This last month..

[maisiedotes]

I kept thinking I was in labor. It is driving me crazy! I need a distraction. Instead, I am psycho-analyzing every ache, pain, leaky bladder episode, contraction, cramp, etc. "OMG. Am I leaking fluid? Is this another contraction? Why don't I feel it in my back? Is the baby going to stay in there till I have insurance? What is going on? My back hurts, Is it from coughing? My stomach hurts but my uterus isn't hard. OMG. What does THAT mean? Is DH REALLY going to work today- because what if I am in labor??? What if my water IS leaking but I don't know it because I keep peeing myself??"

UGH. Am I alone?

[Sonneva]

Hahaha, no you are not alone! I've been the same way. I had 6 weeks of prodromal labour with my first and am paranoid I wont make it to 37 weeks for my homebirth.

[maisiedotes]

OK, so yesterday afternoon I started having timeable contractions- every 11 minutes, but varying in length from about 15-35 seconds. By last night at about 10:00, they were down to every 9 minutes like clockwork. I woke up at 1:04 and they were stronger, and have been consistently stronger till 3:50 every 9 min. Then: what I think was bloody show. I am using pads because of my bladder control issues, and there was a streak of blood on it. Then: a lapse in contractions. WTF??? Now, 25 min later, they have started back up. Definitely painful but I am not feeling any pain in my back. Dang. I have insurance now- it would be awesome to go into labor now. Who knows.... maybe in a few days.

OK, thanks for letting me get that out.

ETA: interesting: the blood in the middle of the night was a streak of blood. No mucous. This morning, I have blood-streaked mucousy discharge and the ctx are back. I am psycho-analyzing.. maybe I shoudl get off this computer and start getting the house ready just in case!

[crunchy_mama]

Good luck to you! I am having prodormal labor as well for the last 3 days especially I get a good pattern for a few hours and then it just stops. It makes a person paranoid, you know the baby is going to come at some point, but when, who knows!

[minsca]

I think prodromal labour can make any woman go insane. All the questioning, is this it? oh no, I think it's stopping, nope it's starting again. Oh this are stronger then before, I think this might be it. I think prodromal labour is the one thing that me say I am done having kids. And I actually was more relaxed over it this pregnancy over my other pregnancies. My thoughts are with you today maisie... I hope this is actually it!!

[maisiedotes]

To make things worse, I was just sitting in our glider and coughed. I felt a warm trickle of liquid. Pee? Amniotic fluid? I consulted the internet. It says amniotic fluid tends to smell like bleach or comet, and of course there is nobody here to smell it for me and my nose is so stuffed up, I can't smell anything! I had asked my OB at my last appt. how to tell if it is fluid or urine and she said with leaking fluid, it keeps coming. I don't want to run out and drag DD to my MIL's, and make DH leave work to drive 45 min to the hospital for them to tell me it is pee. Which I assume it is.

I read that if you lay down for a half hour, amniotic fluid will pool in your vagina and when you get up, it will come out. I noticed a very small amount of wetness in my undies when I got up so I am chalking it up to urine/ discharge.

It is so hard to know if I am overreacting or underreacting. I am going to wait and see what happens overnight.

[Mommy2Haley]

Waiting for labor is more maddening than the 2ww!!

I had some fire-type contractions yesterday morning and was all excited ... only to have it go away and I sit here, just as pregnant as before.

I feel like a moose and I'm so done with the over analyzing.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

[crunchy_mama]

It was my understanding that the amniotic fluid is supposed to smell sweet like, but hey I could be remembering wrong. I have had a lot more discharge lately, but I believe mine is just the annoying leukorrhea- somehow I had blocked out how annoying that was from my previous pregnancies.

I feel bad calling my mw, thankfully I haven't called her to come out yet, but certainly w/ contractions. Then she mentions about how the prodormal labor is more common in subsequent pregnancies, I guess I missed that little tid bit. Only sporadic ones so far today- well except in the tub which for some odd reason always brings on contractions for me.

We are fighting off a cold here as well- I guess it is going around- yet again!

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

ddc crashing, i know those feelings all to well i remember with my dd caitlin waking up after a labour dream convinced i was about to give birth because i felt wet , and i was getting so much pressure i was just so convinced her head was coming i even checked and cos i was so swollen (soz tmi) i convinced myself i could feel her head.
i also had prodominal labour with all but chloe.