Thursday, May 10, 2007
Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me...
So I learned a new pregnancy term this morning... Prodromal Labor. Let me impart my newfound knowledge upon you, my dear readers.
Prodromal Labor-
Contractions:
-May begin irregular and become regular
-Usually stay five or greater minutes apart
-May feel strong, but usually do not get closer together
-Lying down does not usually make them go away
-May last 24-36 hours without significant cervical changes
-Resting and sleeping may be challenging
-It is common proactice to be sent home to rest or to await stronger labor
See, I thought I knew everything about all this contraction nonsense. I at least knew enough to know they were not Braxton Hicks because OHMAHGAH THE PAIN. But one of the nurses actually had the NERVE to ask me at some point during all this if I had actually experienced contractions with my last labor. She's lucky I didn't rip the monitors off my belly and swing them at her head. Instead I chose to share my story of the amazing falling-out epidural and my accidental almost-natural childbirth.
Finally, around 7:15 this morning, after two trips to the hospital, being on monitors for almost four hours and having had three rather uncomfortable internal exams, it was determined that my contractions really weren't causing any progress and they had no choice but to send me home. Thankfully, the second midwife who checked me (my doctor doesn't come until I turn up in actual labor), was MUCH sweeter and more helpful than the one I had the rest of the night. She patted my hand and told me that either the contractions (which she acknowledged to be VERY real and obviously quite uncomfortable thankyouverymuch) would soon stop on their own or they'd go right into real labor at some point very soon. Either way, I wasn't going to have to deal with them every five minutes for the next week and a half.
So we're at home now. I'm still having them, but they are sporatic... I've had two in the last half hour. I'm hoping they just taper off and give me a break for awhile.
Prodromal labor... add that to your vocabulary today! ;)
Prodromal Labor-
Contractions:
-May begin irregular and become regular
-Usually stay five or greater minutes apart
-May feel strong, but usually do not get closer together
-Lying down does not usually make them go away
-May last 24-36 hours without significant cervical changes
-Resting and sleeping may be challenging
-It is common proactice to be sent home to rest or to await stronger labor
See, I thought I knew everything about all this contraction nonsense. I at least knew enough to know they were not Braxton Hicks because OHMAHGAH THE PAIN. But one of the nurses actually had the NERVE to ask me at some point during all this if I had actually experienced contractions with my last labor. She's lucky I didn't rip the monitors off my belly and swing them at her head. Instead I chose to share my story of the amazing falling-out epidural and my accidental almost-natural childbirth.
Finally, around 7:15 this morning, after two trips to the hospital, being on monitors for almost four hours and having had three rather uncomfortable internal exams, it was determined that my contractions really weren't causing any progress and they had no choice but to send me home. Thankfully, the second midwife who checked me (my doctor doesn't come until I turn up in actual labor), was MUCH sweeter and more helpful than the one I had the rest of the night. She patted my hand and told me that either the contractions (which she acknowledged to be VERY real and obviously quite uncomfortable thankyouverymuch) would soon stop on their own or they'd go right into real labor at some point very soon. Either way, I wasn't going to have to deal with them every five minutes for the next week and a half.
So we're at home now. I'm still having them, but they are sporatic... I've had two in the last half hour. I'm hoping they just taper off and give me a break for awhile.
Prodromal labor... add that to your vocabulary today! ;)
Comments:
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I just had MAJOR deja vu reading this post. I think I may have had a dream or something...
Anyway, welcome back home. Sorry you had a crappy night. Hope it turns into real labor soon!!!
Anyway, welcome back home. Sorry you had a crappy night. Hope it turns into real labor soon!!!
whether prodromal labor or real labor, a warm bath helps with the pain. while in labor with noah i spent 2 hours in the bath....
rest up and i hope the either way it goes, it all goes quickly! and even though you had to breathe threw those contractions, i think the key is if you are having trouble talking at the same time. thats how they accessed us when we called into the birthing center!
rest up and i hope the either way it goes, it all goes quickly! and even though you had to breathe threw those contractions, i think the key is if you are having trouble talking at the same time. thats how they accessed us when we called into the birthing center!
erin,
I actually have been been reading your blog and got the link through janelle. I have been refreshing like crazy and it is the first thing I check every am. I hope you are able to rest right now in between and the pain is minimal!
take care girl, and I am anxious to see what happens next...
refresh
refresh.....
I actually have been been reading your blog and got the link through janelle. I have been refreshing like crazy and it is the first thing I check every am. I hope you are able to rest right now in between and the pain is minimal!
take care girl, and I am anxious to see what happens next...
refresh
refresh.....
Ah, Erin. I had those "these are NOT BRAXTIN" contractions last week and all that same stuff "laying down didn't work, blahblahblah" that lasted about 12 hours. Then? They just stopped. Since I waited too long to call the doc, they stopped about two hours later. Blah. They never gave me a term (hey! I learned it on TOBHTOO!) but apparently that's what I had, too.
Hang in there, hon!
Hang in there, hon!
I have never heard of this "prodromal" beeswax before. But if one of those so-called medical "professionals" tries to tell you your contractions aren't real again, please kick them in the face.
Sounds like real labor to me. I know I totally would have been at the hospital, too. Now you just wonder...what is real labor? Hope it passes or starts again and you can say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"
I am sorry your suffering pain. I wish this didn't have to hurt so bad and not produce results. Hang in there. Hope you rest well and if they don't stop you start dialating or something so you can get your baby here. Deb
Ben was sleeping. My mom came over during our first hospital run and the second time, since I was pretty sure it was for real, we called in the godmother to sit with him.
Um, yeah, I apparently had a couple days of this before I had my second son. The good news is, everyone I know who has experienced prodromal labor has had easy and fast deliveries. (Me: from my first painful "real" contraction to baby's appearance--an hour and 45 minutes. And he would have arrived sooner if the doctor hadn't taken a half hour to show up.)
Also, a friend of mine just experienced a couple of weeks of this. Her doctor gave her a sleeping pill to help her sleep better at night.
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Also, a friend of mine just experienced a couple of weeks of this. Her doctor gave her a sleeping pill to help her sleep better at night.
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