUCH last night, like every 1-2 min 1 min each, I came down only to have another. I was in agony. I had that much pain with DS, and also never dilated. I ended up getting an epidural and THEN I dilated. How the heck do I do this at home, I don't have nor do I want an epidural! Once it was in place I went from 2-10 in about 3 hours. It's driving me mad having this intense intense labor and nothing to show for it yet. I'm almost 41 weeks along and I'm really in agony. Contractions at this point are irregular again, but my pubic bone hurts and my cervix is sore. Any hints. I'm trying to relax and be patient but the pain is really getting to me! It's worse every time it hits me.

[CageFreeFamily]

Ah, prodromal labor...

Both of my babies were born 14-21 days post EDD.

With my first I labored for 3 days at home, only making it to 5cm. Cntx, were steady, never more than 7 min apart, and progressing. Very painful. However, the whole thing was poorly managed, MW had the flu and I wound up with a c-sect.

With my second I was determined not to go to the hospital again and l labored at home with DH for 5 days. Cntx were very inconsistent, sometimes 3-5 min apart and dropping away to a couple per hour. Always very strong and painful. It was rough.
On the 5th day, the cntx finally found a rhythm at about 7 min apart and stayed. MW arrived and announced that I had made it to 2.5cm. WTH?
I wept and she decided to feel my cervix during the next ctrx. She did and asked me how I felt about 5cm. I thought it was a visualization exercise, but no, I had suddenly jumped to 5cm. DD was born less than three hours later.

With this baby, due in three weeks, I am determined to skip the prodromal part and skip right to the 3 hour labor!

You can do it! Forcing myself to go completely limp and relaxed with empty mind through the contractions is what got me through the second labor. When I missed the start of the cntx and couldn't relax DH either locked eyes with me (about 6 in away) or gave me a visualization to focus on.

[flapjack]

1) IMO, prodromal labour hurts more than productive labour. Partly because it makes pregnancy so miserable that real labour is a relief by comparison. Seriously, seriously. Once I got to the point that I was actively dilating, the pain was a doddle.

2) You're not dilating because it isn't right for you to dilate yet. There's a mythical something else that needs to happen first- baby needs to turn his head, move his fist, or something. Contractions can make that happen.

3) It's your third. Worst pregnancy, best baby, as my old GP said. It's par for the course, and why so many people stop at 2. Just hang in there. Try wine, try epsom salts baths, try homeopathic pulsatilla or anything else imaginable to STOP contractions. Do NOT try to induce labour. It will hurt, and probably won't work. If you can get your hands on a TENS machine, do so. You probably have, at worst, a week of this to go, and people have got through months of this. Just chill. It's going to be fine.

Oh, wait, there's a 4th point. You may find that you go through transition twice in this pregnancy- once getting into first stage labour and once getting out of it. It happened to me, and it seems to have happened to a lot of other people as well.

[gossamerwindweb]

Just sending you s. I completely understand how you are feeling.

[AugustLia23]

Maybe it's a positional thing. I'm assuming with the epidural you were on your back. But at hope, I doubt you were. For some people it works better. Just keep an open mind, this is no the same birth as your others. it will all work out.

[fyrebloom]

With the rough spot I had the other day I did take some Jagermeister (alcohol and valerian ) and that took the edge off. Yesterday I had my partners jiggle the little guy with a rebozo and he popped out and totally did a happy dance LOL! He's floating around now and my SPD feels SOOOO much better. I have an anterior placenta so I have a higher likelyhood of having a posterior baby, but I think at least that time he was just is a bad position (judging from the kicks, probably LOT like his brother was). Trying to stay cool and relax and be patient. It's much easier when you're not in excrutiating pain! Contractions don't hurt for me, even when I have a really good one, but the SPD pain is just impossibly hard to manage!

[Lousli]

I had not-exactly prodromal labor (I don't know what to call it, I was 33 weeks pregnant, sick with a stomach flu and contracted for 3 straight days in the hospital with no cervical change.) It was completely miserable. I could not sleep through contractions so for 3 days I dozed for about 8-9 minutes until another one would wake me up. I agree with the pp that said actually going into labor was a relief by comparison, just because I knew that at some point the contractions would finally stop!

I think that the repositioning sounds like it helped a lot. I would try doing some stretching and moving that might help get the baby in a better position if it happens again. I don't know if this is counterintuitive, but perhaps using a belly band to give your pubic bones a little relief by lifting the baby up a little?