Braxton Hicks and trips to labor and delivery

kaitykins

Hey ladies, I thought we could combine these common situations, trips to L&D that aren’t resulting in birth (post in birth stories for that one) and Braxton Hicks. 

I’m a mom to one 3yr old dd and due with Ds on Easter, so 30 weeks along. 

Today I was having 5-8 Braxton Hicks an hour for 5 hrs and after following the advice of L&D and then going in they verified they were Braxton Hicks, I wasn’t going into preterm labor and I had overdone it this morning and baby had been really active when I was trying to rest after overdoing it so combined it gave me lots of Braxton Hicks. Strong ones for the most part (1min long and took away my breath a little)

Anyway, we had a good dry run to the L&D department, baby is active and has a good heartbeat and I am very tired and taking it easy tomorrow. I’m a SAHM so that means I will not get much done and dd and I will color valentines. 

lyse01

@kbirchtree great idea, plus I’m glad you got to go home! That kind of scare would definitely have me packing a hospital bag.

kangstadt

@kbirchtree, yikes, I'm glad it was a false alarm!  I would've gone in if they were that frequent also.  Hope you have a relaxing day at home today, and put your feet up!

sheepshepherdess

@kbirchtree That sounds terrifying, glad it was nothing serious! Hope you can continue to relax and not overdo it anymore. 

mrstmoose

@kbirchtree I'm glad they were just BH. Rest up today mama.

rennie1108

@kbirchtree yikes, that is scary! Glad everything is ok and it was a false alarm. I don't think anyone wants to have a post on the Birth Announcements thread yet - although I know at this point it would be ok, albeit some time in the NICU. I'm crossing my fingers for everyone that these LOs bake longer!

Side note: I've been taking the bus to work because I just got a new car and don't want to rack up the miles right away (it's a 70+ mile round trip each day), but I've been thinking I should probably start taking my car in March in case LO decides to come early. I really don't want my water breaking on a bus!

jayhawkmom4

I was told 5 in an hour is the cutoff so I would have been sent in too! Glad it was not preterm labor though!!!

@rennie1108 at least you wouldn't have to clean it up then  

mrstmoose

LOL @jayhawkmom4 - that's a super good reason to not take your car @rennie1108

rennie1108

Haha that's true! I had better start bringing a towel when I go back to driving!

MRDCle

My SIL had her second son in the car and her husband took the car home to clean it before he even went to the hospital. He's on call if there are any amniotic fluid issues in either of our cars haha.

Glad it was an uneventful trip to L&D @kbirchtree

thatbaintforbetty

@rennie1108 if it helps the odds of your water breaking on its own are much much less then tv/movies/media would have you believe. 

And its thankfully nothing like Coneheads, lol. Which is what my DH always pictured/thought of. 

mermaidca

@rennie1108 @thatbaintforbetty In our baby class last time there was one dad who was so obsessed with his brand new truck he made his very pregnant wife sit on a bunch of puppy pads whenever she got in just in case her water broke.  He would also park across and down the street from the hospital and make her walk because he thought the price of parking was too much...he was not my favourite in the class....

MRDCle

mermaidca said:

@rennie1108 @thatbaintforbetty In our baby class last time there was one dad who was so obsessed with his brand new truck he made his very pregnant wife sit on a bunch of puppy pads whenever she got in just in case her water broke.  He would also park across and down the street from the hospital and make her walk because he thought the price of parking was too much...he was not my favourite in the class....

He couldn't even drop her off at the door?!

mermaidca

@mrdcle after we all shamed him he started to.  That was also one of his "there's no such thing as a stupid question" question: when she did go into labour he asked where he could park and won't it take a while because she walks so slow.  What a dolt.  He had no concept of taking care of her (and their twins) first then worrying about himself and his precious truck after.  He also went and got a vasectomy without telling his wife so he's just all around thoughtless.

thatbaintforbetty

@mermaidca I’m pretty sure if that were me I would have gone all Carrie Underwood “Before he cheats” on that truck. Cause hell no. 

I think my DH put a towel down on the seat when we left for the hospital when I was actually in labor but I don’t really remember since it was 2am and oh yea contractions. But I made it to 8cm with my water intact so it was definitely unnecessary. 

lyse01

@mermaidca @thatbaintforbetty my water broke while I happened to be sitting on the toilet so that was lucky. But also DH didn’t think to grab a towel when he drove me to the ER after my vagina started dumping blood six weeks postpartum. I was the person in crisis and had to be the person to say “grab towels and a change of clothes for me on the way out the door and let’s try not to create a crime scene on our way.”

mrstmoose

@mermaidca I really don't like that guy either. What a douche. 

rennie1108

@thatbaintforbetty That's good to know!

batmama31

glad everything is ok, @kbirchtree! 

