Preterm labor then full term delivery ?

Arielle27 · February 2012

Sorry in advance for the long story... Just very frustrated and hoping anyone has a similar experience to share!

With DS I had a very 'easy' (uncomplicated) pregnancy and delivered naturally at 39w4d.

This time everything has been so different! At 33 weeks I went to the hospital with contractions every 5 minutes. They were stopped with terbutaline. At 34 weeks I was admitted again for the same reason. They didn't want to administer more terb and found that I was not at all effaced or dilated, so they let me rest until the contractions slowed down and let me go home.

At 36 weeks, the contractions were 3 minutes apart and much stronger. I went to the hospital again. They kept me overnight, during which time I bled quite a lot, had effaced 60% and dilated to 2cm. After nearly 24 hours there though, my effacement was 100% and dilation 3cm, but contractions were slowing down. They offered me pitocin to speed things along, or said that I could go home and wait for things to happen naturally. I chose the second option. The doctor and nurses seemed to think I'd be back within a few hours, or definitely within 48 hours. They also thought that once it started back up it would happen VERY quickly.

Since being home, I've lost my mucous plug entirely and had days where I've had contractions every 5 minutes - but not strong enough to return to the hospital. At my doctor's appointmen last Thursday, he found that I was dilated and effaced exactly as much as I had been when I left the hospital.

Now it seems like nothing is happening, and I am so confused! My husband stayed home from work with me all last week but we decided that he should go back to work now that I am full term.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? The nurses and my doctor keep telling me how 'weird' it all is, which obviously doesn't help! I'm trying to live my life normally, but I am so on edge all the time!

lildevil968 · February 2012

Lurking...but with DD I went into PTL at 29 wks, and was on hospital bed rest until 36 wks due to being 3 cm's dilated, and 100% thinned. My DD was born at 37 wks 3 days. I stopped the terbutaline at 36 wks 1 day, and she was born that next week.

Damiensmommy45 · February 2012

I went through nearly the exact same thing just last yr. (my little girl is going to be about 1 yr apart from her older brother) I was in the hospital nearly every day leading up to the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. My OB was even determined I was going to deliver early. Stayed dialated 4cm for 2 whole weeks !! All I really heard was how strange it was. But thankfully he decided to come on his own the same day I was scheduled to be induced. Best of luck to you!!!

britglenn9 · February 2012

i had preterm labor problems during wk 31- was in the hospital twice- got terb once but then was on magnesium for 24 hours. i dilated to 1, not sure how much effacement but not a whole lot. contractions were 2-3 min apart and continued until i had been on mag for 8 hours! they were just about ready to fly me out to a hospital with a better NICU when they stopped. im only 36 and a half-ish weeks now but my cervix has not changed one bit more since that PTL scare back over 5 weeks ago! i had lots of BH but now it seems like im having even fewer! the little guy wont drop either which is really doing a number on my ribs. i kinda thought he'd be coming a little early, but man it seems like my body has stopped 'practicing' and is not contracting/effacing/dilating at all anymore!

i had severe back pain and cramps that wrapped around to the front on friday- just when i'd decided that i should probably go in and get looked at they stopped. and then i got an internal yesterday and still no further dilation or effacement! even with all those painful crampy (most likely) contractions! so im in a similar boat i guess, figuring im going to go the full 41 weeks.. or maybe he'll drop and everything will get going super fast, who knows! GL!

2dogmom · February 2012

With DD#1, I had contractions at 30 weeks landing me in the hospital for five days. I was terb and bed rest until 37 weeks. I got off terb and bed rest at 37 weeks and had to be induced at 38 (for other medical reasons, not the ptl).

With this pregnancy (currently 34w5d), I started having contractions and started terb at 17 weeks. I showed funneling at 22 and was put on bed rest. Now I'm on terb, progesterone shots and bed rest until 38 weeks...they'll give me a week to go on my own, then induce at 39. I have a sinking feeling that, despite all the cramping and contractiond I have daily, I will make it to my induction again. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than thankful to be/stay pregnant, since we started having issues at 17 weeks. But it is frustrating to go through so much to keep baby inside, then they don't want to come out! Best of luck to you sweetheart!

Arielle27 · February 2012

Thanks for all of the experiences!

Even though everyone kept saying how weird it all is, I figured I really cannot be the only one! I also think that stress has a lot to do with it... we just moved back to the states from abroad, we are currently trying to get a loan for a house while living with my father (not an uncomfortable situation by any means, but certainly not optimal at this point in my pregnancy with a 16 month old), etc. And then with all the painful contractions and lack of sleep due to painful contractions, etc., it just has not been easy to relax. But since I hit 37 week (i.e. the safe zone), I think I've really relaxed and it's helped the contractions.

I was 'SURE' I was going to go into labor before 37 weeks, and now I feel like I'll easily make it until 40!

emd2887 · February 2012

Another lurker here...I started going into pre-term labor at 31 weeks, and had to be on bed rest until 37 weeks because I was already 2cm dilated. They ended up inducing me at 39w4d because I kept on stalling out and was already 5cm.

Pumpkin62307 · February 2012

I hit a deer at 26 weeks and started contracting and have been ever since. I was checked a couple times in the week after it happened and wasn't dialating at all. Well, last Monday the contractions got to be about 3-4 minutes apart and I found myself breathing through them, so I went into the hospital. I was dialated to 4 and 80% effaced at 32 weeks 3 days. The gave my the steroid shot for the baby's lungs, a bunch of magnesium (awful stuff) and fluids, and put me in an ambulance to the nearest hospital with a NICU (two hours away). We were just praying to make it another 24 hours to get the second dose of steroids for the lungs, no one thought we'd get there.

Now, here I am over a week later, with the baby still inside, still dialated to 4, even after a few exciting nights of frequent and painful contractions. One doctor told me he had a woman at the same gestational age dialate to 5 and then deliver at 39 weeks!

So you're definitely not alone!! Hang in there!

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