June '14 L&D Questions Thread

LKHoffa · May 2014

2 questions! Does delivering the placenta hurt? 2nd question- Do they push on your stomach to move the uterus after delivery? (I heard that a few times but wasn't sure!) Does that hurt?

diagonalley · May 2014

LKHoffa said:
2 questions! Does delivering the placenta hurt? 2nd question- Do they push on your stomach to move the uterus after delivery? (I heard that a few times but wasn't sure!) Does that hurt?

Delivering the placenta didn't hurt...just kinda icky cause a lot of fluids are coming out, too. They pushed on my stomach, but it didn't hurt.

efino87 · May 2014

ChristineBaker23 I am in the same boat! I don't feel contractions the way you are supposed to. Last time my water broke and that was the reason I went in. The contractions were never super painful for me and I dilated quickly. Having a baby in the car has been my biggest fear all pregnancy since we live 30 minutes away and I have been contracting on and off for more than a week. The nurse told me not to come in until I am in unbearable pain, my water breaks or I lose my plug. My only suggestion is to just pay really close attention to your body and don't be afraid to go in if you think things are changing.

ChristineBaker23 · May 2014

efino87 said:
ChristineBaker23 I am in the same boat! I don't feel contractions the way you are supposed to. Last time my water broke and that was the reason I went in. The contractions were never super painful for me and I dilated quickly. Having a baby in the car has been my biggest fear all pregnancy since we live 30 minutes away and I have been contracting on and off for more than a week. The nurse told me not to come in until I am in unbearable pain, my water breaks or I lose my plug. My only suggestion is to just pay really close attention to your body and don't be afraid to go in if you think things are changing.

Thanks for the reply! Starting about 3 am this morning I was having contractions that were painful but not unbearable about five minutes apart. They went on like this until about 8 am. But they weren't that painful! I feel like my body is being a horrible tease this time around! I have still been having contractions throughout the day some with pain some without and sometimes I only notice because I put my hand on my belly and notice how tight it is. I wish my water would just break so I would know! I have started to notice almost every time I have a contraction I "wet" my panties (not pee). My husband is avoiding me now because all this uncertainty is making me very irritable lol. Does anyone think that could be amniotic fluid? My OB is not on call this weekend and I just really don't want to go in unless it's for real and we don't have a nurse hotline you just get directed to l&d (small town). Oh I am 38 weeks but baby measures about 39+ so I am definitely at the any day now stage. My first was born at 39 weeks.

ElTrain5 · May 2014

@ChristineBaker23‌ if your contracting regularly and leaking with each contraction I would definitely call your ob on call number.

ChristineBaker23 · May 2014

ElTrain5 said:
@ChristineBaker23‌ if your contracting regularly and leaking with each contraction I would definitely call your ob on call number.

The contractions are very sporadic and not timeable and the leaking only happens sometimes

I do have this impending sense of doom though. Like baby could happen today. I'm probably just overthinking things. I just want someone to shove their hand up my vag and tell me what the eff is going on in there!! (I would do it myself but I can't even see the bottom of my belly let alone reach my own cervix ha!)

Edit to clarify: they were timeable at 3am but since about 7am they have become sporadic.

elsa1688 · May 2014

ElTrain5 said:
@ChristineBaker23‌ if your contracting regularly and leaking with each contraction I would definitely call your ob on call number.

Wss.

lest12 · May 2014

The leaking is what would make me call or go in. It kind of sounds like your water broke, no?

ChristineBaker23 · May 2014

lest12 said:
The leaking is what would make me call or go in. It kind of sounds like your water broke, no?

See that's what I'm afraid of. Ugggg. Hanging with the in laws right now and pretending not to have mild contractions so they don't flip out. If the leaking is still happening in an hour or so I will go in or call. Is it possible for it to be amniotic fluid if it's not constant?

jshrop · May 2014

MommyP710 said:

whoberry said:
So once the baby's head comes out is it like instant relief? Or do you still feel a lot of pain as the rest of the body comes out? Once the whole baby is out do you pretty much stop being in pain?

eta: fixin' my po' gramma
A bit of a relief, but I still had another push to get the rest of his body out. Then it was instant relief. I tore but couldn't even feel it.

