Frustrated by Braxton Hicks!

Lil Kate · February 2013

I posted about this last week so sorry but I am still a bit worried. I went to the doctor for BH that continued pretty much from 6pm until after I fell asleep. They checked me the next day and all was fine with my cervix and was not dialated. Now a week later it happened again yesterday. It was basically all day on and off BH, not painful but pretty consistent. I am now confused as to when I should call the doctor. All I keep hearing is you need to be on the lookout for preterm labor and get treatment early but my doctor said this is fine. They are not painful but the nurse from my insurance said even if they are not painful eventually they will start dialating me if they happen all the time. When do I call the doctor....really don't want them to think I am the neurotic pregnant woman. FWIW, I never experienced any labor with my other 2 pregnancies...I was scheduled c-sections.

Missa_g · February 2013

Be the mom who advocates for herself and her babies...Call and get checked! Who cares what they think or how many times its nbd? You would forever kick yourself if something were to happen and you didn't call because you were afraid they would think you were neurotic. Please, take it from me.

mirnb · February 2013

I agree to be on top of it and call your Dr if ANYTHING changes but I had an average of 6 BHs every hour I was up from about 30 weeks till I delivered at 38 weeks...I never dialated until 37weeks 4 days....some people just have irritable uterus. I was seen by my dr once a week and once a week at hospital for NSTs also.

aahix · February 2013

Trust your instincts and call when you feel it's not right. Like the others said, who cares what they say/think about it! You need to do what's right for you and your babies, and I would always rather be safe now than sorry later. FWIW, my doc says that if I have 6 in an hour, OR if they are increasing in intensity, he wants/needs to know about it.

raraavis28 · February 2013

It might be a good idea to write down the times when you get each contraction. I also had an irritable uterus and had BH all the time starting at 18 weeks, to the point where I started ignoring them. When I started writing down the times it not only gave my OB a good idea of what was going on, but it gave me a sort of "baseline" as to what was normal for me, and then helped me to decide to go into L&D when I noticed a change.....like the evening that I was getting them consistently 7 minutes apart. I totally agree w/ PP too; if you feel like something is off, call the doctor! No one knows your body like you do, and who cares what anyone thinks? If the doctors and nurses are doing their job right they should never make you feel bad for being careful, especially when carrying multiples.

Mrs.Paws · February 2013

I'm one of those people who also has a ton of them. With my singleton, they started at 16 weeks. I went In for a few extra ultrasounds between weeks 17 and 22, but they never caused me to dilate. I was induced at 41 weeks and was not even fingertip dilated.

Now with twins, I'm also,having a ton. Two weeks ago I also started getting cramps that felt like my period. Turns out I was going into pre-term labor and was 1cm dilated. I was almost 29 weeks at that point.

Once they stopped the productive contractions, they'll told me I would have BH until the end. Sure enough I still have plenty. Sometimes five an hour. But, those aren't dilating me more -- at least not yet.

I would ask to be more closely monitored until they are comfortable that these aren't dilating you. My cervix also shrunk in the week or two before this all happened. Some people just have a bunch. But you are right to make sure that for you they aren't causing problems. My doctor took them very seriously, even with my singleton.

elizabeth0705 · February 2013

This happened to me. I had a great, uneventful pregnancy up until 25 weeks, at which point I started having contractions all the time. I went to the hospital three times. All three times I had a negative fibronectin test and no change in my cervix. That said, the doctors were very concerned and put me on modified bed rest from 25 weeks until 35 weeks. They also monitored me much more frequently (I was seen once a week by the OB or the MFM, and had an ultrasound every other week). I came very close to having steroid shots (for the babies' lung development) around 32 weeks when my cervical length started to shorten, but ended up not having them due to the negative fibronectin test.

All that being said, I delivered via planned c-section at 37.5 weeks. I am not sure if the bed rest helped or not, but I'm glad it forced me to take it easy for the second half of my pregnancy! In retrospect, I was really overdoing it and not drinking enough water. The contractions made me pay attention to all of that more carefully.

ETA: I was never dilated from the contractions, but my cervical length did eventually start to shorten around 30ish weeks.

Lil Kate · February 2013

Thanks

i entered up going into the doctor again. Everything looks good my cervix is still closed so I go back next week for a cervical Length. They think I'm going to continue to have them throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

Ann003 · February 2013

Lil Kate:
Thanks i entered up going into the doctor again. Everything looks good my cervix is still closed so I go back next week for a cervical Length. They think I'm going to continue to have them throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

I would ask your doctor when you should call in about the contractions you are having. I had two episodes where I went to L&D and my cervix remained stable and closed despite having regular contractions (every five minutes). The week after my 2nd visit, I had an u/s and my cervix had shortened from 3.6 to 2.8 cm. The contractions I had that week felt "normal" to me. My docs admitted me to the hospital, at which point my contractions started getting stronger. I got steroid shots, but thankfully my cervix stayed the same. I was having contractions every 2 minutes for 2 days. My docs put me on modified bed rest, thinking the reduced activity would quiet my uterus (which it has). They gave me Procardia to take as needed and said that any contractions stronger than what I felt in the hospital merited a call. I'm glad they gave me that guideline because I have contractions every single day. I think it's always better to be pro-active and overly cautious about these things.

raraavis28 · February 2013

Lil Kate:
Thanks i entered up going into the doctor again. Everything looks good my cervix is still closed so I go back next week for a cervical Length. They think I'm going to continue to have them throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

Glad everything's OK! Take it easy mama! (as much as you can w/ two other LOs;)

annaleigh80 · February 2013

I had these starting around 23 weeks but never produced any cervical change. My cervix did start to shorten a bit starting around 30 weeks but the doctor told me that was completely normal as your cervix should start to slowly shorten after 28 weeks of gestation in preparation for labor. I was around 1cm dialated at 36 weeks which again is normal for pregnancy. Hope that helps and just know you can call the doctors if you are concerned.

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