Signs and symptoms - Page 50 « Back to Group Discussions

[LilyTiger]

Thanks, SallyRae!  My doctor said that if the symptoms continue, it's probably pre-labor as opposed to baby dropping, but of course she also said this stuff could go on for another week.  :(  But I've been having a ton of menstrual like cramps all morning, so we'll just have to wait and see.  It certainly feels different from anything else I've had so far. 

[LeAnn A Doula]

Lily - It really could be a bit of both. Not helpful, I know. But it definitely sounds like your body is gearing up to have this baby. Try to do things that distract and help relax you, crafty projects/baking are awesome for this. :) You'll know when it's really kicking in, contractions will settle into a pattern, etc. Either way, LO is coming soon! :D

[LilyTiger]

LeAnn, that's basically what I'm doing.  I went to the co-op this morning to buy essential oils and supplies for my cloth wipe spray, but being up and around is making the cramping worse, so now I'm in bed and hopefully going to watch some relaxing reruns and hand hem some flannel burp cloths.  I have a craft night planned with some girlfriends tonight, so hopefully that will keep me sane.  I might see if DH wants to do a swim tomorrow on his day off and make some other plans just so I have something actually planned.  I looked up both B-H and early labor and I have some of both (just as you said).  I know there's no way to know until you actually KNOW, but man this is frustrating.  Part of me is so ready to meet this little babe and the other part of me wants some nice quiet days to just sort of say goodbye to being irresponsible.  Unfortunately, it's hard to enjoy being irresponsible when your uterus feels like it's trying to escape your body.  :(

[NewMumJoy]

My LO had dropped - to "zero station" - about 2-3 wks ago.... I mostly felt more pressure (esp. on my bladder), but not really any of the cramping that you're describing.  So it sounds like pre-labor to me.... (I'm jealous!!!)

[LilyTiger]

NewMum, thanks for letting me know.  I really have no idea what to expect here.  Nothing on your end? 

I'm still crampy, but much less so than this morning (mostly because I've been hanging out in bed all day).  I'm thinking this might be the ramp up, since I've had one or two smaller and less intense episodes like this in the last week and they are slowly getting more frequent.  I guess "ramp up" at 39 weeks is pretty meaningless though.  I mean, the baby has to come out eventually, right?  At any rate, nothing appears to be imminent. 

[NewMumJoy]

LilyTiger - yep, "ramping up" at 39 wks sounds like your body's working exactly like it should!  Hopefully it won't carry on toooo long and drive you nuts....

Still nothing here...  I slept most of this afternoon (since I'm up all night), now it's time for me to get out and moving along.  My boobs have been SO tender these last couple of days - giving me more anxiety about the breastfeeding experience ahead (although I know worrying about it isn't beneficial either!!).

Oh and today I just noticed stretch marks starting to appear front and center on my belly - noooooo!!!  Despite the fact that I lost 1 lb. at last week's checkup.  Let's just say my navel (and the nearby skin that was once pierced) has grotesquely transformed beyond the point of no return!!  The skin is stretched out so thin and is ITCHY, yet it's numb and feels really gross to touch (if that makes any sense)....  I barely made it home from last night's walk in time to rip off my shirt and put ice cubes on it for some relief!!

[Tizzy]

If I had all those symptoms, I'd be thinking it's pre-labour ;-)

Do some stretches and relaxation activities, have a glass of wine or a relaxing bath (try to stay in as long as possible!) or even go swimming.

[Tizzy]

Newmomjoy - Ack! I had that with my first pregnancy, no stretch marks AT ALL until I went past 40 weeks. I kept thinking...wow...if he had come on his due date (or before) I could have gotten off scott free LOL

[iixivboots]

Lily, my nighttime BH feel pretty much just like hardening of most of the uterus, they usually aren't painful, just uncomfortable. Also there's not a lot of pressure in any one area, just more like all over clenching as I keep tossing and turning.

I am having some menstrual like cramps today for the first time, just a lot of pressure and discomfort low down. I still don't think baby is anywhere near really dropped but still maybe lower than several weeks ago.

The worst thing for me is still the insomnia. I got sleep last night as you probably saw me shouting about but I'm like, ugh if I go into labor on this severe of a sleep deficit, things are going to be ugly.

