WWYD: Prolonged early labor

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

Trying to see what perspective others may have... It's hard to pull my head out of my own discomfort to really think clearly about my options.

Background: I have been having occasional painful contractions and tons of Braxton Hicks for several weeks now. I have been dilating since my 36w appointment, and as of yesterday at 39w1d, I am at 2+ cm dilated, 90% effaced, -1 station, soft cervix which is still posterior. Given all that, my Bishop score is an 8, which is very favorable for induction.

Since Monday night, I have been having regular contractions, ranging from 5-12 minutes apart (speeds up and slows down, repeat) and varying intensity (start getting harder and harder and harder to deal with, then ebb back to just very uncomfortable). I have managed to sleep some but wake several times a night with painful contractions.

Seriously, there's only so much a girl can take before going insane!

I ended up going to L&D last night as they were less than 5 mins apart for several hours, very uncomfortable to moderately painful, and lasting 1.5 mins each. Things are progressing, but slowly at this point. The nurse told me it was likely going to be pointless to admit me as it seems like it might still take awhile to progress, unless I wanted to get pitocin to push things along. Figuring I am still only at 39w1d, I chose to go home.

However, it seems my Mom had a nearly identical labor when she had me, and after 3 days ended up getting pitocin and things progressed quickly and easily from there. I was born at 38w3d. I am tempted, honestly.

My current thinking is ride this wave through the weekend - if I get to my appointment on Monday morning (39w6d) and it isn't any easier or hadn't landed me in L&D again with more progress, I think I may ask for pitocin to get things moving. I mean, at that point, I will have been laboring a freaking week! And I know there is zero chance my due date is wrong as we had infertility treatment, so we know for a fact this baby is already full term.

I know pitocin raises chances of other interventions, but I was already planning an epidural, and considering my cervix is so favorable, it feels more like augmenting labor rather than inducing from scratch. I feel guilty thinking about induction, but I can't imagine going on like this indefinitely.

So.... WWYD? Ask to be admitted and given pitocin if I reach my 40w appointment? Or keep toughing it out indefinitely? Why?

BookitBoo · January 2015

Honestly, I wouldn't try to ride it out over the weekend. I'm a big weanie like that.
But of your two options, that would be the one I would choose -- wait until your Monday morning appointment and ask for pit then

tanya_erin · January 2015

I'd steer clear of any inductions, but that's just me. I've never needed any interventions, and I've had three all natural labors. I let my body decide when it's time...

NicoleMarie0914 · January 2015

I'm a ftm and was just given an induction date of next Thursday because dd is now measuring almost 2 weeks ahead. I'm really hoping that she comes on her own naturally but if she doesn't, then I get induced. If getting induced doesn't work, then I will have a c-section... Only time will tell and I'm not going to beat myself up because she will come when/how she wants to and no matter what, I get my baby girl in my arms at the end!! = ) Do whatever feels right for you and your lo mama!

AU88 · January 2015

Instead of pitocin maybe try Stripping membranes first. I've had success in that twice and will be asking for it again if I make it that far.

Maebb · January 2015

I would get the pitocin, but I didn't have contractions with DS until I was actually in real active labor, and that was only 6 hours of labor before he was born. I can't imagine dealing with that for days. Good luck with whatever you decide and whatever ends up happening!

Mrs_Bennett · January 2015

I would probably go for the induction, but I've also been successfully induced twice before. Pitocin isn't necessarily the worst (I had it without any pain meds last week), and it will definitely move your labor along. If you're worried, maybe you could ask for a super low dose to see if it gets things going without having to up it? Other options could be stripping membranes or having your water broken early.

Good luck with your decision, and hope your LO is born soon!

shannjohnston · January 2015

Last pregnancy I had cervidil, then wicked fast dilation+effacement with painful contractions, then an epidural, then pitocin...but I was 41+2. The whole process was unpleasant.

