is this it?

[lorelei]

I am feeling really unsettled, and rather stupid right now. I've been contracting all day, but have been ignoring it as I've been having prodromal aka fake ass labor for 3.5 weeks now.

Tonight, just in the last hour or so I have a raging back ache, and the contractions are still coming. I don't want to bother my mw unless I'm sure this is it- plus it's a 20 minute drive to the birth center and my kids are asleep right now.

I feel really itchy all over my skin, and am super emotional right now- I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I should know if this is it or not, since this is my 3rd pregnancy, but I just don't.

Someone tell me what to do, PLEASE!?!?

[Spark]

Well, I'd get yourself over a birth ball or support hand/knees position & watch a show or part of a movie that you really want to see. Stay on supported hands/knees to see if you can get your back to stop hurting. It might be because of posterior presentation. If you ARE starting labor, you want that babe to TURN. Which might be why you've been contracting so much more recently - to get her in optimal position.

Tell me about your ctx? You've had them all day, but what are thye doing now? Is your back only hurting during a ctx?

[prairieo]

relax, stay calm, do something you like and makes you feel good. you will know soon enough if something real is happening! hang in there mama!

[Kidzaplenty]

Yeah, relax and breathe. It sounds promising, though. Perhaps you could call your MW to ask her advice.

[lorelei]

I guess she could have turned posterior since my mw appt on tuesday, but if so I didn't notice it. Her butt is still on my left as of earlier today.

I did call my wm- she didn't even ask how long/ far apart my ctx were, she wanted to know about loose stools and bloody show- yes on the stool, no on the show. But I told her I didn't have that with either of my other two pg's and they were 2 weeks late. Apparently she's not even the mw who is on call tonight, despite that being the message at the office.

Her advice was that it was probably nothing. WEll, I've been having NOTHING for 3 freaking weeks, and this feels different. These feel like my whole insides are trying to squish up into something tiny, and I going through crazy emotions- ie super pissed at mw for blowing me off, and crying because I'm in pain and feeling like she thinks I'm arbitratily calling her at 10pm for fun or something. I'm not f'ing stupid- I did consider she was likely in bed.

I am just miserable and miserable to be around atm.
I wish my damn water would break, then maybe my stupid mw would actually listen to me. I've been actually considering just going to the hospital and taking my chances with whoever is on call, I am that perturbed with my mw right now. So.. yeah.

[Kidzaplenty]

So sorry about that.

I know how it can be, especially at the time that you are just not quite sure.

[prairieo]

I hope that things are either picking up or slowing down for you. I'm sorry you are feeling blown off by your mw. that stinks, period. keep us updated, we're pulling for you.

[Bad Horse]

I'm sorry your midwife blew you off. That would make me pretty mad, too.

I hope you are able to relax, and your cntx will ease off. I hope you can get some rest tonight.

And if not, I hope your labor really kicks in soon and you're holding your baby soon.

[Spark]

I'm so sorry you got blown off.

Now, I think what you're describing is GOOD. Very good progress towards active labor, but it's probably not in active labor yet (unless things have changed drastically since your last post). If you're like me, and you very well may not be, you'll do some of these "upping phases" that feel more like real labor. Sometimes you get into a flow of about 2-4 days where you do these upward phases (with ctx feeling different, labor signs, high emotions) eventually leading to active labor that is UNDENIABLE. During the "upward phase" I think it's really important to make sure you have sleep, rest, good food, water & only do things that YOU want to do. Consider yourself preparing for the final journey in this pregnancy.

That said, this pregnancy for me has been different than my usual "upping phases" that lead to birth though. I've had lots of little "upping phases" and then go back to my typical prodromal labor pattern.

I hope your "upping phase" is taking you to laborland SOON!

[lorelei]

I did manage to get some sleep last night between ctx, although not much. At least with having gotten some sleep I'm a little less pissed about the phone convo I had last night with my mw. I'm going to call the other mw later this morning and see if I can at least get checked out to see if there's any progress from all the ctx last night.

I've gone back to not timing the little buggers since the mw didn't seem to care about that anyhow- only my water breaking. Which still seems silly to me, considering it didn't break prior to delivery with my other 2.

So, I'll keep updating here, and hoping that this will soon lead to our new little baby being born.

[prairieo]

aw, hang in there, girl. you'll have a baby one of these times!