First post, need help please--prolonged early labor

[flmommy09]

Hi Everyone! I'm a long time lurker on these boards, and find myself in desperate need of some help. I am currently 41w5d pregnant (EDD nov 23), and seem to be having a never-ending early labor. It started Thursday, Dec 3 at approx 6 pm with 10-15 min apart very mild but more painful than BH contractions. Wasn't really able to sleep more than three hrs Thurs night because of having a contraction about every 10 min.

10 min apart contractions continued until I tried using my breast pump for nipple stim at 5 am, and then went for a walk at 7 am. Contractions speeded up to 4-5 min apart approx 45 sec. I thought, great I'm making progress. Contractions continued this way for a few hours while I sat on my birth ball. Still not very strong.

Around 11:30 am, the contractions started spacing out to 7-8 min but lasting >1 min and feeling quite a bit stronger. My midwife said this was quite common for early labor, esp with 1st time moms and not to worry.

Well, I have been having these same type contractions since 11:30 am yesterday (currently 1 am) and they are not getting closer together. I tried to sleep, took some "natural calm" supplement, but am finding it difficult to take the contractions lying down so am now up and sitting on my birth ball. Also, I started losing my mucous plug a few minutes ago.

As background, I am a 1st time mom. Was checked by MW on Wednesday because she was going to try a sweep but found to be high and dilated barely a fingertip. Nothing but BH before Thurs evening.

So...long story short, I don't know how much more of this I can take. What else can I do to speed things up? Is there anything? Obviously, can't take a walk in the middle of the night and it's pouring. Please let me know if you have any ideas or maybe have been through this yourself. I need help!

[prancie]

You may find that things start to speed up soon, now that you are losing your mucus plug. Water (bath or shower) makes everything more bearable, but won't necessarily speed things up. Make sure you are getting plenty of fluids and eat a little if you can. Try some gatorade or straight honey for energy if you can't keep food down.

[MsBlack]

You said: "but am finding it difficult to take the contractions lying down so am now up and sitting on my birth ball."

Maybe you don't realize it, but what you are saying is 'contrax are stronger when I lay down'. And stronger contrax brings the baby! So don't avoid those contrax, instead, do whatever makes them longer and stronger. For some, being upright and/or mobile brings the baby faster....for others, it is sidelying or other relaxed positions that does the trick. Let go, surrender to it, embrace the power of your own body trying to open you up and release that babe.

And maybe you are in active labor already, or have your baby in arms....so this message is for the rest of you: do what brings it on! "harder to manage" means "stronger/longer contrax"! And those are the waves, rushes, contrax that will bring the baby.

[prancie]

I hope you are holding your baby now!

[Kidzaplenty]

Originally Posted by prancie

I hope you are holding your baby now!

[flmommy09]

Thanks for all of your responses. I am still not in active labor yet, but having contractions. My midwife says it is prodromal labor, even though I have not had any breaks. I did go to the hospital and take some ambien there, then came home to sleep. I slept about 2 hours, and did some knee-chest position. We think his positioning may be "off" and that's why things aren't progressing (he's not posterior but maybe asynclitic?). Anyway, still hoping for active labor soon. Thanks again.

[emnic77]

Can I ask why they give you Ambien? You're not the first person I've heard say that, and I keep thinking wouldn't Ambien actually slow things down?

[chandasz]

They tend to do the ambien to relax women to help them stay rested.

Remember this is a variation of NORMAL. You are safe.

Could be a positioning thing where baby is just trying to find the best way to come.

Can you get a massage? Do you know a chiropractor?

Do you have stairs? Try going up the stairs two at a time while doing figure 8s with your hips. UP only. Go down normally.

Try to rest as much as you can!!

[moonglowmama]

Keep up the good work, mama! I know this can be the hardest part, but your body is doing important work that it needs to get your baby born. I just want to re-iterate the importance of staying hydrated. Tell someone near you to just keep offering you a cup of water or gatorade or juice or whatever you want. Often when you're in prodromal labor it's easy to forget to drink and eat, but without hydration your contractions will be less effective. If you're already doing that, then GREAT!!!

Remember its all normal. Oh, and pelvic rocks are good to help get baby in a good position. (at least, it worked for me).

[Eresh]

Oh, prodromal labor sucks! I had contractions 8-10 minutes apart all night for two nights before finally starting to go somewhere around 1am on the third night.

I really hope things are kicking off for you. If not, do whatever you need to in order to rest and nourish your body. Talk to your MW about having a glass of wine so you can relax and sleep.

But rest assured that these contractions are doing something! I also was high and 1cm, 0% effaced at my last prenatal a couple of days before my prodromal labor started. And I still think I probably would have gone a couple of weeks more if DH and I hadn't *ahem* accidentally kicked things off. Damn prostaglandins!

[flmommy09]

thanks so much to all who responded. i'm happy to report our baby was born this morning at 4 am. active labor actually kicked off pretty quickly after waking from the ambien and then doing some open knee-chest position (MW recommended). then i ended up going from 4-10 cm in about 3 hrs! there didn't seem to be an end in sight, but luckily everything worked out. and i was glad to have had at least a couple of hours of sleep when it came to pushing!

[prancie]

Congratulations!!!

[wbg]

Congrats Mama! So glad all those seemingly never ending hours were actually doing something and that you are holding your sweet one!

[Kidzaplenty]

Congratulations!