This time I've been going the membrane sweeping route. I had it done last Friday (37w5d) and started "real" contractions for the first time. They stopped after 24 hours and I've been getting BH contractions every night since (so I hear you on the crappy sleep). I have another appointment tomorrow and hopefully my Dr will sweep again, which will hopefully lead to labour.

Can you wait? Sure. Will you be miserable? Yup. If your dr is willing, I'd trust they're judgement (they did go to school for it and all).

4littlebears · January 2015

I think it's totally up to you if your doctor is willing! Pitocin can be crazy painful though. I've said it before, it hits you like a hammer. But you might not need that much augmentation.

Just think it over. I don't think either is a bad choice.

jmcmoe · January 2015

I personally would suck it up and wait it out because if you aren't in active labour yet, your body is not ready to have the baby/the baby is not ready to come out! Why rush things? But I guess I would rather things happen naturally then force interventions because I'm uncomfortable. I live/grew up on a farm and I have seen the birth process thousands of times from various mammals (cows are VERY similar to humans) and when animals are induced there are often complications that arise (bleeding/retained placenta etc) that likely would have been avoided if things happened at their own pace. Also it is common to be extremely uncomfortable during the last few weeks so find a distraction to take your mind off of every small ache and pain and you will eventually go into labour all on your own.

Sorry if I sound blunt, but I'm sick of all the impatient people posting about how uncomfortable they are...its pregnancy, and the wait and pain is worth it!

longcat07 · January 2015

ugh, that sounds miserable.

i'd probably ask for the pit, or at least stripping of membranes. if you've dilated enough, they may be able to just admit you and break your water to see if that's enough to get things rolling. just a thought.

llambrose · January 2015

That sounds miserable! I am sorry you are in that position! If it were me, I would get the pitocin. It sounds like things are ready to go but you body may just need a push. I have had pitocin involved in both of my labors and it worked very well. I was induced with my daughter because of low fluid. I started at 1 cm. The pitocin worked quickly and got me around 4 cm in 3-4 hours, got an epi and went from 4 to 10 in about 2 hours. With my son, my water broke at home on Monday, went in, they checked and I was at 1 cm. they admitted me around 3:30 and have two rounds of a suppository, at 7:30 I was at 1.5 cm, they started pitocin then. I started having contractions and let them go until 10:30 when they got too painful to continue being comfortable. Got the epi and the nurse had me turn on my side and rest, they checked a half an hour later, I was feeling a ton of pressure and I was at 9. They rushed and got the equipment around as I got to 10 quickly. I pushed 4 times. Both labors were nice and easy for me and I seem to respond well to pitocin. You may very well be the same, especially considering how progressed you already are. You know your baby is full term, I don't think you should feel bad at all.

atrinh11 · January 2015

I feel like I am going through something similar. You have definitely been dealing with it longer though, so I really do feel for you. I also have never got them down to 5 mins apart yet, so if I did that and then stalled out, I think I would be going nuts. I just had my membranes swept for a second time, and have been contracting ever since, but definitely not close enough together to be anywhere near heading in to the hospital.

I would ask this, if you do decide to go in for an induction, would they be willing to just break your water first, before trying the pit? We actually went ahead and scheduled an induction for me, in the event that labor does not pick up on its own over the weekend. I am really trying to avoid pit, and I know with my first, when they broke my water, things definitely picked up. Anyway, the plan this time, if I make it to induction day, is to break m my water and see what that does. If it kicks things into gear, then awesome. If it doesn't, then we will try the pit. Good luck with whatever you decide! I totally understand that you are miserable at this point!

MLC1990 · January 2015

I totally understand you on the prolonged early labor. I would try and make it to your appt then ask for the Pitocin. It really helped move my labor along. (I was having timeable contractions just like you).

I wouldn't let them break your water though until you were sure you were progressing since you have a limited window of time to deliver once broken.

Best of Luck in whatever you decide!

