23 weeks and a lot of uterine activity

[newmommy27]

I had preterm labor with my son (now 2.5) at 27 weeks and was on bedrest till 38. My midwife at the time firmly believed that this was stress induced. BTW my son was born at 42.5 weeks

That said on Wednesday we had a good and busy day (morning waldorf parent tot followed by an AP playgroup) by 1pm I was super tired and took Jack home hoping to catch a nap myself. I put him to sleep and promptly fell asleep as well. I woke 1.5 hours later with intense contractions (low uterine) and had a few very loose BM (I know TMI). Contractions continued avery 5-7 min for about an hour). Since I have been having much more regular BH but not painful.

I know that the number 1 indication for preterm labor is previous preterm labor.

My dh is feeling like I need to call the doc. The BH again calm down eventually (don't seem to be activity or dehydration based) on their own. I really REALLY do not want to start the trabutaline thing this early and really bedrest is not an option at the moment. I have had no cervical change...

any insights?

thanks mamas

[MsBlack]

If you have had no cervical change, then it is not really labor as I understand this.

I wonder if you would be helped by learning some deep relaxation techniques--and practicing them frequently. If you are really eating, drinking, and resting enough, and not taking on 'too much' (for you), then you may be someone who is simply more sensitive than most to 'stressors' and 'stress'--what I might call a 'nervous type', or 'hyper type'. Meaning that you have that greater sensitivity to people, changes, 'vibes', and a corresponding inability to block input and let things go. I have seen this in women who are perfectionists and fairly driven-- who most often come from backgrounds of criticism and/or pressure to achieve in their early years, and/or family history of addiction/alcoholism with various kinds of abuse. Even for those who may have worked through such issues, there is still the bodymind habits to contend with: hyper-alertness, carrying a lot of physical tension, having a very hard time knowing how much is enough and too much in terms of committments and activities.

This could be your opportunity to learn how to really deeply unwind and relax, body and mind, and adopt some new habits of being. Breath work, yoga/other gentle exercise, gentle affirmations, some form of counselling/support to talk through things, are some things that come to mind. There are tons of recordings available for focussed relaxation, you might want to look into this (and I'll bet some of the mamas here have suggested ones).

I'm so glad to hear that you are not wanting to go the way of terb./tocolytics at this point. Such drugs, like many other med pharmaceuticals, may mask symptoms but do not impact the underlying cause of preterm labor. Listen to your body and your mind...give your body attentive gentle care, pay attention to your random thoughts and see if you need to learn to direct yourself to more relaxed and self/health affirming thoughts.

And bedrest has it's own risks...look instead to 'best rest'--taking breaks, making sure that sleep and rest are high enough on your priorities list each day.

good luck!

[jeffsdear]

Pay attention to how you feel!

I agree that it may be nothing, just requiring some relaxation...
HOWEVER, I just lost a 21 week baby under similar circumstances. I had contractions for several days, but they did slow down when i started relaxing more and taking it easy (stayed in bed for several days).
If you start losing your mucous plug, continue to have contractions and loose bowel movements, AND don't feel well, you may want to consider what your options are. I really didn't want interventions, but if I had realized that I was going to give birth, I would have perhaps handled it a little differently...
Hope everything goes well for you!

[newmommy27]

Update and Further Questions

Hi all,

I totally hear each of you when talking about stress levels...I have made the changes necessary to better meet the needs of my growing baby, her brother and her daddy (and myself for that matter)

that said we live in San Diego and have been evacuated since 4am on monday...we just got home...so stress levels have be HIGH (just

I have continued to have strong braxton hix and several instances of painful (what were equivalent in the past for me to early labor)

I just checked my cervix and I would say I am about 1 cm and also significantly softer then I when I last checked (late last week)

time to call the doc?...I know he will tell me bed rest and I am really looking for an alternative if possible

with joy and gratitude

[Nannysbaby]

Hey Newmommy! Glad to hear you are back at home, that is great news!

I am worried about you though. No need to take any risks...maybe you should call the doctor and have a quick check to make sure things are okay?

My DD went through this and the drugs and bedrest are really hard to bear. But if it keeps the baby in your belly for the next 17 weeks or so, that is what matters.

I hope things go well for you.

[cfiddlinmama]

Hi sweetie. I've had this happen twice. Thankfully I was able to keep them both in. I had good luck with False Unicorn, magnesium, sufficient hydration (try SmartWater, EmergenC, Recharge, etc. you want electrolytes) progesterone cream, sometimes crampbark helped, a small glass of wine, and lying down with my hips elevated. My babies were very low. You can also take a warm bath with Epsom Salts. There is a really awesome thread in Birth and Beyond (it might be stickied) on preventing preterm labor. Best wishes. I'm sorry about the scare with the fires. I hope you are doing ok.