What's the difference?

[Kleine Hexe]

What is the difference between BH contractions and prodomal labor?

[Sage_SS]

You know KH, I've been wondering this myself.

Maybe the consistency of them? Thats all I can figure.

[kgrands]

I've been wondering about this too.

I was in L&D on Friday with bleeding - started contracting while there. They were every 2-3min, uncomfortable but not painful. The doc called them "contractions" which confused me.

I've been having them all weekend. Just BH or prodromal labor?

[buckysprplmonkey]

BH aren't usually timable/consistant. I had prodromal with both my girls and it would be runs of regular contractions that were actually causing some dilation. In fact, DD#1 was bron 3 weeks early because the OB didn't call it as prodromal when the contractions slowed and stopped and instead insisted that we had to induce because "labor stopped." With DD#2, when that happened, the midwife just sent me home. She fully expected me back in a day or two, because I was 4cm at the time, but I just went around for 3 weeks at 4cm, lol. Good news is, when your uterus does all that work ahead of time, the active labor is usually much shorter. I was in active labor for only about 5 hrs with DD#2.

[Baby_Cakes]

Popping in from October! BH's are generally painless ctx, maybe a bit tight or uncomfortable, but not painful. AFAIK, prodromal labor ctx are timeable, and are painful enough to make you exhausted and like "is this it?". It can be days or weeks of the same 8 min apart ctx (for example) that you can't sleep through or really function through - you might feel like you can't leave the house b/c you don't know if you're really in labor or not.

[chisub]

Good question, glad to see some answers b/c I was wondering this myself!

[hislittlelambs]

i hace wondered this as well as i seem to be an exception to all the books...my BH's are always painful! they are like one big tightening, crampy, grip on either the front only of my uterus, the back only, or both...depends. the only way i was able to establish differen between BH's with my son, and real ones were the real ones had that "wavelike" pattern...they would start in myback and roll down my abdomen...

however, this time ihave had some cntrxs that are persistent in timing, around every 15 mins, come at night and i can not sleep because of them, but as soon as i stand up and walk, they go away...so obviously not "real ones"...would these have been prodromal? because if so that would really make my pants happy pants! at least then i'd know i couldn't sleep for a reason and they were at least doing *something*....

I would love a fast active labor....i look at prodromal labor as ones that do real changes but start and stop after a period of hours, days..etc. like sprints...start, fast and furious, then stop...start again a day later, then fast again, then stop...whereas all my labors have been the type where the contractions once started always stay, start very slow, go for anumber of hours, then finally commense with a baby...like a marathon, you don't stop till the end but go for a longer time....

am i right with this assumption?

[OkiMom]

Good question, I had no idea either. I kind of thought they were the same thing but its nice to know there is a difference.

[Kleine Hexe]

Thank you everyone.

So I'd say that I'm having BH contractions because they are not painful. Sometimes a little uncomfortable and make me stop what I'm doing but not painful.

What I have besides BH is a ton of pressure and lots of painful cervical stabs.

[Sioko]

BH can be painful and timeable, last for hours, but always irregular and DON'T cause dilation. They CAN cause some effacement. They can be considered uteran exercise and preparation for labor.

Prodromal labor can be painful or not, is stronger than BH but doesn't increase in strength, with pressure and it DOES cause dilation! It can last days or weeks, start and stop, and leave you exhausted and sore.

The dif. is whether dilation happens with it.
No dilation = BH
Dilation = prodromal labor

[Sioko]

Originally Posted by hislittlelambs

I would love a fast active labor....i look at prodromal labor as ones that do real changes but start and stop after a period of hours, days..etc. like sprints...start, fast and furious, then stop...start again a day later, then fast again, then stop...whereas all my labors have been the type where the contractions once started always stay, start very slow, go for anumber of hours, then finally commense with a baby...like a marathon, you don't stop till the end but go for a longer time....

am i right with this assumption?

I would say this is correct

[peainthepod]

Someone posted here (I can't remember who, sorry) that low, menstrual kind of cramping pain is consistent with dilation. Is that true? Yesterday I had a full day of fairly intense BH contractions with lots of pressure, and quite a bit of that low, cervical, almost menstrual discomfort. I'm 40 +1 today and kind of desperate to believe that things are ramping up.