Laboring for days

khammond3 · April 2014

Wednesday night around 8 pm I started having contractions every 9 min. I didn't sleep at all that night and all day Thursday was laboring. Went to the hospital with contractions every 3 min but they still would not admit me bc I was only 3 cm still and apparently not in "active labor". Came home and all last night had contractions every 5-6 min apart. They are picking back up in intensity this morning. Didn't sleep again last night. Honestly I don't know how much more I can take. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. Has anyone labored this long before? I feel like it will never end

WifeofaComposer · April 2014

I labored for 3 days with Skippy, 37 hours of it were "active" labor. It does suck the energy right out of you, but there's really nothing the doctors and nurses can do about it. If your water breaks, then you will be admitted without hesitation, but until then, contractions do not signify immediate attention. Trust your medical team.

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

Have you tried taking anything to help you sleep? Like a Tylenol pm or a benadryl?

pdilly2b · April 2014

Taking a warm bath, with a glass of wine if you are comfortable with that, may quiet things down long enough to let you get some rest too. My labor with DS was really long. I know it sucks. Hang in there.

Serenla · April 2014

I'm going to second the wine and a long bath if you can.

khammond3 · April 2014

Rrrrrachel said:
Have you tried taking anything to help you sleep? Like a Tylenol pm or a benadryl?

Yes I did last night but with painful contractions coming every 5-6 min it just woke me right up. I'm miserable

khammond3 · April 2014

WifeofaComposer said:
I labored for 3 days with Skippy, 37 hours of it were "active" labor. It does suck the energy right out of you, but there's really nothing the doctors and nurses can do about it. If your water breaks, then you will be admitted without hesitation, but until then, contractions do not signify immediate attention. Trust your medical team.

Did you know it was time because contractions were closer together? I wish they could just break my water for me. I knew labor would be tough but man I underestimated it. Props to all you mommies out there who have done this before!

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

Long labors are hard in a way short, intense labors just aren't. Sorry

. I'm sure you've tried walking. That's how my water broke with my daughter, I was taking a walk trying to get things to pick up andi went up this little hill and *sploosh!*. Things went very quickly after that.

amhah09 · April 2014

I did. I labored off and on for a week. 6-8 hours every night with ctx anywhere from 5-10 min apart and then they would stop.

My actual labor I think started on Wednesday night about 10:30. I had ctx all night and all through the day Thursday. I went to work Thursday expecting them to eventually stop like they'd been doing. They didn't. They were consistent but like 10-15 min so not nearly close enough. I went into the office to get checked and was 4 cm and had her strip my membranes because I was so sick of daily (nightly) ctx. I went back to work. Thursday night a little more intense and more like 8-10 min apart all night. Again all day Friday.

Friday evening they started getting closer together like 5-7 min but never under 5. I called the MW anyway because they were starting to get pretty intense (definitely manageable but still intense). She still wanted me to wait until 3-5 min apart. About midnight they has been 4-6 min apart for a couple hours so I called the MW and we started to head in. But then on the way there they spaced back to 8-10 min. Called the MW back and told her I was going to hold off on coming in. She suggested Benadryl or Tylenol PM to get some sleep. I took some TPM as soon as I got home but then instantly my ctx were more intense and back to 4-6 min apart. I still tried to sleep a few hours on the couch with no real success. I kept waking up to the ctx. I finally woke DH up and called the MW back and told her I was more comfortable going into the hospital at this point.

We got to hospital at 4 am and I was 6 cm and fully effaced. My ctx stayed 4-6 min apart until I was 8+ cm. DD2 was born at 12:16 Saturday.

So long story short, yes. I labored for days. My ctx weren't very close together for the first couple days but I consistently had ctx from Wednesday night until Saturday afternoon when DD2 was born.