For me it was mostly relief (like 90%). I also had to push once more to get her body out but the ring of fire is gone.

elsa1688 · May 2014

ChristineBaker23 said:

lest12 said:
The leaking is what would make me call or go in. It kind of sounds like your water broke, no?
See that's what I'm afraid of. Ugggg. Hanging with the in laws right now and pretending not to have mild contractions so they don't flip out. If the leaking is still happening in an hour or so I will go in or call. Is it possible for it to be amniotic fluid if it's not constant?

We are not doctors. I think of you are leaking anything, you should call your doctor.

ChristineBaker23 · May 2014

elsa1688 said:

ChristineBaker23 said:

lest12 said:
The leaking is what would make me call or go in. It kind of sounds like your water broke, no?
See that's what I'm afraid of. Ugggg. Hanging with the in laws right now and pretending not to have mild contractions so they don't flip out. If the leaking is still happening in an hour or so I will go in or call. Is it possible for it to be amniotic fluid if it's not constant?
We are not doctors. I think of you are leaking anything, you should call your doctor.

You're right. I was hoping I was just making things up because I'm anxious but I'm thinking I should call. Thanks for listening guys!

diagonalley · May 2014

Babywear said:
When I went to the chemist for hemorrhoids I was given a tube of cream, which seemed to be the only option

It's funny how some things just aren't sold over/down/out here... But having only ever eaten 1 Oreo, I'm used to it

How can you only eat one Oreo? That's not even humanly possible. Pretty sure I singlehandedly ate two packages of double stuffed this past week. What can I say, breastfeeding causes me to be ravenously hungry

ChristineBaker23 · May 2014

Wel

CharSamm said:

ChristineBaker23 said:

lest12 said:
The leaking is what would make me call or go in. It kind of sounds like your water broke, no?
See that's what I'm afraid of. Ugggg. Hanging with the in laws right now and pretending not to have mild contractions so they don't flip out. If the leaking is still happening in an hour or so I will go in or call. Is it possible for it to be amniotic fluid if it's not constant?

Sure is! My MW just went over this possibility because once your water breaks the baby's head can drop and plug the hole making the leaking sporadic. If you've gone pee and it there's still fluid coming out randomly....I'd be making a phone call/heading in. Let us know how you do!

Well, I gave it a little more time and now I have not any contractions or leakage in over an hour. And I was just about to call too! Those last couple weeks are ao nerve racking! Am I right ladies?? If it starts up again I will call for sure though.

efino87 · May 2014

@BrightEyes112 yes but only because I am still at a risk for PTL and already having contractions. I would assume after next week that will no longer be a factor.

efino87 · May 2014

@ChristineBaker23
CharSamm said, baby could be blocking the exit right now.

caitb413 · May 2014

This may be silly, but we've talked about cleaning up down there after going to the bathroom (using the peri bottle)- what about while showering PP? Can you wash as normal or is it best to just rinse everything while healing? I'd be afraid to irritate any stitches or sensitive bits...

tbmadeamistake · May 2014

@caitb413, unless you have a c-section, showering is the same as normal, maybe not as hot for a while, and then it's the drying off that I found difficult. How to do it fast enough that I didn't bleed all over my clean legs but slow enough that I didn't aggravate anything. It's fairly protected down there from the actual spray, so it just kind of gets the water running over it to clean it.

caitb413 · May 2014

@Lilygrace48‌ cool, I figured it'd be simple but just wanted to ask! Definitely not looking forward to the scrambling to dry off without bleeding on everything part.

cinnamonsmiles · May 2014

So on the topic of water breaking, how long can you wait once your water breaks (if it does) before heading in?

