Preterm Labor/Labor Symptoms?

VeganMomOf3 · August 2014

This is my third baby, so you think I would know! I'm looking for your experiences and symptoms with either preterm labor or regular labor. (since I know they can feel similar) I Did have preterm labor with my last baby and was but on Procardia from 25 weeks on due to contractions and effacement I couldn't feel.

I'm 28-29 weeks and four days ago had a major burst of energy. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and felt AWESOME. I didn't realize that until I tried to go to sleep that night. I thought "Hmmm.... I had a little nesting before PTL with DD2." I then woke up at 3am and thought I was going to throw up which I haven't done once this pregnancy. I didn't but instead had loose stools and some uncontrollable shaking after a hot flash passed. I was having painless contractions too. I texted my home birth midwife to keep her updated as I felt like baby may be coming soon. She agreed and told me to watch for pain or bleeding. The usual. For the past three days I've had 5+ BM's a day and several times where I feel like I need to have a BM but there isn't anything. Including waking me up because I feel poop cramps with no tightening. They aren't timable. Ii also have occasional light period cramps with no tightening. They are hardy noticeable and I can't really time them. I have been chugging water. And my midwife will come out to my house to check dilation before heading to the hospital since I obviously can't have baby at home, but we don't want to push it along. I react very badly to everything to stop labor, so essentially (and unfortunately) its "go" time when it progresses, if it does. I'm just waiting for a sign of it progressing before I head to the hospital because I have false labor all the time, but have never had these symptoms.

This morning I feel like I have no energy and baby is no longer in my ribs and is much lower.

What were your symptoms of labor/PTL? I am curious to hear from other mommas

MrsLaLaBug · August 2014

VeganMomOf3 said:

This is my third baby, so you think I would know! I'm looking for your experiences and symptoms with either preterm labor or regular labor. (since I know they can feel similar) I Did have preterm labor with my last baby and was but on Procardia from 25 weeks on due to contractions and effacement I couldn't feel. I'm 28-29 weeks and four days ago had a major burst of energy. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and felt AWESOME. I didn't realize that until I tried to go to sleep that night. I thought "Hmmm.... I had a little nesting before PTL with DD2." I then woke up at 3am and thought I was going to throw up which I haven't done once this pregnancy. I didn't but instead had loose stools and some uncontrollable shaking after a hot flash passed. I was having painless contractions too. I texted my home birth midwife to keep her updated as I felt like baby may be coming soon. She agreed and told me to watch for pain or bleeding. The usual. For the past three days I've had 5+ BM's a day and several times where I feel like I need to have a BM but there isn't anything. Including waking me up because I feel poop cramps with no tightening. They aren't timable. Ii also have occasional light period cramps with no tightening. They are hardy noticeable and I can't really time them. I have been chugging water. And my midwife will come out to my house to check dilation before heading to the hospital since I obviously can't have baby at home, but we don't want to push it along. I react very badly to everything to stop labor, so essentially (and unfortunately) its "go" time when it progresses, if it does. I'm just waiting for a sign of it progressing before I head to the hospital because I have false labor all the time, but have never had these symptoms. This morning I feel like I have no energy and baby is no longer in my ribs and is much lower. What were your symptoms of labor/PTL? I am curious to hear from other mommas

TL;DR.
Yeah, you're probably in labor. Then again, you're probably not. Call the doc!

kaleb87 · August 2014

If you are this worried and have told your midwife and she hasn't told you to get to the hospital, I think I would be looking for new prenatal care. Even if she checks you before you go to the hospital what good is that going to do? I'm sure they would check you at the hospital, and the less checks the better. I understand false labor is annoying but this is the health of your unborn child, please seek TRUE medical advice as opposed to those of us on the bump.

VeganMomOf3 · August 2014

I wasn't looking for rude comments. I'm under the care of a licensed MD, RN, and MW. They are just looking at the situation from a holistic point of view because that is what my family and I believe in. I was just looking for stories of how other's labors started.

kaleb87 · August 2014

I wasn't trying to be rude, I was just trying to say we are not medical professionals on the bump. If it has you worried enough to ask then there must be a serious chance of PTL in your mind.
I was not trying to be rude on your medical choices of choosing a midwife. I think midwives are an amazing asset to the obstetrics community. However, I was just concerned by what you had mentioned about your midwife. PTL and the health of your baby are nothing to mess around with or wait out. So in the time it took to type back that you felt comments were rude, was time you wasted on checking if this indeed PTL.

VeganMomOf3 · August 2014

theresat858 said:

Kimbus22 said:

If you are 28 weeks pregnant and think there's even a chance you're experiencing PTL you need to be at the hospital. I have no idea why you're asking the internet instead of getting checked out.

This.

Any labor before 37 weeks (39 weeks now?) is considered pre-term labor.

You need to get yourself to the hospital if you are having contractions. No, your midwife shouldn't be checking you at home.

Even if you cannot have the medications to stop labor (because you'd rather have a preemie that has a lower survival rate than suffer a headache?), you can get steroid shots for the babies lungs.

No. Actually all meds used to stop preterm labor make my BP sky rocket to the point where the only way it can be brought down is to STOP the medication. They actually make my PTL progress FASTER because of the stress they put my body, AND the baby's body into due to hereditary health issues. I've been there, done that more than once. So please, before you assume you know every detail of my previous labors or assume that I am just "selfish" please know that I am very well educated in how well medications work with my body.

trebekastan · August 2014

VeganMomOf3 said:

Kimbus22 said:

If you are 28 weeks pregnant and think there's even a chance you're experiencing PTL you need to be at the hospital. I have no idea why you're asking the internet instead of getting checked out.

This. Any labor before 37 weeks (39 weeks now?) is considered pre-term labor. You need to get yourself to the hospital if you are having contractions. No, your midwife shouldn't be checking you at home. Even if you cannot have the medications to stop labor (because you'd rather have a preemie that has a lower survival rate than suffer a headache?), you can get steroid shots for the babies lungs.
No. Actually all meds used to stop preterm labor make my BP sky rocket to the point where the only way it can be brought down is to STOP the medication. They actually make my PTL progress FASTER because of the stress they put my body, AND the baby's body into due to hereditary health issues. I've been there, done that more than once. So please, before you assume you know every detail of my previous labors or assume that I am just "selfish" please know that I am very well educated in how well medications work with my body.

If you know better and wanna play "you don't know my lyfe" then why post at all? Do what you want then.