Overdoing it = possible early labor?

valeivegas · May 2013

Is it really possible to put yourself into labor early by overdoing it (ex. cleaning, cooking, errands - basically just not resting)? Friday I spent the whole day cleaning & running errands, Saturday walked around the zoo half the day, then shopping later in the day - by the evening I was having so many braxton-hicks cx & loads of pressure I could barely walk. Once I rested I was fine though... It just seems the more standing/work I do, I pay for it later in the day or the next day.. I'm just wondering your thoughts on this & if anyone actually went into labor early from doing too much??

Kari Merks · May 2013

I would get a ton more BH contrax toward the end of my pregnancy if I was super active, especially this last pregnancy. But they never resulted in actual labor just made me uncomfortable. Hot baths and water helped.

williswifey2 · May 2013

I guess it's possible but I'm not really sure. I do know that overdoing it can make you very uncomfortable. I hit nesting mode on Satuday and cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom, seriously...like cabinets and baseboards included, scrubbed by hand. I paid for it yesterday. I could barely walk and my back pain was horrible. Had the most intense BH's b/c of it.

BeckyTheEngineer · May 2013

I laid new laminate floors over 800 square feet of my house at about 32 weeks, and I am still pregnant at almost 39. Of course, from all that bending and squatting I could not walk one night, and was really sore for a couple days.

I'm sure it is possible to way overdo it and cause labor, so it would be smart to know your limits. But, if your doctor hasn't given you specific restriction on activity, then I think most women are generally fine to do the regular activities you mentioned.

botanicalbliss · May 2013

Just be sure to get rest and drink lots of water. When I am super active, I get contrax and cramps, but with rest and water it goes away. Maybe take it a bit easier.

ScarletOflaherty · May 2013

Only if you are already prone to pre-term labor, so basically no. The human race would have died out a long time ago if lots of cleaning and running errands was all it took. Women all over the world work manual labor jobs right up until the day they deliver.

homebird · May 2013

I don't think so. Baby will come when he's ready. Maybe it happens to be after a busy day, maybe not.

I feel the same way you do though - if I have a particularly active day I "pay for it" the next. Lots of back pain, BH, etc. But if I rest up for a bit I'm usually fine again. I like being active though, so I have no plans to slow down soon. H gets mad at me for it.

BelhurstBride · May 2013

ScarletOflaherty:
Only if you are already prone to pre-term labor, so basically no. The human race would have died out a long time ago if lots of cleaning and running errands was all it took. Women all over the world work manual labor jobs right up until the day they deliver.

Ditto this. BHs almost always mean nothing more than that you're dehydrated.

Soleil3 · May 2013

ScarletOflaherty:
Only if you are already prone to pre-term labor, so basically no. The human race would have died out a long time ago if lots of cleaning and running errands was all it took. Women all over the world work manual labor jobs right up until the day they deliver.

This.

JCWhitey · May 2013

ScarletOflaherty:
Only if you are already prone to pre-term labor, so basically no. The human race would have died out a long time ago if lots of cleaning and running errands was all it took. Women all over the world work manual labor jobs right up until the day they deliver.

This was my exact answer! My Grandma was hauling 50 pounds bails of hay and working from sun up to sun down on the farm with all of her pregnancies and as far as I know none were early.

valeivegas · May 2013

ScarletOflaherty:
Only if you are already prone to pre-term labor, so basically no. The human race would have died out a long time ago if lots of cleaning and running errands was all it took. Women all over the world work manual labor jobs right up until the day they deliver.

Thanks for the input - this was my exact thoughts too. I'm such a busy body & hate sitting around when there's stuff to get done. Everyone's like: 'take it easy, rest!' but come on, if I have the energy, I have to clean, cook, etc etc! lol

Sounds like you ladies have the same next day 'after-pains' I do, so it's good to know I'm not alone.. I actually look forward to sitting at my desk all day Monday...

homebird · May 2013

valeivegas:
I'm such a busy body & hate sitting around when there's stuff to get done. Everyone's like: 'take it easy, rest!' but come on, if I have the energy, I have to clean, cook, etc etc! lol

Yeah, I try not to get annoyed when I hear that because I know people mean well. But I enjoy staying busy and there's no way I'm going to sit around all day and do nothing.