WifeofaComposer · April 2014

khammond3 said:

I labored for 3 days with Skippy, 37 hours of it were "active" labor. It does suck the energy right out of you, but there's really nothing the doctors and nurses can do about it. If your water breaks, then you will be admitted without hesitation, but until then, contractions do not signify immediate attention. Trust your medical team.
Did you know it was time because contractions were closer together? I wish they could just break my water for me. I knew labor would be tough but man I underestimated it. Props to all you mommies out there who have done this before!

@khammond3 - I didn't know I was actually in labor until I started having the runs and leaking water at the same time. I just thought it was typical late pregnancy misery. I was 3 days past due at that point.

MissWhis · April 2014

I started with contractions like you described on a Sunday night - but didn't realize they were contractions (I was only 34 weeks). I had them on and off through the week until Friday when I was admitted to the hospital for threatened preterm labor. At that point the contractions were coming every 1 to 2 minutes and I was in a LOT of pain. I was given a few different medications to stop labor - none of which worked completely. I spent the week on hospital bed rest, taking Procardia , and having contractions every 8 minutes with very painful cramping throughout the time between contractions. I was definitely physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted, but we were trying our best to get her to 36 weeks. The last 48 hours before the c-section they were giving me 15 mg of oxycodone every 3 hours because I was in so much pain. So, by the time my daughter was born last Friday I had been having labor pain and symptoms for just under two weeks. It was horrible. The upside is that it's made the pain of c-section recovery feel "good" in comparison!

adheaton1387 · April 2014

I'm in this boat. My body can't decide when it wants to crank up- I've been waking with contractions 10 minutes apart at night and not sleeping. During the day if I'm up and around I will have them 7-10 minutes apart but as soon I sit down or lay down (if it's daylight) they stop. I've still been getting my normal bh's too and it's so frustrating because I feel like I'm getting no where. I'm not going to the hospital until I know it's go time, so the past week has really messed with my mind and emotions. Im 39 weeks today and so very ready for this fella to pick his birth date and get this ball rolling!

RedDawnsRevenge · April 2014

This is my 3rd straight week of false labour. It's incredibly irritating. Unfortunately I cannot be induced d/t h/o c/s. I have tried every OWT to try to get her out minus the castor oil. I did that 3 times with DD and I'm not going there ever again.

sf214902 · April 2014

I just delivered on 4/1 after a 46 hour labor. It begain with a leak in the outer sac, continued into contractions every 5-8 minutes on Sunday. I labored all day Monday with the same contraction cycle and at 7ish went to the hospital. We we're discharged at 11 saying to go home and rest since I was 90% effaced but only 2cm. At 3am, we were back in l&d. From there if was the slowest/hardest 18 hours remaning of labor. Eventually, I had an epi at the 38 hour mark...I had to rest and so did baby. Poor guy was in distress. An hour before pushing I had them turn off the epi (I always planned on going natural). Three and a half hours later we delivered. Long/hard labors can test your will! In the end it was all worth it!

rachelrae214 · April 2014

I get them bad too. I chug water and they go away that's how I know it's not the real deal.

snappyK · April 2014

Thank you to everyone who posted in this thread. God, I needed to see this.

My water broke Tuesday at 4:30 am. My midwife and doula had both said to wait until my contractions were 5 min apart before going in, even if my water broke. So I waited and bounced in a birth ball and took walks and all sorts of things for two days trying to get my contractions up. I got as far as really painful minute and a half contractions, but only got to 10ish minutes apart, and not regular. But at 40 hours since my water broke I went ahead and went to L and D.

They didn't believe me that my water had broken. (I'm sticking to my story.) they did a couple of exams and had me do some laps. Said I was 90% effaced but only 2cm. They sent me home. I think the exams and the laps irritated my uterus or something because I proceeded to have a VERY rough night. But the contractions died down eventually, and they've been less terrible but still not progressing the last two days.

Today's my due date. I was expecting to go past it, until this while episode started, anyway. At this point I'm uncomfortable and intermittently in pain, but the worst is that my family is totally up my ass about this and won't stop asking me what's going on and why I'm not doing X, Y or Z. It's hard to stay chill and zen when everyone is second guessing you and giving you "advice" constantly.

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