@rennie1108, I've been in so much discomfort the past week that I have actually thought, "NICU isn't that bad, is it?" but I know what's best is the baby to stay where he's at as long as possible. 😪

is anyone else having a hard time distinguishing between BH & fetal movements? 

re: water breaking. you are all freaking me out over this talk! i’m taking my car in to get detailed tomorrow (i want it as clean as possible before i add a second filthy tiny human to the crew) and now i’m like, “shit! what if my water breaks in there?!” i think plan A will be that we drive to L&D in husband’s car. 😂

MRDCle

@batmama31 yes most of the time water breaks once you're IN labor so you could definitely take your husbands car ha

angelob88

Best thing I invested in was a pack of adult diapers in case my water broke before we went to the hospital. Not super common but it did happen and they saved my DH's car for sure. I sat on puppy pads in my car for the last few weeks though and put on a water proof mattress cover on our mattress. Second was another good call since it broke when I sat up in bed.

@kbirchtree glad it was just a false alarm and things are good.

HGRich

My water didn’t break until I was fully dilated and about to start pushing. Haha. I didn’t even think about the car on the ride to the hospital because I was just trying to breathe through contractions. Maybe this time I’ll put down a puppy pad since I already have some. 

My BH are more intense here in the third trimester for sure. 

Glad it was a false false alarm too @kbirchtree!

batmama31

@MRDCle, w/ my first, my water broke before contractions started, and it was just a trickle, so i drove myself to the hospital after putting on a pantyliner. 

i have given thought to what in the hell i will do if my water breaks at work. 😳 but this thread has already been most helpful in ways to prepare for many situations 😂

kangstadt

I don't remember if I put a towel down on the car ride last time or not, but my water didn't break on its own, it was broken by the doctor when I was fully dilated.  I'm hoping to labor at home longer this time so maybe I will end up having to use some of these tips! 

saucentoss

I got a waterproof mattress cover last time and while it didn't happen to me I'm still glad we have it.  

jessicaschafer8

I teach at an all boys high school and I have legit nightmares about my water breaking at work... 

TheSouffleGirl

Adding my voice to the people who fell on the statistically likely side of things:  doctor broke my water in labor. I do remember a pretty dramatic splashing noise as it hit the linoleum floor, though.

HGRich

@TheSouffleGirl haha! Mine was a bit dramatic too. The nurse who had her face down there checking things had a mask on, so she was fine, but it still broke suddenly and startled her so that she jumped and yelped. She definitely had to change her scrubs later. 😬

sister_c

@kbirchtree   Glad everything turned out OK!   I had a similar trip to L&D at 25 weeks.  It turned out to be something called irritable uterus which basically means you have a ton of Braxton Hicks but usually don't go into labor early (risk of preterm labor is double though).  Still having lots of Braxton Hicks but they either stop or slow down when I lie down so that always makes me feel better. I am so excited to make it to 34 weeks next week -  my understanding is that's the point where you can pretty much guarantee there won't be any long-term problems.

sister_c

Also – my water broke at 37 weeks with my first before I went into labor. It was a total surprise.   Luckily I was at home – it broke in my living room- and we have wood flooring

kaitykins

My water just trickled after I’d been in labor for 3+ of the 4+ days... I was changing into a gown to get checked for admission. 

tmblickley

With my first, mine was a trickle at 4 am, 5 am, and 6 am (which i thought at 37+ 7 was either snissing or i slightly peed myself while sleeping...pregnancy is glorious). I called the dr and they said to go to L&D to get checked b/c i was having a csection in two days anyway (breech).  As soon as I laid down and they put the monitor on, DD moved and gush! 

batmama31

I've read in a few different places that moms prefer to labor as long as possible at home before going to L&D. can I ask why? I was going to plan to do the same, but when my husband asked me why, I thought, "good question...." 

my next OB appt is tomorrow, so I'm going to ask my doc what the requirements are to be admitted to L&D when the time comes...

mrstmoose

@batmama31 most hospitals won't admit you until you've hit a certain point (for me, it was contractions every 5 minutes for an hour or water breaking). So going to L&D Triage numerous times when they won't admit you gets annoying. Because of that, most won't go until they absolutely have to.

jenbarrdoc

I tripped and fell on uneven sidewalk two days ago and went to the hospital in an ambulance. I was sent straight to Labor & Delivery. (Not at the hospital I am planning to give birth at since they do not have trauma intake. Of course living in big city know for Eds and Meds my planned hospital was only a block away.)

