Really silly question about BH Ctx « Back to Group Discussions

[nhklh]

I'm getting them way more in this pg than last (got hardly any last time), and I'm wondering if I should stop/"do" anything when I get them?  For example I got a couple when I was walking the dog tonight.  I just kept going, but wondered if I "should" stop for a second, or if it matters.  They don't hurt or anything, they're just noticeable.

I'm guessing the answer to this is going to be "stop if you need to, don't if you don't", right?  

[cieloazul]

Me too. And yeah...I stop if I need to but don't if I don't. Wonder if there's something about the motion of walking. That's when I notice them the most. Not walking to the point of over-exertion, just walking a short distance during normal daily activites. If I've been doing something strenuous, like I had some the other day while I was gardening; then I pay more attention, lie down, drink water, etc.

[tropicana74]

Originally Posted by nhklh 

I'm guessing the answer to this is going to be "stop if you need to, don't if you don't", right?  

Yea, that's pretty much what I do. I noticed mine are the worst when I get in my real busy mode when straightening the house like, if I am doing a lot of bending over picking up toys. I will start to get them back to back at which point my stomach is really too hard to continue to bend over anymore so I take a break, get a drink and empty my bladder, etc.

[travelmumma]

Originally Posted by tropicana74 

Yea, that's pretty much what I do. I noticed mine are the worst when I get in my real busy mode when straightening the house like, if I am doing a lot of bending over picking up toys. I will start to get them back to back at which point my stomach is really too hard to continue to bend over anymore so I take a break, get a drink and empty my bladder, etc.

Yup That :) Lol

[nhklh]

OMG my bladder!  I am up 4 times a night and peeing all day long.  I guess because DS2 sat so far over to my right side he was never actually on my bladder (didn't have this with him at all), but this time everything's more central.  And I'm getting so easily puffed out, it feels ridiculous!

[mamaharrison]

I get BH this time and I never did last time--I think it is very common for subsequent pregnancies to feel them MUCH more. Also, definitely if you have to pee that brings them on!

[Lilac11]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is having them!  That makes them seem more normal to me which is very reassuring!

I got them *tons* last pregnancy and am starting to get them very often now too.  They really picked up at 29w last time and here I am at 29w and I'm getting them so much, just like last time.  Sometimes my uterus just seems irritable and contracts really often.  Walking, especially stairs, will do it too.  Other times I can't tell what's setting them off cause I'm really relaxed and not doing much.  Sometimes they're rare.

It is a subject that stresses me out!  [warning: I am about to write about my BH anxiety!]

Last pg I ended up at the hospital one night to have them checked out because they were so frequent (every 5-10m) for hours and I couldn't sleep.  The midwife saw the pattern on the monitor and told me I was having too many and prescribed meds :( and put me on bedrest :( both of which sucked. In the end I didn't go into labor until 39w (3w after stopping meds and bedrest) but boy was I worried from 29-36w...  my cervix was a little short but never changed dramatically.

My understanding is that "too many" BH can lead to hormonal changes that can in some cases turn into cervix-modifying ones, and then once that ball is rolling it can lead to preterm labor... but the thing is, nobody knows how many is too many.  In retrospect, I obviously simply had an "irritable uterus" that contracted a lot without ever leading to cervical change or preterm labor, but I couldn't be sure of that beforehand.

I have several friends, and a close family member who had preterm babies and I would so, so, so like to avoid that.  One friend had tons of BH in the weeks before she went into labor at 33w - in retrospect she thinks it should have been a warning sign.

So that is my bad experience with 3rd trimester BH!

[esp831]

Lilac-sorry you had a scary experience :( 

For me, I'm with the stop if you feel you have to opinion.  Last pg I got them during exercise and completely wigged and stopped doing cardio, which I totally regret.  This time I still get them (painless) when I exercise but I just roll with it.  I enjoy the thought of my uterus "warming up."  It gives me strength.  On the other hand, if I have been overdoing it, sometimes they accompanied by discomfort or backache.  That's when I drink a glass of water and lay down on my left side for a bit.

[Lilac11]

Originally Posted by esp831 

 I enjoy the thought of my uterus "warming up."  It gives me strength.  

That's a great way of looking at it!  I think I want to work on visualizing it this way!

[kel]

The only thing that I tend to do is to drink a glass of water, just in case they're happening because I'm dehydrated.  But I always get them, and pretty strongly - usually in bed or when I'm just sitting - so totally unrelated to over activity or whatever.  I always kind of like them - yeah, it's just your body practicing/warming up.

[sunseeker]

I do have a lot of BH, too, and with my history of preterm labor, I will stop and rest if I'm having a lot of them. I pee incredibly frequently, too, and find that if there's even an ounce of liquid in my bladder, I have more BH.