If you've been on the contraction monitor...
Last Sunday I was in L&D for contractions. After staying overnight their frequentcy dissipated, and I never did dilate. Anyhow, the contraction monitor has a range of about 0-100, presumably measuring severity. My contractions probably averaged around the 50 mark. Prior to discharge I even registered several contractions that peaked out at 100.
My OB told me not to come back to L&D until I was basically crying through my contrax. It just seems to me that I have probably experienced real enough contractions since they registered so highly on the hospital monitors, right? It seems to me that I might have a higher pain tolerance than he recognized. I'm afraid, since I have to have a c/s, to stay at home waiting for contractions that make me nearly cry. What do you think? I mean, contractions that were off the charts on the hospital monitor can't be THAT weak, right?
Tell me your experience...
Re: If you've been on the contraction monitor...
I hate machines. Never put 100% trust in machines. Your body will tell you when it's the real thing.
I have some pretty gnarly BH contactions that could easily register "100" on those machines.
Pregnancy # 6
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If you are having a c-section, don't you have a date set already? Why would you have to wait for timeable contractions? That doesn't make ANY sense...
Like PP said, the monitor doesn't gauge the "severity" of contractions. It is measuring pressure, and that doesn't necessarily need to correspond with what you are feeling. Also, you could be monitored a different time and find your contractions on the monitor to be in different ranges, it also has to do with where it is placed on your belly that it could give a different range each time. For example you could have contractions that register as starting at 0, and then be monitored again and have ones that start at 20. It doesn't mean that they are starting at a more "painful" level. When judging contractions from a monitor (for example when a woman has such a powerful epidural that she can't feel them at all) they are looking at the pattern that they create, not the numbers. Different stages of labor typically produce different patterns of contractions.
About what your OB said though.... that sounds ridiculous. Some women "loose it" earlier in labor than others, crying is not an accurate way to gauge labor progress. You should go by frequency, length and intensity that you feel. There is no reason that you need to be crying to know that they are getting stronger. With great support and by using different positions and comfort measures hopefully you will never get to that point in labor where you are just crying from pain. Pain can be managed by many means.
Not sure how far along OP is but she's probably not having her c/s until around 39 weeks - if she's starts having bad contractions it still means a posisble trip to L&D....
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I didn't go into labor last time so take this with a grain of salt - but when I was on pitocin and having some contractions I barely noticed unless someone read the machine.
I would necessarily wait for tears either - I would pay more attention to the timing and whether they've increased in strength.
I had a rather similar visit to L&D earlier this week. When the doctor sent me out, he didn't say anything about waiting for the pain to be more intense, but rather different. Basically, what I was experiencing at that time wasn't causing me to dilate and I needed to wait for different contractions that would. The vagueness of the whole thing makes me nervous since I'm an hour and half away, but it's helping me ignore the current contractions.
That may not help you, but at least you know you're not alone w/ this is waiting game.
The Toco monitors are not an accurate way to measure the severity of contractions. The only true way to measure the severity is if they place an internal monitor. But you can use a general rule of thumb that was taught to me in nursing school. During your contraction feel how hard your uterus is, then compare it to your chin, nose and forehead, see which one feels similar. If it is like your chin they consider those to be milder, nose it moderate and your forehead is considered severe.
Good Luck, I hope that helps.
I agree with above...I was in labor and delivery yesterday (because I thought my water had broken) and was having really strong contractions that I wasn't even feeling. The nurse said it could be a lack of fat (...I didn't think that was possible when you are pregnant, but yay!). She told me when I was sent home that I really need to start counting contractions, but I'm not sure how I can when I'm not even feeling all of them. I have heard when you are in real labor, you will definately know for sure. I guess we'll know for sure in a few weeks!