- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
April 2012 Moms
Mamasaurus
member
Prodromal labor is bullsh*t!
Mamasaurus
member
As I posted earlier, I woke up to my bloody show this morning. Around 12:30, I got a really wicked contraction. I got all excited and started doing preparatory things like starting a load of laundry to make sure I had my favorite nightgown clean to labor in at night, and still having contractions about 15 minutes apart, I took a nap around 1:30.
At 2, I was awakened by what felt like a volcano going off inside my body, and then the contractions were 10 minutes apart. I couldn't sleep anymore and just tried to rest. But, by 4:00, they were milder and back to 20 minutes apart. By 5, they were totally gone, although my underpants were a mess because I kept getting more bloody show with every contraction.
After my "dinner break," they came back, really strong and in the front, in my back, my thighs, and who knows where else--I am hurting in places I didn't know I had! So, since about 8:00 tonight, I have been having these really strong, erratic contractions. 12 minutes apart, then 5 apart, then 8, then 5 again, and now it's about 20 minutes between them. They are a little less intense, and I bet they are going to disappear (hopefully for more than just a few hours) again pretty soon. My doula says this just happens sometimes, and I should try to relax and let my body do what it's going to do.
My plan is to try to sleep (in a pad because this is way messier than I anticipated) tonight and call my doula again in the AM to see what she thinks, and maybe also my midwife to see what she thinks, too. My main worry is that I will have a few days of this crap, and since bouncing on my ball or walking around is all that will help the pain, I will be too tired when "real" labor happens. If this starts all over again in a few more hours, I am so screwed. In my childbirth class, I decided that my motivation would be to remind myself that every contraction is going to get me closer to holding my baby. I can't tell myself that now, because this isn't full-on labor. It's just prodromal labor. I am sure these contractions are doing something, but I know people can have this for days and days before they are anywhere near ready to push. I was not prepared to deal with this level of pain for it to NOT get me my baby. I have to think of some way to get OK with this fast, because I am wasting a lot of energy being angry about it right now, and that's not going to help me rest, either. I'm worried I will just be exhausted when she finally comes and pass out like a drunk instead of bonding with her and enjoying all those firsts, like the first time she sees her father and the first time she poops.
Anyhow, that's my update. I'm sorry if any of you other mamas are "enjoying" prodromal labor, too. Hopefully nobody else is dealing with this bullsh*t and you get right to the good stuff!
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Prodromal labor is bullsh*t!
Oh man! I was hoping you'd be in active labor by now... as I'm sure you were hoping as well. I hope you get some rest and that things start getting consistent for you soon. It can't be too much longer!
I'm probably in the same boat as you. Having moderately painful contractions every 1-3 min for the past 3 hours. Spoke with OB and she told me to wait it out until they're really intense but I feel like I'm just going to lay down and fall asleep and wake up in the morning with nothing... and then probably cry.
So ready for this to be done!
Ugh, the inconsistency of early labor. I hated that SO much. I sat around all excited because I thought that I was going to meet my baby that day...but then they got super sporadic and she didn't end up coming until 2 days later.
As my MW said (as I was screaming "I'm just fvking frustrated!") birth's second mission is to aggravate the sht out of you so that you'll be even more determined to get that baby out.
Really, really hope it happens for you really soon. Although I had that 2 days of early labor, I had her not long after my bloody show. I think the BS is a really good indicator that you're about to meet your baby pretty soon.
Update when you can!
I've been having that for the past week and a half. Twice i started cleaning, setting aside what I was wearing to the hospital, etc. We even moved up my DS's birthday dinner. It sucks.
I agree with Harper's Mom, i've read that prodomal labor is your body trying to get the baby into a better position for labor. Hope since you posted the real thing has started for you!
DS - 7.2006 - C-Section b/c Breech
DS2 - 4.2008 - Successful Vbac
DD - 5.2012 - Successful Vbac
I don't think so? For most of the day yesterday, I could feel and even see her back, and it was facing my navel. She's vertex and apparently in a good position. Now that I have slept and am having many fewer contractions, she's facing the side again, but for most of the day yesterday, she was exactly how I was told she's supposed to be.
At least the prodromal labor is better today, so far. I am having contractions, but they are less intense and no closer than an hour apart so far. Hopefully if they get back to ever 5 minutes, it will be real labor and not an exercise in frustration.