TXUltraRunner · January 2015

I would do what I did, wait until I'm having painful contractions and do the moves on Spinning Babies to help the baby engage- particularly the Walchers's position. It can't hurt to try it. I had success and progress within two contractions after doing it

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

TXUltraRunner said:
I would do what I did, wait until I'm having painful contractions and do the moves on Spinning Babies to help the baby engage- particularly the Walchers's position. It can't hurt to try it. I had success and progress within two contractions after doing it

I forgot about that one! I will try it when they pick up again. Any tips on knowing if baby is in the right position? Or will these not hurt if he is already facing correctly?

Thanks all. You've made me feel a bit better about all this, calmed some Mommy guilt that others would make similar choices. I was really anti-induction before 41 weeks for myself, but I think giving myself a week of early labor up to my due date is enough for me right now. I would hesitate to break my water before I am seeing some progress because of the time pressure it gives us, but I will talk to my doctors on Monday at my appt if I make it that long.

I know they'd give me pitocin - they told me they would. I am just stubbornly hoping things will pick up.

rodiesmum · January 2015

If it were me I'll just wait till Monday. I knw it is really hard with all the weird contractions and being uncomfortable but ill try to wait.

Milagros315 · January 2015

I think that I would try to wait it out, but I really can't say since I'm not in your shoes. I've made a lot of progress, but I don't feel anything (other than the tightness) so it's not bothering me at all.

My second choice would be to wait until the appointment on Monday and see what your doctor has to say/see how you're feeling. Obviously I'm not an expert since I've never done this, but from what I understand being effaced and dilated before active labor is a good indicator that an induction would progress well. I probably won't worry so much about an induction/pitocin since things are already moving along, even if it is slow.

I hope that things either settle down so you can get some rest before it's time or that baby decided he's ready to come out soon!

MaPetiteFamille · January 2015

southernyankeegirl said:
Any tips on knowing if baby is in the right position?

There's a "baby mapping" handout on Spinning Babies that I found helpful. You basically draw where you feel the baby's hands (little movements), legs (big kicks), and butt. I don't think doing the positions will hurt if the baby's position is fine, but maybe if you know there's a reason for the lack of progress it'll make it easier to cope!

TXUltraRunner · January 2015

I am not sure how to know if it worked other than contractions picking up. It's really uncomfortable to do the position, I cried. But two contractions later everything picked up quickly. The time between contractions was cut in half. It was nuts

LuckyPenny1231 · January 2015

I would wait and see what happens over the weekend. If it's still going on come monday, I would ask for an induction to move things along.

misslizzy82 · January 2015

I'm sorry you're going through this, I can't imagine contracting for that long and then having it just stall. Personally, since I'm against any interventions without trying everything else first, I would try different positions and the spinning baby thing first, then at the appointment I would see about getting my membranes stripped and if that didn't work by wednesday I'd go with a low dose of pit.

Good luck!

amiej1227 · January 2015

Could you try a chiropractor that specializes in pregnancy? They might be able to make sure your pelvis is aligned correctly.

Good luck! Hope all goes well this weekend!

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

Oh I don't think I was clear - I am definitely hanging in there until Monday (39w6d) unless it becomes obviously active labor or my water breaks. By Monday, I will have had a full week of labor pains and very little sleep, assuming this keeps up. Today is worse but not enough so that I am super hopeful there's an end in sight.

We also have the consideration that my Mom already flew into town during my false alarm on Wednesday, and I really don't want to waste so much of the two weeks she can spend down here. It seems petty and selfish, but it's a very real consideration for me. Waiting until Monday seems like more than long enough to give this ongoing labor time to kick into gear on its own.

WillCMyInk · January 2015

It sounds like you've already made a decision, but I just wanted to say that I would probably be making the exact same one. If nothing has kicked off by your appointment on Monday I'd be asking to start some low dose pit on Tuesday.

