small worry last night, PTL ?

brevans02

As I was getting ready for bed last night, I do what I normally do, and lay quietly for a few minutes w/ my hand on my belly feeling baby. After a few minutes, I felt a hardening of my uterus. I assumed it was a BH contraction - I've actually never felt one, as far as I know I didn't have them when I was pregnant w/ dd. So I laid there a bit longer and about 8-10 minutes later it happened again.

That got my attention a little, so I stayed up a bit longer just to see what would happen. Within half an hour, I'd felt it happen 4 times. They weren't painful, and in fact, had I not had my hand on my belly the first time, I'm not sure I'd have even noticed they were happening. Once I knew what to expect, I'd say I felt maybe a little "twinge" that accompanied the start of the tightening.

I went online to see how many BH contractions per hour were "normal", and found that if you feel 4-6/hour you should call your doctor. That got me worried. After talking w/ dh and having him feel my belly both "at rest" and during one of the contractions, I ended up calling the Ask-A-Nurse line for our hospital system. After asking me a bunch of PTL questions, they determined that since they were happening 5-10 minutes apart but only lasting 15-30 seconds and I wasn't having pain/pressure/vaginal discharge, I should call my doctor.

It's now 10:30pm. I ended up talking to an OB nurse at the local hospital's L/D floor. She told me to lie down, drink some water (I'd already done both) and give it another hour unless they pick up in frequency or I experience any discharge - then come in right away for monitoring. Of course, after I spoke w/ her, they pretty much went away - I stayed up another 45 minutes and only felt one more contraction, so I went to sleep.

This morning, I haven't noticed any more of them, but my lower abdomen feels...sore? Sort of gas pain sore, but not really. Not sure what exactly the origin is - very possibly gas.

My question for you ladies that are either dealing w/ PTL issues now or have in the past is this. Are contractions that are a sign of PTL usually uncomfortable? How do you know when to get checked out? Honestly, I think had my dh not suggested Ask-a-nurse, I'd probably have driven into town and asked to be monitored. Like I said, I may never have even been aware of these had I not been feeling my belly for baby movement at the time. The nurses seemed more concerned about fluid leaking, which would definitely concern me too, but ideally, one would realize there was a problem and get the contractions stopped BEFORE something like that happened. Right?

kimmarie1105

I know exactly how you feel. I have ben experiencing braxton hicks for a couple of weeks now. The other day they were 3 minutes apart and accompanied by minor cramping. My dr sent me to hospital where I was monitored and checked. My contractions were in fact 3 min apart but very mild. I had no cervical changes whatsoever, so they discharged me. Doctor is checking my cervix again next week. He has told me not to worry unless they have a pattern, last 30 sec or more and are uncomfortable. In the meantime, Im sitting and relaxing as much as possible and drinking a ton of water. Im sorry I have no other advice. Im a FTM so this is all new to me. Keep your feet up and keep yourself hydrated! Good luck!

Ooglybear

Are you drinking enough water? If I was concerned about BH contractions, my first action would be to chug a bunch of water and rest. 

Good luck! 

brevans02

Ooglybear:

Are you drinking enough water? If I was concerned about BH contractions, my first action would be to chug a bunch of water and rest. 

Good luck! 

Thanks - yes - I had 3 glasses while this was all going on last night. And I'm sitting here at work with my big ol' refillable glass as well. I know I'll definitely be more on top of the water drinking now!

JSS1002

I literally just hung up the phone with the on call doc at my clinic and came here to post - -I've been having BH off and on all ngiht and already this morning.  I also was told the 4X / hr rule.  I'm waiting for DH to get up and shower and then we're heading into the hospital to have them monitor / check my cervix. 

Mine are not painful, but they are frequent.

Good luck!

JordynLeighx3

Im carrying twins so my ob said this was normal at this stage but I'm having them all day every day. Probably 4 an hour. The Braxton hicks take my breath away but they aren't painful.

I've also noticed that when baby stretches/pushes out my stomach feels that tightening feeling just like a braxton hicks would BUT only where baby is..if you feel other parts of my tummy it's soft and squishy.

kelsea1031

I've been dealing with PTL issues since 15 weeks. My contractions, which have been actually progressing me, were definitely painful and felt just like my true labor contractions with my DD. It's different for everyone, but for me, these ctx feel totally different from BH. When my issues first started, I had contractions that wouldn't go away no matter what I tried and were coming consistently for hours. They gradually got closer together and more intense. My real contractions have been very low and deep in my pelvis, just like menstrual cramps. The BH I've had in the past were always higher and were more towards the 'surface'...if that makes sense! I've noticed a serious increase in discharge every time I've had an 'episode.'

For me, the decision to get checked out was part gut feeling and part medical history. I had just had surgery and been treated for hydronephrosis, both of which warranted getting checked out asap. But I'm definitely in the 'better safe than sorry' camp. If you think you need to get check out, then do it! I'd rather worry about nothing. Fingers crossed they are just some uncomfortable BH!