anyone want to join me in some prodromal labor?

[thorn]

I've been having contractions on and off since friday afternoon. yesterday morning they were 5 minutes apart for an hour, and I was getting ready to call the doc when they stopped completely! I went for a 1.5 mile walk, still nothing... they started again sporadically during the day, picked up to about every 20 minutes all night long (I did manage to sleep in between them though) and then tapered off and I've only had two since waking up...

I know this could go on for days or (gasp) weeks so I am really trying not to get too excited... anyone else?

[Aeress]

Yep, count me in. Slow and steady seems to be my motto. Honestly, I liked when I had my first and it went from no contractions to having her 12 hrs later. It is almost like being in labor for days.

[JessicaDixon]

Yep same here...well having them ALL week since Monday early morning...they really havent slowed and they are very strong...but not regular...they go anywhere from 3 minutes to 30 minutes apart...sometimes a bit longer, I am sooo ready to meet my little girl!

Good luck to all the other mama's

[maureen73]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr! Count me in. For the past few days I have been thinking "could this be it?" I am not used to painful BH and especially at night they come in a pattern but then disappear. This morning I woke up with a kinda queasy stomach? Does that mean anything? I just feel terrible today....also baby has been moving slowly since last night which of course makes me nervous.

[mrflowers]

O...M...G...
Me too. Since a week ago Thursday. It really messes with your mind, doesn't it? If physical activity could jump-start labor, I would so have already had this baby. We walk for more than an hour a day, just as a lifestyle thing (live in a village). I've been unpacking books from boxes, moving furniture, hiking up two flights of stairs to hang the laundry... I guess if the baby's not ready to be born, nothing will kick it into gear. Grrr...
I'm not even 40 weeks until Oct. 20-22, and both of the other kids were born naturally right on their due dates. But all of the prodromal activity just makes me feel soooo ready to labor and birth!

[Dena]

Yep. I have contrax between 3 and 10 pm every night. And every night I tell myself not to get excited b/c this could go on for weeks, but every night I get excited anyway.

Then this morning at 6:15 I had ONE strong contrax. And that was it. Grrr.

We have had a couple of days of sunny weather, but the barometer is supposed to drop tonight. Hoping that brings Ellen along - it did the trick with Sofie!

[HarperRose]

Me too. For a few weeks, now. Only the last 2 or 3 nights it's been EVERY night. They always stop when I go to sleep and start again lightly and sporadically in the mornings, picking up by late afternoon and evening, in fact in 45 minutes on Friday night I went from 4 min apart to 2 min apart! And then I went to lay down for some rest and they stopped.

I am getting so sick of them stopping. It's stressing me out.

[mama_daba]

count me in.i never time mine because i don't want to know until it is the real thing and i am letting my partner decide when it is real and making the call.
i get them every night which makes sleeping really fun and i always feel like i better try and sleep since if it is the real thing i will need my energy. the moment i get up to pee i have really intense ones and am up for hours though.


anyhow i am starting to get pretty irritated and wanting to just go into labor. i don't mind the being pregnant but all the false starts for labor are making me grumpy and the way it is slowly building up in intensity is also making me grumpy i don't want this to be drawn out for days but i guess it has been days and if this pattern continues it will be days or more before my baby is here.

[durafemina]

I'm so glad I have company in my misery, I would seriously be losing it otherwise.

Like you, moonfroggy, I get a really decent (ouch!) contraction whenever I get up to pee. Which, thanks to nice low baby head, is every 3 seconds, it feels like.

I've had contractions between 5 minutes and 4 hours apart since Thurs night. My body is going to figure it out soon, right? right? I'm 41 weeks today!!

[MyLittleWarrior]

I've been having bouts of this for the past three weeks. Every night for a few nights, and then a few nights of sleep, pattern repeat. I'm getting very anxious to meet this baby too. If I was going by LMP, which the doctors all wanted to use, I'd be 5 days late already. Going by cycle length, I'm not due till wednesday, but I'm still getting antsy.

[thorn]

oh my gosh... I went for a walk this morning to try and get things going and I somehow HURT myself! the ligament (round ligament I guess?) that runs up the right side of my uterus is pulled or something. ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.

I've been laying down with a hot water bottle on it most of the day. I wish this pain was at least productive pain, I do not know how this happened... I have walked every day for the last 38 weeks! why NOW??

[2bluefish]

I really don't believe I will ever have a baby, because I've always had so much prodrominal labor, and then both times I ended up doing something (major - AROM) to push it into active labor, so I just don't believe I will actually go into labor on my own. But I'm going to just hold out and see. Right now I've been having aches down my thighs which I remember with my others seemed to happen in early labor, but who knows?

[kleines]

Originally Posted by 2bluefish

I really don't believe I will ever have a baby, because I've always had so much prodrominal labor, and then both times I ended up doing something (major - AROM) to push it into active labor

What did you do to start active labor, just curious! What is AROM too? :
My brain is one giant fart today.

[thorn]

AROM = artificial rupture of membranes (breaking water)

[kleines]

Originally Posted by thorn

AROM = artificial rupture of membranes (breaking water)

aha, Thank You! Sometimes I feel like such a dork!

[2bluefish]

Both babies I had my waters broken by my midwife. Second time I ended up having pitocin too for prolonged rupture of membranes. I guess I chalk it up to misguided advice, coupled with being really distraught with the slow start up. But it has messed with my head, and now I have little faith that I truly can and will go into labor on my own. BUT I have faith that it really doesn't require my faith, so I'm just hanging in there!

[tribalmax]

I am having the same thing -- this is day 5 now of regular contractions and diarrhea (sporadic).

It is frustrating...:

But are there any good things about this? Do women who have this kind of false starts of labor have shorter easier labors because of the "work" we are doing now???

Please someone paint this in a positive light!!

[2bluefish]

I have heard the rumor that those of us who do this do the active part really quick... I have no faith in that of course, but it's a nice idea

[tribalmax]

Originally Posted by 2bluefish

I have heard the rumor that those of us who do this do the active part really quick... I have no faith in that of course, but it's a nice idea

Ok, I needed that little bit of positive. Thanks.

Is anyone noticing that each time the contractions happen something is different? I notice more pressure vaginally and low back pain today...maybe that means things are progressing???

[thorn]

I have definitely heard that women with long prodromal labor have faster active labors! Here's to hoping!