Heck, I'm over here getting an induction on Sunday because I'm getting too close to the midwives cut off of 42w. Maybe talk to them about how the induction will go (if you get there). My midwives explained that they try to make the induction mimic natural labor as much as possible by taking things VERY slow. They also said they would back off if it seemed like my body was starting to do what it should. Maybe some very low doses of pit are all you'll need to tip things over the edge and really get your body working.

FitmomJess · January 2015

I'm in the same boat as you. I've called off of work a couple times thinking it was progressing only to stop. It doesn't help that I have an irritable uterus. Really sucks and most people look at me like I'm making it up. Oh well....good luck in whatever you do. I know how miserable it is. I am asking for an induction if I don't deliver by next Friday 40w4d. I'm exhausted.

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

WillCMyInk said:
It sounds like you've already made a decision, but I just wanted to say that I would probably be making the exact same one. If nothing has kicked off by your appointment on Monday I'd be asking to start some low dose pit on Tuesday.
Heck, I'm over here getting an induction on Sunday because I'm getting too close to the midwives cut off of 42w. Maybe talk to them about how the induction will go (if you get there). My midwives explained that they try to make the induction mimic natural labor as much as possible by taking things VERY slow. They also said they would back off if it seemed like my body was starting to do what it should. Maybe some very low doses of pit are all you'll need to tip things over the edge and really get your body working.

That kind of "kick start" is exactly what I am hoping for! I think they'll be amenable. I hope yours works very easily! I imagine being over 41w is dreadful for mindgames.

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

I don't mind the different opinions, really. It's what I asked for! I don't feel as passionately about intervention and medication free labor as some do, but that's obvious as I plan to have an epidural anyway. But perspective will help me either be more confident in asking for pitocin on Monday or think about my alternatives. And at this point, you ladies have made me feel better about wanting to augment labor. I was having some major Mommy guilt about "caving" to my own discomfort.

WillCMyInk · January 2015

@southernyankeegirl - Oddly enough being over 41w for me isn't really much of a mind game, but that's probably because I have had very very few contractions and no other indications of labor at all. I apparently just have a genetic predisposition to gestate longer than most women.

I really hope that a little time this weekend is all you need and that you don't have to go the induction route!

TXUltraRunner · January 2015

I don't think sex will help in this situation except to jumpstart contractions. My contractions started right up after sex just like clockwork after 2-3 weeks of painful pre labor contractions. Then I did the hippie move after 3.5 hours of the same unproductive contractions. I'm can only give advice based on my own experience but I think you've got a great game plan

LaBellaVida · January 2015

For me, I'd wait. I'd try and get a membrane sweep first before agreeing to Pitocin.
However; I'm one of the ones who think Pitocin is the devil. I was induced with my first and it's awful! I'd try everything else first. Sex, walking, epo, cohosh (if your blood pressure has been good and you've ok ' it with Dr first) stripping membranes, ect.

Tsuga76 · January 2015

Hard to say what I would do for an experience I haven't had, but personally I plan to avoid induction unless absolutely medically necessary. My personal ideal is a med free, low or no intervention birth, so no induction is just part of my overall goal. It's all very personal, and more about your own feelings about the birth process. If you haven't already you may want to talk to your provider about risks to the baby from induction - from my albeit very limited knowledge it's minimal to effectively non existent, and not something to feel guilty about. If you can take guilt out of the equation and do what feels right to you, then I don't think any decision you make will be wrong.

NatureLovers · January 2015

Chiming in late, but inductions aren't always bad. I had a Bishop score of 10, and I got induced. It took 10 hours to dilate from 3cm-10cm. I'd ask for the induction after finishing up any last minute chores/errands and getting as much sleep as you can overnight.

