Prodromal Labor Land Commiseration thread... who's with me?

[Peppamint]

Prodromal labor, note the time I'm posting (1am my time ). UGH! For the last week I've had contractions off and on through the night, but tonight they're worse and I can't sleep. Very crampy too. <sigh>

I keep reminding myself this is worth it, every contraction is one less I'll have to do later... but that's so much easier said in retrospect.

I got a lot of comments at church today about how low my belly is... it's the incredibly shrinking belly!

Next?

[~*max*~]

I am right there w/ya busybusymomma! Every night after dinner I get some pretty serious contractions, usually lasting a few hours, sometimes through the night. The first time it happened I had my bag packed & ready, MIL "on call" to come watch the kids, even dh was convinced. Now, it's more like "here we go again!"

I had these for about 2 weeks (not to be discouraging!) w/my last pregnancy. The good news is that labor was incredibly fast & as easy as labor can be. Hopefully it will pay off in the end.

Last night my boobs were really sore too - I thought that may be an encouraging sign. Having just gotten off a month of bedrest, I am soooooo ready to deliver NOW!

[gnutter]

I usually go through this for the last 3 weeks to a month before I deliver. The night time contractins are so uncomfortable but sort of exciting too! All this time he has been lying on my right side and now he has switched to the left so he is getting ready! I wish I could check my dialtion myself-MW will be here wednesday-I so hope I am at three-that is usually a sign that I am in the last few weeks. once I get to four I know I am in the last week. So I am with you on this. But I personally would rather this than going through painful active labor to get to three or four. I am 36 weeks tomorrow so I am now officially in the official time bracket for my home birth too! Only 29 days until my due date!!!

[dharmama]

Last night I was breathing and Om-ing through contrax and thinking....huh I don't remember my labor contrax being this uncomfortable. These are really strong!!!

I find if I take a good long nap in the afternoon, it's not quite as bad. But on days where we are out and doing stuff or I'm just busy nesting all day...by 6 o'clock I am curled up on the couch or on all fours...breathing through contrax.

This is all new for me....definitely didn't have any significant contrax until labor started with DD. I keep hoping this means my real labor will be easier and faster (but not too much so because I had a really quick easy labor last time....and this time I have to get to a hospital that's almost an hour away ).

Last night I actually had a few sips of wine for the first time this pregnancy. That helped calm my uterus down a little bit!

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

I had these for about 2 weeks (not to be discouraging!) w/my last pregnancy. The good news is that labor was incredibly fast & as easy as labor can be. Hopefully it will pay off in the end.

Me too! I was 4cm, 90% with my bag of waters bulging at my first check at 37 weeks and had prodromal labor until ds was born at 39+6. I may just be in for the long haul. Labor was an easy four hours long and practically painless compared to my first birth (induction at 38 weeks).

Originally Posted by dharmama

I keep hoping this means my real labor will be easier and faster (but not too much so because I had a really quick easy labor last time....and this time I have to get to a hospital that's almost an hour away ).

Yeah, I want fast... but not too fast. Uh yeah, who is taking requests here?

Originally Posted by gnutter

But I personally would rather this than going through painful active labor to get to three or four.

Yes, yes! Thank you for the reminder! Too true, too true.


Really, I'm glad for shorter active labors and all... but I do hope I get some sleep sometime soon. What am I thinking?! I checked myself last night in the middle of all the hoo-hah, and I think I may be 3-4cm but obviously I can walk around that way for awhile. Thankfully we have at least one thing to do each day this week... today a park trip to the next town to visit our friends (and some dear friends who moved out of state whom we haven't seen since last June!) so that will be fun. It will include driving right past a Starbucks too.

[dshields]

I 've been dealing with strong, period-like contractions for a couple weeks but have only just recently felt like they really hurt!

I'd fooled myself into feeling confident and ready (even excited) about labor and had some serious contraction/really painful twinges at the grocery store yesterday. I was doubled over on the cart, nausea hitting me and feeling really out of it for about 10 minutes. Needless to say it scared the crap out of me and I was about ready to start crying with fear! I hope that this doesn't go on too long...but now I'm so scared for it to start too!

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by dshields

I was doubled over on the cart, nausea hitting me and feeling really out of it for about 10 minutes. Needless to say it scared the crap out of me and I was about ready to start crying with fear! I hope that this doesn't go on too long...but now I'm so scared for it to start too!

Oh no! Don't be scared... well, ha, I am too in a way.

It's funny how on one hand we just cannot wait and on the other hand we just want baby to stay put!

[unalmas]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

Last night my boobs were really sore too - I thought that may be an encouraging sign.

Really?!?!? Can you tell me more about boob soreness being a good sign? I've been having contractions, etc. and have just noticed the sore boobs a few days ago but chalked it up to a strange coincidence.

