really confused

[bethanphetamine]

so, i've been 80% effaced and the baby has been at 0 station now since 37 weeks. i dialated from 2cm on friday to 4cm on monday. i've been having irregular and random contractions and cramps for days/weeks. i thought i had been losing my mucous plug and figured most of it was gone by 4cm but today i lost the most gigantic clump ever. i feel like my vajayjay has a cold.

i'm just so confused. i feel like i'm having prodromal labor, but my cervix is actually dialating, which i've heard/read that doesn't happen in prodromal labor. but my contractions aren't regular or too intense to talk through at all. i guess i'm worried that by the time i actually go into active labor i'll be like 8cm and won't have time for hubby to even get home or something!

any advice? anyone else at least been through something like this?

40w1d with number two.

[hopeandolive]

No advice, but I'm right here with ya! I'm 39w 1d and I'm 4cm 90% effaced and at -1 (which I have no idea if that is more or less than 0????). I get a mild "cramp" here and there, which I assume is a cntrx...but do not get them at regular intervals. I feel like I'm in the same boat as you since the MW feels I'll go quickly once active labor begins. With my first dd I got all the way to 9cm before the cntrx were even uncomfortable and the only reason I knew I was in labor was because my water broke. I was on the phone at 8cm chatting with a friend. Basically I was told "it could be any time", so that clears it up!

[septemberbaby68]

Originally Posted by hopeandolive

No advice, but I'm right here with ya! I'm 39w 1d and I'm 4cm 90% effaced and at -1 (which I have no idea if that is more or less than 0????). I get a mild "cramp" here and there, which I assume is a cntrx...but do not get them at regular intervals. I feel like I'm in the same boat as you since the MW feels I'll go quickly once active labor begins. With my first dd I got all the way to 9cm before the cntrx were even uncomfortable and the only reason I knew I was in labor was because my water broke. I was on the phone at 8cm chatting with a friend. Basically I was told "it could be any time", so that clears it up!

Hello, I have been through this with all three of my children, the last the worst, I was dilated and losing mucous plug for almost four weeks, with contractions, I was begging my doctor this last child to please induce, but he would not, but let me worn you, when active labor starts, get to the hospital because if you are anything like me, I went to the hospital by 11 pm and delivered before 2 am. It goes quick and the contractions get potent fast. They got so strong so fast I did not have time to adapt to the severity of them, I was a cursing fool in a catholic hospital, but I did worn the nurses that I had a bad habit of cursing through labor. They were pretty ok with it. Good luck ladies, I hope your torture is over soon and in with the little angels that are coming.

[greenmom4]

Originally Posted by bethanphetamine

i'm just so confused. i feel like i'm having prodromal labor, but my cervix is actually dialating, which i've heard/read that doesn't happen in prodromal labor.

My definition of "active labor" is when your cervix changes a certain amount in a certain amount of time - the hospital where I had my first ds wanted your cervix to dilate 1cm within an hour before they considered you to be in active labor.

FWIW, this never happened to me with either of my kids. I was 8cm with both before the mw was called or the hospital admitted me and I still had a good amount of time before I was pushing. The upside of this is that my labors weren't really painful. At all.

HTH

[Klynne]

I was at least 4cm before active labor started. I'm just thankful my body did the work with out me noticing too much. Labor was intense but totally doable, hoping for the same this time around.

You're headed in the right direction. call your dh as soon as you think something is up. He'll make it.

[sapphire_chan]

Incidentally, since it was asked: -1 means the baby's still floating. 0 is when the head engages.

[bethanphetamine]

thank you guys for your comments so much. just to know other people go through this is reassuring.

hubby and i planned on staying home as long as possible before heading to the hospital. but i think we might head a little bit sooner than we were planning now, just to be safe. it's a 15-20 minute car ride and i seriously don't want to be in transition during that!

i'm wondering if my body is just getting most of the work done before hand in which case labor may not be all that painful for me. i would think that to be odd, but i'd be very thankful!

btw, tonight has been the most eventful with strongest contractions so far and much more regular than normal, but i haven't started timing them. they are very crampy and it's hard for me to tell when one starts.

[Three~Little~Birds]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Incidentally, since it was asked: -1 means the baby's still floating. 0 is when the head engages.

So, if my MW says that she can't move the baby's head anymore, does that mean that baby has engaged?

[Shiloh]

right here with ya

[holothuroidea]

Originally Posted by mamatotwo

So, if my MW says that she can't move the baby's head anymore, does that mean that baby has engaged?

Pretty much, but baby can always get more engaged (to the point that you can't feel the head at all).

If the baby is well engaged, you can feel the head (it's a hard lump) through the upper wall of your vagina.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by mamatotwo

So, if my MW says that she can't move the baby's head anymore, does that mean that baby has engaged?

Should be.

http://www.doereport.com/imagescooked/8741W.jpg

Hmm, looks like I wasn't quite accurate, the head can be engaged in the negative stations. I think the movement thing is the difference. Like how earlier on you can push up on the head a bit to pee more easily? Can't do that when the baby gets behind that front bone.

[jennykilbo]

Originally Posted by hopeandolive

No advice, but I'm right here with ya! I'm 39w 1d and I'm 4cm 90% effaced and at -1 (which I have no idea if that is more or less than 0????). I get a mild "cramp" here and there, which I assume is a cntrx...but do not get them at regular intervals. I feel like I'm in the same boat as you since the MW feels I'll go quickly once active labor begins. With my first dd I got all the way to 9cm before the cntrx were even uncomfortable and the only reason I knew I was in labor was because my water broke. I was on the phone at 8cm chatting with a friend. Basically I was told "it could be any time", so that clears it up!

I *think* this is what is happening to me - I have been having tons of contractions, in fact all night long last night and still have not stopped, and I know that they are probably timeable but I can easily ignore them because they do not hurt, at all. I have been so discouraged because I have been looking for painful contrax - but now I'm thinking I need my water to break for me to really know! I hope it goes quickly once it starts!