Painless contractions...at what point do i go in??? advice please!
marissa422
member
First, short summary of my story---i'll be 33 weeks tomorrow. Im home on bedrest, i was just recently discharged from the hospital after being in there for a week..i went in because i was in pre-term labor - was on mag for 5 days and now am on procardia. My dr. said to go right to the hospital if i start feeling contractions 8-10 mins apart.
heres my dilemma---last night i had about 5 contractions 3-6 mins apart, so we started packing a bag and getting ready to go, i was so unsure about weather to go or not because they're completely painless (which they always have been, even when i got sent to the hospital in pre-term) so i decided to call the on-call dr first. by that time 20 mins had passed and i hadnt felt any. So he said just to drink some fluids. So i did just that. Its so hard to base what to do when i dont feel pain, just watch my stomach get big and hard, usually only on the bottom left or right. Last night i felt about 5 of them before they stopped so after how many should i say, ok i better go. It also scares me because i could literally sleep right through these! (i also read online of people being on procardia and not feeling contractions!; i know, too much time on my hands :P)
any advice??
Re: Painless contractions...at what point do i go in??? advice please!
As of last Saturday, I'm also home on bed rest (and on 20mg of Procardia every 6 hours) after having those painless contractions. I still feel a few contractions a day and I'm sure there is more uterine activity that I'm probably not feeling. My doctor said to call/go in if I feel more than 5-6 contractions in an hour or if the contractions change (I'm assuming this means become more intense or painful). In my case, I'm pregnant with twins and they won't do anything more to stop labor at this point if it happens.
I agree that for your own peace of mind that you should call or go in to the hospital if you are in doubt about what to do. Don't worry about bothering the doctor or the hospital - that's what they are there for.
thanks everyone, you're all right..better safe than sorry! however, ill wait till they are continuous. i guess if im just having a few then they stop that i wont worry about it.
gin7914-funny how similar we are! minus the twins, im only smuggling one in there :P and im not sure, but am under the impression that if i go into labor they also wont stop it since they already were able to put it off for a week on the mag. Dr. said at this point, they've done everything and if i start contracting again that its saying something...so i guess knowing that i can go at anytime now is a little scary!
also did anyone have the fetal fibronectin test? i got that last week and it came back positive - i know a positive result is inconclusive but also prepares that we COULD deliver within the next two weeks. so im wondering if because of my already pre term labor and everything else, if it really will happen sooner than later...
I have "silent labor" too. This is my second baby and the first time, I went to the hospital because I felt 'weird' and was 8 cm dilated. By the time I got to the hospital I had to breath through the contractions even though I wouldn't call it painful.
I was in the hospital last week for pre-term labor but it stopped after be re-hydrated. The advice I got from a nurse that has helped me is if I am getting contractions to take 2 tylenol and have a hot bath or shower and lie down. The real thing will keep going and get stronger but false labor with slow and stop. It has worked so far. I also have to take an ambulance back to the hospital in case I don't make it all the way there.
I am just waiting till I know for sure I am in labor and then calling 911.
I had the ffn test at 28 weeks and it was positive. I am now 34wks.
I wouldn't put too much stock in the ffn test. my friend got a + ssn at 27 weeks w/ both her pg and made it to 38 weeks with both of them.
As for contractions my ob said to go in if I had more than 5 in one hour even if they were painless. At least I would call if I were having that many and see what they want you to do. When you start feeling them drink some more fluids and get off your feet.