[alexisyael]

Oh wow. I've been having some pretty intense Braxton Hicks, too... every once in awhile they take me by surprise, though the majority of them are pretty mellow (I can feel them, but I don't need to do anything to deal with them). I hadn't really thought of it as prodromal labor, but I guess it is... which is good! (I have been thinking of them as "practice" which I suppose is the same thing.)

And my boobs got sore, too, a few weeks ago. What's up with that?

[~*max*~]

Originally Posted by unalmas

Really?!?!? Can you tell me more about boob soreness being a good sign? I've been having contractions, etc. and have just noticed the sore boobs a few days ago but chalked it up to a strange coincidence.

Well, I don't know this for a fact, but to me it signals a hormonal change and most likely an increase in milk production. Both signs that labor is on the way!

[Mom2Adam]

Okay - you guys are scaring me with the sore boob thing! My breasts have been feeling like they did when it was a while between nursings - full and sore. and I am not ready for labor quite yet! I was 36 weeks yesterday and need to be 37 for my HB and 38 for my blessingway!

BBM - Nights have been rough for me too! Plus DS picked up a cold somewhere and he is not a happy sick person! and today my throat is sore...so added to major contractions at 2 am....YUCKO.

That is somewhat encouraging tho because i know of several momma's that did not go into labor until after the cold/flu/whatever illness they had went away. Do you think a cold could last for 14 days? LOL. That would get me to the blessingway at least!

Traci

[provocativa]

mine don't hurt so much as make me cranky. extra h20 keeps them milder.

[Peppamint]

Gosh, I was even having contractions while driving home from our playgroup today. : At least everyone says I'm a cute pregnant, even if I feel 40,000 months pregnant (the exact words they used! ).

Here comes another one...

[brown eyed girls]

On Sunday the door greeter at church asked me "You haven't had that baby yet?" I said "I'm not due for a month yet!"

But that's how I feel-- overdue. I'm measuring 41cm, I can't walk without pain, and I have those nasty prodromal ctx that actually hurt... often!

I am happy now to have baby any time. 36 weeks tomorrow. I prefer them more mature, but if it happened I wouldn't try to stop it.

[Peppamint]

BEG- aw! You do sound uncomfortable! I really think it would be better that baby doesn't come until next week, ds' birthday is next Monday, that would be kinda neat . My 38-weeker (dd) was not ready to be born, but she was induced so I'm sure it would be different to have a 38-weeker who came naturally.

I actually slept pretty well last night, had a few contractions but not anything that kept me from falling right back asleep, and I had no trouble going back to sleep after my regular potty breaks. When I first went to bed, I had three awful contractions that had me wondering if it was the real thing or not.

Gotta love the suspense! How is everyone this morning?

[dharmama]

Gotta love the suspense! How is everyone this morning?

Feeling pretty good this morning!!

Got a decent night's sleep and I had a really wonderful afternoon yesterday -- my mom took DD for 6 hours and I got to nest, nest, nest!

I'm kind of wondering if I'm going to know when it's the real thing this time.

Last time I didn't have any of this prodromal stuff. A few days after 40 weeks I went for accupuncture to get myself all 'tuned up' for labor/birth. That night I lost my plug. In the morning light contrax started. By afternoon they were somewhat consistent. By evening they were slightly uncomfortable. By 9 p.m. I was holding my baby!!

I'm seriously thinking the contractions that I'm feeling now are more intense then what I felt for most of my labor with DD.

[Peppamint]

How is everyone today? I slept better than I expected again...

Thankfully baby has turned anterior again, so I did a lot of deep squats last night hoping that would help get baby down further, hopefully baby will stay LOA! Posterior isn't comfy on me, I can't imagine it's all that comfy for baby either really.


Erin- I didn't have any prodromal labor with my first baby either. Tons of it last time though, and a moderate amount this time. It's so mentally taxing...

[gnutter]

I hurt!! I have this immense downward pressure going on! I have been taking alfalfa throughout the pg so I have had no constipation but now I have hemroids! I usually don't get them until after labor. that whole area just feels like everything is pushing down. I guess since this is the third I feel it more than before. I do my kegals though-I thought that would help hold thigs up. I am thinking this baby might have a big giant head!!! I tried to check my own dialtion last night and could find my cervix-its to high but I made the baby jump-I think I poked his head I decided not to try that again

[Peppamint]

Your baby must have been wondering what was going on! LOL

I've checked mine too, I can tell it's more anterior than it was but I'm unsure of dialation... maybe around 3-4cm like I was the other two times at this stage of the pg?

It's definitely harder to tell what is what... my cervix is so mushy now, not at all like my non-pg cervix!

[mamacatsbaby]

Last night I was having some ctx that got pretty intense but they didn't last very long. DH got all freaked out and started timing them though! I've been having some off and on today and one just got finished about 2 minutes ago. OMG, all I can think about right this second is how I'm so ready to have this baby. I've got 12 days before my EDD and don't even want to entertain the thought of the whole 1st PG averaging 40+8 thing. I think my pubic bone is crumbling, ouch! OK, no more whining.