Anything "wrong" with working "too hard" & causing contractions when you're well into "term?" « Back to Group Discussions

[buko]

Sort of an odd question. 

So, I'm 38w4d, and I actually would like to make it to AT LEAST 39w6d d/t family circumstances, work, etc.  That said, I've been doing some physical work and I think it's bringing on some stronger BH...  maybe they're even "real" contractions of some sort?

Even if so, A) they don't bother me and B) I kinda doubt they'll throw me into full-blown labor if Buko isn't ready to come.  So, who cares...?  Right?

What are the dangers of this at this point?  That I'll get tired out, or maybe... could it lead to bad positioning somehow, or water breaking before baby is ready, etc.? 

I'm not actually trying to "get baby to come" by walking up hills, hauling (not-too-heavy) boxes, etc., but that's kinda what I'm doing, incidentally, so...

Any thoughts?

[josie423]

I started having stronger BHs at 36 weeks and didn't have her till 40 weeks. I believe all that early work helped her labor go so quickly, but it didn't make her come early.

[Chloe'sMama]

I found that I would bring on intense BH after working out or cleaning the floors on my hands and knees, weeks before both DD2 and DS were born.  It never sent me into labor....

That being said, it is not a great idea to exhaust yourself at this point since labor could start at any point and you don't want to start out really tired or sore.  

I think it is important to just listen to your body and see if it is too much.  If you get sore and tired, maybe back off a bit.  If it seems like it is not a big deal, just giving you more time-able BH for a while, I think it is ok.  

Just my opinions though, I don't know if there are any medical reasons not to do things that cause BH.

Also, since you want baby to stay put for another week, I may take it easy just to encourage longer baking time.

[buko]

That's kinda what I was thinking, Chloe'sMama.  I mean, I don't want baby to come anytime (very) soon, but I'm also not really "sore" or "tired out" by any of this...  It's not really big deal stuff-- the boxes are like 5-10 pounds and the hills aren't anything major, and I'm just doing this stuff maybe 15-30 minutes per hour for 3-4 hours a day, maximum.  The work does seem to be causing contractions of some sort...  BH, I'd guess... but other than that, it's not having much effect on me overall...

[loveandgarbage]

I was doing stuff like that to try to bring on labor and I went til 41.5 weeks! But that's anecdotal. I wonder if there have been studies on this sort of thing. Does strenuous activity really bring on labor?