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March 2013 Moms
ehgraf80
member
Question for STM (and maybe FTM more knowledgable than myself?)
ehgraf80
member
I have had a few episodes of premature labor due to stress/dehydration- one at 31 weeks and one at 35 weeks. I'm almost 36 weeks and I've been having pretty frequent contractions lately (I would not say they are Braxton Hicks because they are spaced evenly and quite frequent). My question is- what is the order of events when labor starts? I realize this is likely not a "one size fits all" question. I've heard very few women have their water break (less than 10%). So does real labor begin with contractions? Abdominal pain/cramping? Bleeding/spotting? Mucus plus discharge? I just want to know if I should be more concerned about my contractions or if I should just wait until one of the other "symptoms" shows up before taking the contractions seriously.
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Re: Question for STM (and maybe FTM more knowledgable than myself?)
Contractions- once they are timeable, rhythmic and increasing in occurance/strength you need to call the doctor. I just had this conversation with my OB today and she said it's all about the contractions (well, and your water breaking but that's not as common). If you do start bleeding/spotting and you haven't had any internals recently or a history of bleeding, that's also a red flag to call your doctor also.
At the end of the day, if you're concerned call. That's why we pay them an ungodly amount of money- to ensure our and LO's safety and answer any/all questions, no matter how trivial they seem.
My water broke first which happened at the same time I lost my mucus plug and had my "blood show" (more like a very very slight pink on the tp when I wiped), then contractions started about 45 minutes later. They were intense from the start, felt like menstrual cramps and started at about 8 minutes apart from the get go. They got progressively stronger and closer together over the next hour and a half, I called the doctor when they were about 3 minutes apart and we headed to the hospital, I was only 3 cm dilated when I got there but delivered another two hours later.
So I'd say just relax at home (as much as you can) and call your OB if they get stronger and are about 5 minutes apart, that's usually when you're in "active labor" aka when they will admit you to the hospital. Sometimes you won't lose your mucus plug, have your water break, or have a bloody show...so for you I would definitely go on the intensity of the contractions and how far apart they are are and how long they last.
DS1 -6/25/11
DS2 -3/23/13
Missed MC D&C 8/26/14
DD - 8/26/15
LO#4 due 5/30/17
I asked my OB this question yesterday and she also said contractions that can be timed. She basically said to remember 511:
5-1-1 = 5 minutes of 1 minute long contractions lasting for 1 hour period.
It's different for everyone. I had contractions that were 5-1-1 up to 3-1-1 for three weeks before my son came. They were strong but weren't painful to me at all. For me I felt 100% fine until my water broke. Even then I felt fine. I was laughing and joking up until pushing.
My OB told me two different things- the first pregnancy she told me "Come back when your water breaks or you want to kill your husband." The second pregnancy she told me "Don't come in until your contractions are strong enough that you can't say a complete sentence without stopping. They can be 5-1-1 for a while and mean nothing."