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

jmcmoe said:
I personally would suck it up and wait it out because if you aren't in active labour yet, your body is not ready to have the baby/the baby is not ready to come out! Why rush things? But I guess I would rather things happen naturally then force interventions because I'm uncomfortable. I live/grew up on a farm and I have seen the birth process thousands of times from various mammals (cows are VERY similar to humans) and when animals are induced there are often complications that arise (bleeding/retained placenta etc) that likely would have been avoided if things happened at their own pace. Also it is common to be extremely uncomfortable during the last few weeks so find a distraction to take your mind off of every small ache and pain and you will eventually go into labour all on your own.

Sorry if I sound blunt, but I'm sick of all the impatient people posting about how uncomfortable they are...its pregnancy, and the wait and pain is worth it!

I wanted to respond directly to you because you hit a nerve. Maybe it's because I am contracting painfully every 5-7 minutes or so, and have been since Tuesday, but your wording irritates me. There's plenty of people here who have stated that they would choose not to induce in my shoes without a) comparing me to farm animals and b) telling me to suck it up, a baby is worth it.

First off, I am a human being and I am in pain. I am not a nameless farm animal. If I say I hurt, that's worth consideration and respect, even if you would make a different choice in my shoes. Others who said they'd wait were far more compassionate and less condescending than you.

My body does know it's time for labor - that's why I have been contracting painfully 24/7 for the better part of a week now. After posting this, I called to go in to get checked out to discuss my options and check on how my baby is handling the contractions. I have now been diagnosed with "prolonged latent phase", meaning I am stuck in early labor that usually lasts most women an average of 10-12 hours before they spend 4 hours in active labor and 1-2 hours for pushing. I have been stuck in early labor for over 4 days.

Now, this is where my irritable self really gets her feathers ruffled - you can take your whole condescending "your baby is worth any discomfort" and shove it down your holier than thou throat. Don't you dare think I don't appreciate my pregnancy every bit as much as anyone else. After 2 years of trying to conceive, months of heartbreak, thousands of dollars on fertility testing and treatment, I appreciate my fucking pregnancy. A lot. And I have been the happiest pregnant person you've ever seen the past 9 months, with always a positive spin on whatever discomfort I dealt with. This isn't just impatience or discomfort, which my original post makes pretty fucking clear. This is labor. So how long do you want to be in labor without an epidural and without any progress? That answer might differ from mine, but don't you think for a minute I appreciate my pregnancy any less because I am thinking about speeding up this process.

jmcmoe · January 2015

@southernyankeegirl‌ I'm sorry my wording offended you (I think that's the farmer in me) but I really wasn't trying to say that you were not appreciative of the whole process. I certainly was not comparing YOU to a farm animal, I was just stating the fact that things can progress naturally (and take a very long time-my first labour was 36+ hours) for people and my go-to for understanding what MY body goes through is by comparing it to, yes, cows because that is what I grew up with and all know. So I was just saying that I would not chose an induction for MYSELF if I were on your shoes because I have seen things go wrong with the process of inducing ...whether it be my cows or other stories I have heard. Again, I really do apologize if I hurt your feelings (I guess I should remember to keep my farm references to myself) I hope you find some comfort soon and are holding your own sweet baby in a short while.

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

@jmcmoe‌ - Thanks, I appreciate that. Sorry if I was a bit harsh - turns out my early phase had just transitioned to active labor as I was posting, so I may have been rather irritable. That whole hypothetical of this post is out the window as I am now at the hospital, dilated at least 6 cm as of my last cervical check and

Milagros315 · January 2015

Yay - good luck @southernyankeegirl‌!!

britb618 · January 2015

Good luck @southernyankeegirl‌ glad things moved along for you and praying for a quick healthy delivery for you and your son!

robsbabygirl08 · January 2015

Whoo hoo!! Go @southernyankeegirl‌ so excited to read your birth story and see pictures of your new sweet little baby!

MLC1990 · January 2015

Woohoo!!! Soo happy for you !!!

southernyankeegirl · January 2015

Thanks guys! Will post birth story soon. He's healthy and all is well!

WWYD: Prolonged early labor

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