When the "your birth story" thread was up, I asked my mom what happened with me and she said that when she went to the hospital for my birth (at 38 weeks), her water had broken 2 weeks previously and so she didn't have to worry about them breaking it for her. I made her stop and go back to make sure she actually meant 2 weeks and not 2 days/hours, and she said for sure 2 weeks. Which brings me to my question, if she waited 2 weeks without any signs of infection, how long can you presumably go if you don't want to be induced?

elsa1688 · May 2014

@cinnamonsmiles‌ my midwives / hospital's policy is that you need to go in when your water breaks. It doesn't automatically mean that anything will happen but you need to go in and be monitored. I would check with your doctor.

Mizoo · May 2014

cinnamonsmiles said:

So on the topic of water breaking, how long can you wait once your water breaks (if it does) before heading in?

When the "your birth story" thread was up, I asked my mom what happened with me and she said that when she went to the hospital for my birth (at 38 weeks), her water had broken 2 weeks previously and so she didn't have to worry about them breaking it for her. I made her stop and go back to make sure she actually meant 2 weeks and not 2 days/hours, and she said for sure 2 weeks. Which brings me to my question, if she waited 2 weeks without any signs of infection, how long can you presumably go if you don't want to be induced?

My FTM might be showing, but I thought the big danger was baby not having enough fluid to stay healthy in there for too long once your water does break?

elsa1688 · May 2014

Help! what do breech contractions feel like? My uterus is getting hard - especially at the top but that's also where baby's head is so it's always hard. They are not increasing in severity but they are coming every couple minutes.

elsa1688 · May 2014

StrawberryDreams219 said:

elsa1688 said:
Help! what do breech contractions feel like? My uterus is getting hard - especially at the top but that's also where baby's head is so it's always hard. They are not increasing in severity but they are coming every couple minutes.
@elsa1688‌
They shouldn't feel any different than regular, head down, contractions. Are the painful or just tightening like a BH? Maybe drink some water and lay down. Just pay attention to them and if they start to become timetable or increase in intensity call L&D.
GL and keep us updated!

Not painful but uncomfortable. I'm going to keep drinking water and lay down. We will see what happens!

k318 · May 2014

How long can prodromal labor last? I have been having true contractions ( verified on the monitor) every 3-5 minutes but with no progress for over 12 hours. I was sent home and told to come back when it's too painful or changes. Any ladies with experience on how long this can last? Or suggestions to help speed this along? I am 38 weeks

catsinawindow · May 2014

lpetrillo said:

How long can prodromal labor last? I have been having true contractions ( verified on the monitor) every 3-5 minutes but with no progress for over 12 hours. I was sent home and told to come back when it's too painful or changes. Any ladies with experience on how long this can last? Or suggestions to help speed this along? I am 38 weeks

If you're comfortable with it, I have been told that a glass (or 1/2 glass) of red wine will help. Evidently, if it's false labor, the wine will help the contractions die down and if it's real labor it will at least help you relax and maybe get some sleep.

tbmadeamistake · May 2014

@lpetrillo, it can last a while. I had a friend who had it off and on (mostly on) for a week.

diagonalley · May 2014

KrystaJ said:
@lpetrillo - I've had it for over a week and a half. Any time I start to see regular patterns in my contractions, they get further apart and less intense. It's frustrating.

ETA: did anyone else's real, "I'm in actual labor" contractions just not hurt that bad? I'm uncomfortable and they are a little painful with a noticeable pattern, but nowhere near as bad as most people describe them.

They for sure got more intense the closer I got to pushing. The beginning of my labor was pretty mild in comparison.

JulieSmiles · May 2014

Do the same rules for Braxton hicks still apply this close to our due dates? The more than 4-6 in an hour and we need to call l&d? I'm having what I assume is BH because there is not pattern and they aren't really timeable, but I've had more than 4 in the last hour.

lest12 · May 2014

JulieSmiles said:
Do the same rules for Braxton hicks still apply this close to our due dates? The more than 4-6 in an hour and we need to call l&d? I'm having what I assume is BH because there is not pattern and they aren't really timeable, but I've had more than 4 in the last hour.