JCWhitey · May 2013

homebird:
valeivegas:
I'm such a busy body & hate sitting around when there's stuff to get done. Everyone's like: 'take it easy, rest!' but come on, if I have the energy, I have to clean, cook, etc etc! lol
Yeah, I try not to get annoyed when I hear that because I know people mean well. But I enjoy staying busy and there's no way I'm going to sit around all day and do nothing.

I'm the same way. It kind of annoys me when someone implies I can't do something because I'm pregnant. Sure, there are things I can't do these days but MOST things I did PP I can still do without an issue. I don't mind so much if people ask if I'm OK doing whatever it is I'm doing/offering help because at least they are asking, but to flat out tell me I shouldn't be doing something? Unless you're my doctor, back off!

jlpev · May 2013

botanicalbliss:
Just be sure to get rest and drink lots of water. nbsp;When I am super active, I get contrax and cramps, but with rest and water it goes away. nbsp;Maybe take it a bit easier.

This

Snapdragon750 · May 2013

I guess I'm in the minority here because I'm pretty sure it can. I get tons of BH from overdoing it, and every time I've asked my doctor about it they've told me to take it easy and rest when this happens because they don't want me going into labor early. And I have no risk factors for pre-term labor.

I'm all for women's rights and equality and feeling like we women are awesome and can do everything even while pregnant, but sometimes taking care of yourself and admitting you need to rest is the smart move.

valeivegas · May 2013

Snapdragon750:
I guess I'm in the minority here because I'm pretty sure it can. I get tons of BH from overdoing it, and every time I've asked my doctor about it they've told me to take it easy and rest when this happens because they don't want me going into labor early. And I have no risk factors for pre-term labor.
I'm all for women's rights and equality and feeling like we women are awesome and can do everything even while pregnant, but sometimes taking care of yourself and admitting you need to rest is the smart move.

I'm going to ask my Dr about it tomorrow at my appt. I just think it's important to know your limits & not totally overdo it if you start to get pains, tons of BH, etc... I was just wondering if anyone had actually ever gone into labor from doing too much...

littlewest1 · May 2013

This weekend, at nearly 39 weeks we packed up our entire house and moved. That meant two straight days on my feet lifting boxes, sorting and cleaning. I was swollen, sore and tired but when I went in for my 39 week check up today I am closed up tight as ever. 0 dilation, 0 effaced, baby not dropped. If anything was going to cause early labor this weekend was it but nothing.

JCWhitey · May 2013

Snapdragon750:
I guess I'm in the minority here because I'm pretty sure it can. I get tons of BH from overdoing it, and every time I've asked my doctor about it they've told me to take it easy and rest when this happens because they don't want me going into labor early. And I have no risk factors for pre-term labor.
I'm all for women's rights and equality and feeling like we women are awesome and can do everything even while pregnant, but sometimes taking care of yourself and admitting you need to rest is the smart move.

Remember that BH contractions are not labor and your uterus is contracting almost all the time whether you realize it or not, whether you are active or not. BH contractions are not a sign of potential early labor, either. Some women experience them for a good half of their pregnancy, some never have a single one and there seems to be no real explination for why some do and some don't. If you are going to go into preterm labor it's probably because there's another cause, just being active shouldn't cause a woman with a normal pregnancy to go into preterm labor.

Of course, that's not to say that doing something active won't cause something to happen that would cause preterm labor. Like if you are jogging and you trip and fall, that might cause some injury that could start labor. Or dehydration affecting the fluid levels. I do believe you need to be smart about being active while pregnant. But I also don't see any benefit in just sitting around the house for 9 months.

Overdoing it = possible early labor?

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