Prodromal Labor Survival Guide

[Spark]

Well, we're in prime time for prodromal labor. Let's chat about it!

Prodromal Labor or pre-labor is characterized by those ctx that make you wonder... is this it? Is THIS labor?!?! As labor gets close the prodromal labor gets more and more intense. A percentage of women who birth without augmentation, experience prodromal labor. It's a very normal yet can be an incredibly frustrating pattern. But, I like to tell myself that it's shaving time off my actual labor... it makes me feel better.

So what's your advice or feelings about prodromal labor?

Here are some things over the years that have helped me & others cope with the emotional work of prodromal labor. Take what you think would work for you, leave the rest:
- Do you contract more when you walk around? If so, when you start a ctx pattern, lay down & rest. If you contract more when you lay down, then walk & be upright more. You need to do whatever to NOT encourage ctx at this point. It will happen. But, encouraging prodromal labor to continue is not beneficial at this point.
- Go for a walk by yourself (or with your partner if you feel drawn to that). Talk to the baby. Tell him/her that there is peace all around. That you trust in his/her timing. Cry if you need to.
- If you're trying to bring on labor - stop. Any kind of encouragement for labor during a prodromal pattern CAN result in an irritated uterus, thus exacerbating prodromal labor & tiring you out before the big day. The baby's just not ready yet. He/she will guide you when the timing is right. Your body doesn't need any extra stimulation right now. It's time to rest & gather your energy for the birth.
- Physical - is there something physical holding your body back? Baby positioning www.spinningbabies.com , dehydration, etc.
- Emotional - You're feeling ready to meet this baby. High stress in your life? Is there anything else holding you back?
- Plan something for tomorrow. Lunch with a friend without kids, massage, cafe for a latte by yourself before your partner leaves for work, whatever. Make a plan.
- Make a plan for next week with an understanding friend. "Hey, let's do lunch on Monday, barring me giving birth." Pick a place you LOVE to eat at. Make it a set weekly date until you give birth.
- If you feel like you need to birth soon, let go of the expectation. If you need to, you will. How does next Friday sound for birth? Or perhaps 15 days from now? (I know that probably sounds like hell, but instead of telling yourself that tonight is the night each night & spreading your focus so thin, if you pick a date further away, it helps the energy build. Yeah, that's woowoo, but sometimes woowoo works.)
- Take a look at your supplements. I did Polly Someone's 5-week labor prep herbs once that sent my body over the edge. I was in labor for about 4 days straight before I finally stopped the herbs & then my ctx went back to a normal pattern for me. Red Raspberry leaf (RRL) can even cause more ctx than necessary. Check your prenatals to make sure they don't contain RRL.
- Surround yourself with love & only do things that you want to do. This is not the time to do dishes. This is the time to rent a girly movie & get a foot rub. Cancel the obligations you don't want to go to, create fun obligations with people or things you enjoy instead.
- When feeling like it's all REALLY getting to you, try some Pulsatilla homeopathic if you're into it.
- If you JUST need the ctx to stop to get some rest, try a small glass of white wine & a hot bath with epsom salts.

[veganf]

Wow, I've never had prodromal labor. It must drive people wonky wondering "is this it?!"

[Spark]

Originally Posted by veganf

Wow, I've never had prodromal labor. It must drive people wonky wondering "is this it?!"

Well, yes, yes, it does. I've had a couple times already (and I'm 36 weeks) where I thought, OH THIS IS IT! and I'm pretty seasoned at prodromal labor right now. it's my typical labor pattern... could be like this for another 6 weeks though. So, I have to keep thinking about keeping calm with it.

I don't know if others are already at the "false alarm" stage yet or not, but I figured others were due before me, so maybe someone else was dealing with prodromal labor.

[anonymousk]

Thanks for this thread, Spark. I have been laboring off and on for the past two weeks (and did a good hour or so this morning) as well. It is exhausting, although I think I've been doing a good job of not getting too excited about it at all. I watched my sister struggle with it for five weeks at the end of her pregnancy - and I'm not afraid to say that is just about my worst nightmare right now. I've been doing as much as I can to keep that from happening, but I really think I am going to make it through maybe one more week at work and then I will have to stop... and just see what happens. I've been a fingertip dilated since 35 weeks but my cervix has been softening and getting thinner - so I tell myself that the contractions are doing what they need to do, just very slooooooooooooooowly. Two weeks down, three to go, I guess!

[pazerific]

i almost pm'ed you looking for this sort of thing this week!!! this babe has been so different in comparison to dd as far as cervical pressure, and then the other night i had a whole evening of real ctx and quite a bit of...ahem...how do i put this? gooeyness. i just had a feeling it wasn't the real thing because the ctx weren't defined like they are in real labor--soft focus ctx i guess, and followed no pattern. luckily, it was dh's night to cook dinner, so i just kicked my feet up and enjoyed a huge glass of water while i waited.

thanks so much for the thread though! it's awesome!

