what could this be??? sorry for tmi

[corban's mum]

im 70% sure im going to uc due to lack of support from mw team (im hbac) so im trying to be more pro active in my own care now...

so here goes... for the past two days i've been getting very VERY painful knife scraping pains in my cervix, that literally stop me in my tracks until they ease, also constant hard belly/square belly BH during afternoon or when i need to pee

so curiousity got the better of me and i self-examined today to try figgy out whats going on... im 1.5/2cm dilated, i think - one finger easy peasy...possibly two fingers tight fit (didnt try im not up for being anything but super gentle)
my cervix is coming more towards front/lower+anterior and is mushy as jello, can also feel her rock solid head down there against vag.wall

haven't a clue what it all means really. obviously as im 36 weeks im hoping it means baby will come in a week or two.... im sooo going to 42 wks for that comment tho lol

any ideas? or could these pains + extreme tiredness be a sign of infection?? been getting dizzy spells and real thirsty too

[EllyMayMomma]

Hard to predict when. Sounds like your body is moving toward getting prepared tho.

Drink LOTS of water - really push it. If you are getting thirsty, you are not getting enough. Even being just a bit dehydrated can increase BH. It also increases your risk of UTI which would NOT be a good thing right now.

[corban's mum]

yeah im drinking four litres a day

for the past few days+ i've been craving all forms of water.... been swimming four times, drinking many many litres, sucking ice, taking long showers etc

thinking it may be time to set up the pool lol

[turnquia]

That stabbing pain... is baby's head wiggling on cervix. Or their hand messing with it. I call it lightening crotch Because I think it feels like being electrocuted or having a knife being twisted around down there. (I prefer to say lightening crotch because its funny)...

If your truely worried about it I'd go with your gut instinct but sometimes those babies get their heads RIGHT THERE lol and all the wiggling just HURTS!

Sounds like your body is definately getting ready for a baby though!

[zapzipzee]

I've been getting the "Lightening Crotch" for about a month now. I'm 37weeks. It feels like fingernails scraping the inside of my vagina (even though I have very little feeling in there)! Or maybe like a Papsmear actually!?!?!?

Been having tons of BH whenever I do anything...sometimes even getting them laying or sitting too! The other night I was up every hour going to the bathroom because of them! Yesterday I forced the water and still got them and more trips to the bathroom! Baby has not engaged yet and my cervix is so high I cant reach it or I'd tell you what it feels like.

I've been getting the dizzy spells also. Both times I've been sitting down and they go away as soon as I lay down. Not thirsty at all except when I wake up at night...must be breathing through my mouth....

Oh, I've also been drinking a glass of cranberry juice every time we have sex or I check my cervix. I do not want a UTI!!!

Good Luck! Keep us posted!

[lotusma]

doesn't sound unusual or concerning to me. sounds like a mama about to have a baby.

fwiw, i'm getting all the same "symptoms" you describe, right down to the the cervix becoming lower and more anterior--really mushy and open, too, and i love feeling baby against vaginal wall. (hi baby...)

[lotusma]

re: dizzy spells, ya got alot of blood/fluid pumping throughout your body/head! i assume your blood pressure is well or else you'd have mentioned otherwise...

[Ish'smom]

I had all of the same symptoms from about 35-36 weeks on with my last PG. By the time I went into labor at 38 weeks I was already at least 5 centimeters dilated possibly six. It was a fast labor to say the least.
Drink your water, get enough rest and prepare for a baby but it could be sooner could be later.
I think I hastened the start of my labor by checking myself and sort of stripping my membranes as I was curiously feeling the bag of water. It felt so cool! I was anxious to get labor started because my husband was on a national guard trip and couldn't come home unless I was in labor. I think my poking around probably made water break about 12 hours before labor started so I'll probably be more careful next time.

I wouldn't worry about infection unless you develop a fever or unusual abdominal pain. Just be careful when you check yourself(I know you know)

Enjoy your last few weeks! I am so excited for you!

[corban's mum]

hehe im pretty excited too!

yeah blood pressure is fine - lower than most ppl but that's normal for me.

it's soo cool being able to tell my body is getting ready to birthh! with DS i didn't get even as much as a braxton hick, and i never ever felt tightening even in labour - i just felt pain and freaking out. so for me to feel the wave of this most intense pressure and tightness is SO COOL it truly amazes me.

i dreamed last night that baby was born at 2.30/3 pm which is also the time that my daily dose of prodromal kicks in so who knows.

either way im realllly looking forward to labour even if i dont have the support of a MW i'm just gonna stay at home and let nature do it's thang. bit scary cuz im not too sure what to do when she actually comes out (do i need a suction bulb or something?). im cool with the placenta/cord part (leaving it attached for a few hours etc) but yeah the suctioning bit is a little bit of a concern, though im sure it'll come naturally - no1 tells gorillas what to do right? and they birth just fine lol

[Ish'smom]

Babies rarely need suctioned. Mostly they clear their airways on their own and you can also hold them in a position to help their passages finish clearing. I had a bulb in case but ended up using my mouth to suction my son because he was unresponsive, the bulb wasn't in my hand and that was what I had done in a dream where he came out looking that way.( It worked perfectly and he came around while I talked to him and stroked him)

[sarahwpen]

Sometimes potassium deficiency can cause muscle cramps. In 2 of my pregs that would aggravate the BH. Also, if you are taking red raspberry leaf, you could try laying off it for a few days and see if that helps. Sometimes it can be a little overstimulating and just plain wear you out. Keep a close watch on that BP. If it is low you may need molasses for iron, if it is high, you may have fluid retention building. Mostly you sound perfectly like I did at 36 weeks. Have a happy last month!

Ps, I'm with the pp about suctioning. Out of my 4 births only 1 actually needed it, and even though I had the bulb thingy right there, (it is crazy how instinct takes over when you give birth uc!) as soon as dh held her up, i said "she's not breathing" and I remember taking one look at her blue and limp with her big eyes wide open and I covered up her mouth and nose with my mouth and sucked out whatever was bothering her, then blew lightly over her face to make her gasp. And would you know, it didn't even occur to me until the next day that that could have been scary, or gross. At the time it felt like putting on socks in the morning.