So, just to piggy back off of this question - How do you know the difference between BH and regular contractions at all?

jshrop · May 2014

lest12 said:

JulieSmiles said:
Do the same rules for Braxton hicks still apply this close to our due dates? The more than 4-6 in an hour and we need to call l&d? I'm having what I assume is BH because there is not pattern and they aren't really timeable, but I've had more than 4 in the last hour.
So, just to piggy back off of this question - How do you know the difference between BH and regular contractions at all?

My BH was a sudden on/off, like all of a sudden the entire uterus was hard and then all of a sudden it released. During Labor I could feel (and watch) the contraction build like a wave. It would start at the fundus and start getting hard progressively down my abdomen. My belly would get more pointy too. But the whole thing was progressive, not sudden.

elsa1688 · May 2014

JulieSmiles said:
Do the same rules for Braxton hicks still apply this close to our due dates? The more than 4-6 in an hour and we need to call l&d? I'm having what I assume is BH because there is not pattern and they aren't really timeable, but I've had more than 4 in the last hour.

My midwife says after 37 weeks to only call for 5-1-1

tbmadeamistake · May 2014

@emotionlotion, two things. One, totally normal to lose the MP in smaller globs. Two, it is also normal to have an increase in really gloppy discharge at this stage. I started getting it around 34 weeks. Sometimes it's a different enough texture from normal that I assume it's a piece of MP, but mostly it's just gross vagina snot. The thicker stuff is your body's way of protecting things as it ramps up to delivery.

nunzchucks · May 2014

@emotionlotion I've seen bits of my mucous plug since 29 weeks. The good news is at this point, things are more than likely to be OK even if you didn't make it to 40 weeks (although I hope you do).

jshrop · May 2014

@emotionlotion‌ LB! Stay away from doctor Google lol! Glad to hear things are progressing

can't wait (well, I want a few more weeks of waiting) until it's my turn to report for duty!!!

MrsRahl · May 2014

Is it typical for baby's heart rate to slow down more toward delivery/end weeks? I made the mistake of asking what the baby's hr was and it was only 15 bpm slower than usual. Maybe he/she was sleeping? Trying not to doctor google and my doc said anything over 110 is fine. I just tend to be a worry wart and over analyze things. :-/

tbmadeamistake · May 2014

@MrsRahl, yup! Charlie used to be 150-160 and lately he's been closer to 130-140. Doc's don't seem worried and I remember the same thing happening with C.

MorganW24 · May 2014

cinnamonsmiles said:
So on the topic of water breaking, how long can you wait once your water breaks (if it does) before heading in?

When the "your birth story" thread was up, I asked my mom what happened with me and she said that when she went to the hospital for my birth (at 38 weeks), her water had broken 2 weeks previously and so she didn't have to worry about them breaking it for her. I made her stop and go back to make sure she actually meant 2 weeks and not 2 days/hours, and she said for sure 2 weeks. Which brings me to my question, if she waited 2 weeks without any signs of infection, how long can you presumably go if you don't want to be induced?

Ask your doctor what there protocol is, everyone has different standards. I'm delivering with a midwife and as long as baby isn't showing any signs of distress she's fine with just occasional monitoring. She's let mamas go several days before actively trying to get baby moving along. Amniotic fluid is constantly replenishing itself, it continues to do so even after it breaks, now it just leaks everywhere instead of being contained.

JulieSmiles · May 2014

MrsRahl said:

Is it typical for baby's heart rate to slow down more toward delivery/end weeks? I made the mistake of asking what the baby's hr was and it was only 15 bpm slower than usual. Maybe he/she was sleeping? Trying not to doctor google and my doc said anything over 110 is fine. I just tend to be a worry wart and over analyze things. :-/

My LO's heart rate has been lower the last few weeks too.

jldcjs · May 2014

For anyone who has been induced, did your doctor use cervidil or cytotec? My doctor uses cytotec and I'm curious why they might choose one or the other (I'll ask her when I see her on Friday too).

I'm getting super nervous about my induction at 37 weeks and starting to obsess about it all

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