[anonymousk]

Okay, so I went to mass and ate and tried to make myself get into a better mood, and it's clearly not working. I need help. What can I do about these #@$#@$ ctx that keep waking me up? I get to sleep relatively easily, sleeping heavily, then bam - here we go for an hour or so, less than 5 minutes apart. I have been laying in bed and trying to fall back asleep as much as I can, but should I get up and walk? That seems counterproductive, but at this point - I'll try whatever, I guess. I usually get up and go to the bathroom to relieve some pressure, and it doesn't seem to change much. I woke up this morning and my entire pelvis is so sore - it's like I can feel very separate connection.

Throwing myself a pity party. Sorry.

[DandeCobb]

its day 6 of prodromal labor here (in my house we call it 'fake-ass labor' ) and i am sooooooooo sick of it. but how in the hell am i going to know when the ctx are actually labor?? these sure as heck feel like real Ctx, with a slow build up beginning, a crescendo and a tapering off and i'll go 3 or so hours with them 20 - 10 minutes apart.

[MamaDee4]

Don't forget ladies, to drink PLENTY of water to stay hydrated.

Dehydration can cause contractions (pre-labor stuff) and cause early labor contrations to feel waaaaaaaaay worse.

Last time, I swore I was intransition when I got to the hospital.....I was only 2 cm after laboring hard for 12 hours (5th baby). Turns out I was in early labor, but very dehydrated. It made my labor much harder and logner than it should have. Plus I had CX for the week before that, too, probably b/c of not drinking enough.......

Dee

[julesinottawa]

I've had this twice so far, once at the end of April/early May and once last week. I've been pretty sure that it wasn't "it" although last week I did call my "network" to be prepared and finished a few things like packing the kids suitcases just in case. I never had this with my other two, when it was it, it was it. So it's a bit bothersome to have these periods of "could this be?".

Thanks for the post Spark!

[Spark]

Originally Posted by DandeCobb

but how in the hell am i going to know when the ctx are actually labor??

This is my 4th time through this & I'm wondering the same thing at times! But, this is what I keep telling myself - when it gets REALLY intense and probably spaced further apart. Most of my ctx are either 4 or 3 or 2 mins apart. When real labor hits they seem to be spread out further but much more intense. That or you can tell yourself -- IT'S NOT LABOR UNLESS I'M CROWNING!

Originally Posted by anonymousk

I watched my sister struggle with it for five weeks at the end of her pregnancy - and I'm not afraid to say that is just about my worst nightmare right now.

Ugh. And, that's so within the realm of normal. It's just weeks & weeks of this stuff from here on out for so many of us. I hope your wait isn't as long as your sister's. Hopefully she can give you some good support.

Originally Posted by anonymousk

What can I do about these #@$#@$ ctx that keep waking me up? I get to sleep relatively easily, sleeping heavily, then bam - here we go for an hour or so, less than 5 minutes apart.

Ick. I can commiserate with you. When it gets really bad, I'll just run a bath with Epsom Salt in it during the middle of the night. Disrupted sleep is the worst - it makes everything else seem 10x worse!

Originally Posted by julesinottawa

I never had this with my other two, when it was it, it was it. So it's a bit bothersome to have these periods of "could this be?".

From what I understand, it's more likely to have prodromal labor after more babies and from my own experience it seems like it starts a couple weeks earlier with each subsequent baby, too.

Good point about hydration, Dee.


Prodromal Labor. Ugh. May it shave hours & hours off of our real labor!

[ekblad9]

I love the weekly lunch one and I'm so doing that with dh. I think I'll pick Wednesdays since those are the hardest for me to get through.

Last baby my water broke and a week later she STILL wasn't born!!! It was absolute torture. However, I was already at a 6 when I got to the hospital and didn't realize I was having more than braxton hicks. So hopefully this pre labor crap I have going on now is doing the same thing. I was at a 3 last week (dehydrated and UTI) with tons of strong contractions. I know baby isn't ready yet (I'm 36 wks 3 days) so I'm thinking I'll go to at least 40 weeks (probably more like 41, I usually do). Anyway - thanks for this thread!

[4Marmalade]

I've been dealing with this for about 3-4 weeks now. Lots of cramping and contractions that can last for hours but then fade away. It is very annoying. My last two pregnancies I was feeling fine and then bam, small contractions turned into labour contractions quite quickly and I knew I was in real labour. Stayed at home and went to the hospital 10 minutes away and gave birth. This time I fear I won't recognize when things change and will wait too long. And this time we need to make arrangements for two dc's and travel over an hour to the hospital where they will deliver twins.

I'm also now at the point where I wish the contractions might turn into real labour. I'm 36-1/2 weeks and my OB starts talking about induction at 38 weeks and I'd really rather go on my own so next week would be good.

[delicious]

thanks for posting this. i have been having lots and lots of contractions lately, but i'm not sure if i would call it prodromal labor yet. a few days ago i did get that "maybe this really is it..." feeling, but then things slowed down as soon as i got excited. nice!

last time i went to 42 weeks so i'm kind of trying not to get my hopes up yet. i am only 36 weeks now, so that's still a long time to go! i am feeling so done already, though. i just want to wear regular clothes and get up (from sitting) without a struggle. oh and tie my own shoes! not to mention the whole cool baby part.