I was pretty shaken, but as soon as I felt baby move and heard his heartbeat I calmed down. However, I was having contractions. I didn't feel the majority of them but they were frequent enough, if not regular, for me to stay at the hospital for 24 hours observation. Thankfully the contractions stopped overnight and all the other tests were good - no dilation, long cervix, no blood, placenta and baby in place.

My lesson learned:
I need to slow down.
My husband is not good in hospitals (I sent him home overnight and to work).
All the staff there were amazing. 
I sleep best sitting up almost straight.
The short robe my husband brought instead of a night gown was the better choice. All the nurses said it was nicer and easier to get to all the monitors than even the regular hospital gowns.

Good luck to everyone that baby keeps baking and that you have good footing!

kangstadt

@batmama31, what @mrstmoose said, plus with my first I went as soon as I was having regular contractions and I feel like I would have been more comfortable laboring at home a bit.  They immediately had me hooked up to monitors and I had to remain in bed for almost all of my labor.  Now, I realize that hospitals have policies for a reason, and I'm glad they were monitoring DS to make sure everything was okay, but I do believe it was the reason I ended up with an epidural/episiotomy/forceps delivery.  This time, especially because we will have to figure the logistics of someone getting DS1 first, I'm hoping to be able to be at home for longer.

@jenbarrdoc, I'm glad everything turned out okay!  With the ice here, I've been terrified of having a car accident or slipping and breaking something.  If you don't mind sharing, what kind of robe do you have?  It might be nice to take my own robe instead of wearing a hospital gown...

cabearit

@jenbarrdoc Oh my gosh, how scary! I am so glad everything turned out okay. Every time I water my hanging plants, I think I should probably refrain from doing this now since my balance is so off, and yet I never ask for help. I think I will start now. 

HGRich

@batmama31 With DD it took two days for my contractions to become regular. I went to L&D once and was sent home, though I did get to use a yoga ball and the labor tub while I was there and it was kind of nice, but ultimately I’d rather be at home. This time I plan to not bother to go in until contractions are 5-7 minutes apart, so I can move around, eat, go to the bathroom, shower, whatever I want before I get hooked up to monitors. Unless I have to be induced, of course. It’s just more comfortable. 

katlarissa

@batmama31 to me, there’s just no reason to be in the hospital longer than you have to unless you or baby is high risk and NEEDS lots of extra monitoring from the very beginning of labor. (And I think that’s a rare scenario.) If you’re in the hospital, you won’t be allowed to move around, or eat, you’ll be hooked up with a needle in your arm, (spoiler: needle in arm and tube pulling is not conducive to handling contractions well,) and you WILL be more likely to receive medical interventions. All hospitals aren’t that way, and I know some are very labor friendly, but in my experience and with all the hospitals my friends have delivered in, the hospital and its policies weren’t really geared towards non-medicated labor. So it’s nice to stay home until you need to go (your OB will be able to tell you how many minutes between contractions he wants you to come in with - mine was 5-3.) 

rennie1108

This is probably a dumb question, but why do a lot of places not allow you to eat while in labor? Is it the chance of getting sick? I'm having a midwife delivery my LO (though it's still at a major university hospital so I can have more medical intervention if necessary), and they encourage eating. I can't imagine going without food for like 20 hours!

thatbaintforbetty

@batmama31 Contractions can start but never become regular or stop and start again. I’ve mentioned it before but I took a shower before heading to the hospital because I was told if you get in and relax and the contractions stop it’s not real labor and therefore a trip would have been unnecessary. Seeing as during rush hour I was an hour away from the hospital I was delivering at I wasn’t going to go in unless I knew it was time. Cause stuck in a car for an hour with contractions would have been pure hell on it own but especially if I would’ve had to turn around and go home. L&D usually has a phone number for if you think you’re in labor and can give guidance on what to do/when to come in. Labor is usually more a marathon than a sprint so most opt to be comfortable for as long as possible.