Long Long Early Labor

[ilovemykids]

I don't know if any of you have had this experience, but I just had a run of 26 hours of contractions that were 2 min. apart but not strong enough to make me go to L&D. I could still talk through them but they were uncomfortable. They stopped cold turkey. I have been drinking raspberry tea and using Evening Primrose Oil. I have been having pains off and on but honestly I'm getting exhausted since I have so much on my plate with hubby gone. Has anyone else had this happen before their previous or current pregnancies?? Did they go into labor soon after?? Thanks for any input.

[Mrs_Hos]

I haven't had this happen, but I have a friend who was in 56 hrs of labor before having baby #2. Not sure how much was early labor vs hard labor though...but it never stopped.
Sounds like you made the right decision to not go to L&D though--you'd be on Pit by now! (or delivered by c/s!)
I just noticed your hubby is deployed...mine is too...and I"m having a baby 'alone' like you--who are your attendents? I'm having a home birth with 3 m/w/doulas...did you know about the operation special delivery?
http://www.operationspecialdelivery.com/
Even tho you are about to deliver...you may still be able to get one! Check around!
I'm wishing you positive vibes--I know this time is tough on us left at home, but I have faith in you strong military mama! Know you can always PM me if you need to talk!

[ilovemykids]

I am having a doula attend my birth along with my mother at the base here. I think I have met you before at a Dara Luz Network meeting. I'm new to this area and not good at PM stuff. I tried to PM you but not sure if I will figure it all out..LOL This is a VBAC for me, so I'm afraid to go in too early and end up with a c/s. Pit is out of the question.

[Mrs_Hos]

Hi again! Got your PM...but in case you don't get yours that I replied to, YEP! IT'S ME!! I remember you from Dar a Luz too! You live right around the corner right? I walk by there a lot and think "hey that must be her courtyard!" hahahaha

Who is your doula? I hope she knows Joann and can ask for her if needed! I know another girl that had Dr Ball (who likes to do c/s!) and the doula 'helped' her request Joann (midwife) and then she had a wonderful birth!
I will PM you my phone number...please call me and let me know what I can do to help you! Does your hubby's squadron have a key spouse program? I am a key spouse for our squadron and I have a key spouse helping me too! It is just another program for women helping women I guess! They have volunteers from our Squadron who came and cut my grass today!
Anyways--please do let me know what you need! I"m so excited for you!!

[unitytree]

Since this is #3 it is pretty normal to do the prelabor dance for days/weeks before labor. I've found that with each child the pre-labor action has been more intense earlier. I've been in contraction land on and off for the past week and a bit. Its hard not to get frustrated...yesterday I had a good cry when some ladies asked how I was doing. I actually just sobbed for about 10 minutes. I felt sooooo much better afterwards, just being able to express how tierd I was and how hard I was trying to not get my hopes up.

I keep telling myself that my body knows what its doing, I'm trying to have faith that there is purpose to all these contractions. They are preparing my body and baby for the real thing. I'm not technically due for another few weeks...I know I could go into october before baby comes. I think the most important thing is to get as much emotional support as you can. My dh has been soooo great, I asked him to stay home from work yesterday, not because I thought the baby was coming but because I was just sooooo tierd/sore/heavily contracting. I needed him to nurture me and take over with the house. It really made all the difference in my mind set to have him be supportive and loving even though the baby wasn't on the way.

I hope your feeling better today!!! We;ll be done soon!! We can do this!!!

[mojumi]

Originally Posted by unitytree

Since this is #3 it is pretty normal to do the prelabor dance for days/weeks before labor. I've found that with each child the pre-labor action has been more intense earlier.

This is really interesting, thanks for posting! I'm expecting #3, too, and hadn't thought of things this way. I've been glad of all my random on and off contrax, though, hoping that all that preparation means one day baby will just drop out while I'm squatting to pick something up.

[Sanguine]

Wow.. sounds like we're all in the same (more or less) boat... had 40 hours of contractions, 12h of them regular but not painful, the rest of them much more intense but still not bad enough to be 'active'... then it all slacked off last night when I went to sleep... you'd think I'd be thankful to get some rest, but frankly I was just pissed to wake up and find myself NOT farther along. Once i was up and moving again, it started up... but back to the low-grade stuff, only some of them are painful.

I have been to L&D & been 'thrown back'... but have been able to call & talk to the really great nurse who examined me yesterday. She reassured me that it is doing SOMETHING... I am (by her guess) 90% effaced, and his head is WAAAAY down low, but as of yesterday afternoon only 1 cm dilated. This is my first, but she said she saw this kind of pattern more often in second/later babies.

She told me not to get discouraged--to think about how many people hit active labor not effaced and with their babies up really high, & then have to go through a lot to push them down & thin out the cervix... but right now I just want to scream! I started evening primrose oil topically yesterday... I'm tired of 'trying everything,' though, and I just want my body to pick up the slack and GET ON WITH IT!

Good luck to all of us...
ps I am now 41 weeks 1 day.... wouldn't that be a nice average time to be born? somebody tell my son....

[SammyLucasNHarper]

Originally Posted by unitytree

Since this is #3 it is pretty normal to do the prelabor dance for days/weeks before labor. I've found that with each child the pre-labor action has been more intense earlier.

That totally sucks. I am on #3 too

[littleteapot]

I'm also on number three.

But the prelabour was the WORST with my first. 8 weeks on and off, and then three days *continuously* before hard labour hit (and then hard labour was 44 hours). My second labour was 2.5 hours total with almost no real prelabour.

The trick is to NOT CALL IT EARLY LABOUR! It's not! If you do that, you'll exhaust yourself because you'll get all geared up. Instead, call it what it is: warm-ups. DON'T try to induce yourself or make it "pick back up again". If your uterus stopped, it's because it NEEDS to, not because you need to kick it into gear.
Imagine if you were exhausted and if you just had a short rest you'd be able to finish the race, but every time you sat down someone pushed you back up again and forced you to keep running.

It's annoying, and sometimes painful, I know... make sure you are drinking LOTS OF WATER, eating well and keeping your nutrients up. Have a tablespoon of honey every few hours during these long bouts of practice contractions. Also make sure to sleep whenever you can.

[HomeBirthMommy]

I'm also on #3 and this is the first time I've had anything going on before the real thing. It is emotionally draining b/c I get so excited thinking "this is it' just to have it turn out to be more practice. I'm hoping all this warm up will help things be easier/faster during labor.

[myhoneyswife]

ooo, this answered my questions about what was going on last night! And this morning... Not going to the hospital, but was wondering when to call DH home from work. Looks like not any time soon!

I'm all for warmups anyway, I'd rather have this than a super hard labor

Thanks ladies!
Cara