[anonymousk]

i am feeling so done already, though. i just want to wear regular clothes and get up (from sitting) without a struggle. oh and tie my own shoes! not to mention the whole cool baby part.

What??? You mean we get a baby after all this???

Everyone keeps asking how I'm doing and if I really tell them about the ctxs and the not sleeping and how exhausting it is - EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM responds with something really cute like, well, you're never going to sleep again so you might as well get used to it!!

Strangely enough, no one has mentioned a baby at all!!

Ugh. And, that's so within the realm of normal. It's just weeks & weeks of this stuff from here on out for so many of us. I hope your wait isn't as long as your sister's. Hopefully she can give you some good support.

Unfortunately, not her style. This is the part where she 'proves' to me that she had it way worse, blah blah blah. She is younger and her pregnancy was very unplanned and I was infertile and she still gets her little digs in now and again. I don't think she does it on purpose but she is just so freaking proud of herself for doing something that I couldn't and her 'advice' is a little much for me to take. When I stupidly told my mom about being in the hospital and getting the terbutaline a few weeks ago, the very first thing out of her mouth was, 'Well, your sister got 2 doses!' As if it were a contest. So at least she comes by it honestly?

Anyone know any vacant caves where I could spend the next month? Please?

[kamesennin]

4 days of back achyness and really strong contractions--I'm so tired all the time! I never had this with my first. I hope it is doing some good because I just want to stay home and sleep. This week is packed full of appointments and I honestly don't know how I am going to make lunches and make it to these appointments. Right now I need to go grocery shopping and the thought of going out is just exhausting--I just woke up from a long nap too. At least I don't have to take my toddler to the store today.

[kalamos23]

pbandj - I so feel you - I'm on day 3 of contractions 5-8 minutes apart and fairly strong. I am SO tired.

[yvonnemlv]

Yup. Yesterday I was having surges every 5 min. Deep low across the tummy, pulling in my back.. I used it as an opportunity to relax through them. Seems I have a bought every 3 days or so. Or I could be just making a pattern outta thin air, heh.

I think the only thing I'd add to that list is to try taking calcium/magnesium supplement. That sometimes will help mine.

So far so good today. Hopefully no more than the usual BH today and tomorrow.

[pazerific]

Originally Posted by anonymousk

As if it were a contest. So at least she comes by it honestly?

Anyone know any vacant caves where I could spend the next month? Please?

the whole one-uping thing drives me insane. i'm not aware of any caves, but we have a garage and breezeway that are currently unihabited (aside from a few little spiders). maybe you could wait for a day where you're feeling particularly uppity, and use my favorite response to one-upping, "oh, well she had 2 doses?!? i guess she wins then, since this is indeed a contest, right?" after using that sort of thing with DH a time or two, he stopped with that one-up stuff right away.

[bluebirdmama]

Looks like I'm joining this club.

I had some contractions last night around 8pm, every half hour. Nothing crazy, manageable. Then there was some mucus on the tp before bed. Woke at 3am to contractions every ten minutes. Real ones, wave-like with a peak. And feeling nauseaous and achey until about 5am.

I didn't have anything like this last time. I'd been having bh all pregnancy and went into labor about an hour after a membrane sweep at 40w4d. Within twenty minutes the ctrx were 1.5 min apart so I didn't really have any "early labor" experience, let alone contractions that eventually just stop altogether.

I hope this doesn't drive me nuts thinking it's about to get going.

[Spark]

Originally Posted by anonymousk

Everyone keeps asking how I'm doing and if I really tell them about the ctxs and the not sleeping and how exhausting it is - EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM responds with something really cute like, well, you're never going to sleep again so you might as well get used to it!!

I really think this falls under one of the major disservices that our society does to new parents... negating their newly forming parental intuition. Yes, you're a rational thinking adult - you understand that children affect sleep. And, yet, they ASKED. They ASKED you how you were doing... do they not really care? Are they just looking for a "well we know better because we've done this before"? Not everyone's experience is the same... period.

Originally Posted by anonymousk

When I stupidly told my mom about being in the hospital and getting the terbutaline a few weeks ago, the very first thing out of her mouth was, 'Well, your sister got 2 doses!' As if it were a contest. So at least she comes by it honestly?

Anyone know any vacant caves where I could spend the next month? Please?

Oh, my goodness. yes, I think a cave is in order. You need a cave with a masseuse, I'd say & some kind of supportive pregnancy doula.

Originally Posted by yvonnemlv

Seems I have a bought every 3 days or so. Or I could be just making a pattern outta thin air, heh.

That's interesting that you brought this up. I'm beginning to put together a pattern, too. It almost seems like every 3-4 days I'm contracting a lot (like laboring for 4-6 hours each day), then I get 3-4 days "off" with less ctx. I'm actually beginning to think that if it keeps up, then my baby will be born on a Weds/Thurs/Fri because those days seem to be popular with the wild ctx, emotions & exhaustion.

Anyone else notice that emotions and exhaustion run rampant when you're in a prodromal labor cycle?