[NewMumJoy]

Originally Posted by bootsvalentine 

The worst thing for me is still the insomnia. I got sleep last night as you probably saw me shouting about but I'm like, ugh if I go into labor on this severe of a sleep deficit, things are going to be ugly.

  Me toooooo......

[LeAnn A Doula]

Lily - I like your plan. :) A girlfriend crafty night sounds awesome! I hope things progress quickly for you. In the mean time, you can try to practice relaxing through the discomfort, releasing that tension, etc. See what kinds of things work the best for you, you'll be uber prepared when the time comes! (and it will, I promise :) I know its easier said than done but totally enjoy your last 'irresponsible' days. Oh, and I like your birthing playlists! I need to sit down and put a few together.

Boots & Newmum, add me to the insomnia camp. And I am now praying to the skin gods to protect my belly!

[LilyTiger]

Well, I'm 40 weeks and four days.  Sigh.  Nothing new except the baby definitely dropped more yesterday leading to massive constipation and horrible feet swelling.  I have corpse feet.  They look awful. 

The baby's head keeps causing little menstrual-like cramps that I have now been able to separate from actual contractions.  About every other night or every third night I have some actual contractions and then nothing for a few days.  The whole thing is pretty annoying.  Now that my family has left and I've given up hope that they'll be able to meet the baby, I've just sort of resigned myself to waiting it out.  I had a relaxing day today, though the horrible swelling meant I spent the whole afternoon in bed.  Hoping to do a swim tomorrow.  We'll see what happens after that.

[NewMumJoy]

Hang in there Lily, I'm right there with ya on the waiting game!!  DH was so good to get all his work finished "on schedule" that he's been home w/me all these extra days and we're just trying to pass the time.... so many walks, vacuuming sessions, bad tv re-runs, I can't stand it!  We just got back from the movies AGAIN, I can't keep track of how many "last" lunch/dinner/movie dates we've squeezed in.... we're now approaching our THIRD weekend w/no baby yet!!!

At this moment, the swelling in my hands & feet is the #1 symptom I can't wait to lose!!  It makes no sense how my hands & fingers are so sore that I can barely flex them, wth!!  I hope your feet do better tomorrow and that you enjoy that swim!!!

[pennywhistle]

My hands aren't swollen, but I definitely have the stiff/sore fingers, especially right after I wake up and at night when I'm getting ready for bed.  I'm not a fan.

I'm at 38 weeks, so this kid isn't overdue yet...I hope you both get some relief soon!

[sarahdb]

Yes, I'm getting pretty sick of the stiff/sore hands! Mine aren't that swollen either, but I definitely have trouble flexing/clenching them, esp. in the morning. I find that swimming helps, but it's only temporary. At least my feet are OK, for the most part, unless it's really hot, like it's been for the past little while.

[rebecca10]

Nausea. At 37 weeks?  Anyone else experience this? It's weird since I haven't had any nausea since around 15 weeks, and these last few days I'm feeling really nauseous, although thankfully no vomitting.  There are definitely worse things to be dealing with in these last few weeks, but it is making me a bit nervous, since my mom's only labor symptom with my younger sister was thinking she had the stomach flu, and I'm definitely not ready for this baby to come yet. 

[LilyTiger]

rebecca, I had weird nausea when I would lay down in bed at night from 37 to around 39 weeks.  Baby's still in there, so at least for me it didn't mean labor was imminent.  It was so bad one night I actually slept with a trash bin next to the bed because I was positive I was going to puke.  Nothing during the day though.

In other news, my left arm is all tingly during the day.  It's fallen asleep at night before, but the last two days or so it's been totally falling asleep as I move around.  I assume this is just the baby squashing more veins and such, but it's annoying.

[NewMumJoy]

I was lucky to avoid morning sickness in early pregnancy, however I've been feeling a little queasy this past week as well.  I simply don't want to eat anything, but need to, so I eat (and have indigestion), and then feel weak again shortly afterward (almost as if I have low blood sugar again)....

It doesn't help that DH and I are sooooo burnt out from making "one last" shopping/pantry stocking trip to the store and just don't want to cook (or eat out) anymore........blah!

[sallyrae17]

I've also had some random nausea - I now keep a bowl by the bed, just in case I can't make it downstairs. I suffered from a ton of morning sickness in the beginning though - until 16 or 17 weeks.