26 weeks and scared

[newmom11311]

this is my first pregnancy..im 26 years old and scared....i started having menstral crampy feelings....so i called my ob and he sent me to the hospitial...im only 26 weeks pregnant but was told my cervix is already softening...at the hospitial they said it was nothing to be worried about just to go about my life....should i be worried? im getting these cramps everyday almost...

[cameragirl]

You're probably having Braxton Hicks contractions - and those are normal. I started really noticing them at around that point when I was pregnant with DD. Make sure to drink lots of water, though. If you get dehydrated, it can make contractions worse. If it gets to the point that you're having any danger signs like contractions that take your breath away or spotting, definitely call your Dr. right away.

[by-the-lake]

From the March of Dimes Website: Signs of Preterm labor:

• Contractions (your abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
• Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding from your vagina)
• Pelvic pressure—the feeling that your baby is pushing down
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like your period
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea

Good luck with this. Never be afraid to call your OB if you are concerned.

[obdoc]

There is a quick easy test that can be done--called fetal fibronectin--just a swab from upper vagina.

If the test comes back NEGATIVE, there is an excellent chance that you will not deliver for at least 2 weeks--so you can breathe a lot more easily.

If the test comes back POSITIVE, it really doesn't have any predictive value--you could even go to 42 weeks---BUT I have a patient who has PERSISTENT cramping AND a positive FFN, I am more likely to ask that they refrain from intercourse and am more likely to play the steroid card--have never regretted giving steroids.

I do not worry so much about occasional cramps but if a patient tells me they have a pile of "snot" coming out of the vagina, I worry!  That is a sign of cervical change---the plug is coming out!