2 trips to L&D due from Irritable Uterus - Update

[JulieL]

Update: So I guess 2 trips to the L&D wasn't enough. I went again last night with more contractions...sigh. I was contracting so long, like 5 mins, they'd release for 30-60 sec and contract back up again. They monitored me again, and ended up increasing my dosage of the meds I'm on. Once they stopped we went home, and I had a dr appt this morning. My cervix is still long and closed, thank God! She told me it was time to get off my feet and lay low for a while. I'm on modified bedrest - so basically that means walking to the kitchen is ok, but not much more than that. My OB wants to see me next week for another fetal fibronectin test, and to check my cervix. I'm doing everything right - water, rest, and so forth, but I guess my uterus is just extremely sensitive right now. I'll be down for a few weeks, and when things progress she may take me off the bedrest. I'm tired, and the stress has been rough, my back is still sore as are my abdominal muscles. But the good thing is our little girl is staying put for now. Hopefully things will be quiet from now on. Thanks ladies for your input on your personal experiances.



Well I've been having BH's off and on for about 2 weeks now. But last night they got much worse. I had a couple during the day, and then went in for my OB appt of all things, and told her about them. She said if they got worse or frequent w/in an hour's time to come in to the L&D. So I left and DH and I went on our first date in like 2 months, and go figure they start to become regular. Our son was at the babysitters already, so we went to L&D - thank God DS was taken care of w/out much work. I was there for hours, given two shots of something that finally worked, and after having them for 5 hours I went home.

Thank the Lord I was able to come home and sleep. I woke up at 8:00 - and immediately they started again. So I packed DS and I up and went back to L&D. They persisted for four hours today. They were more intense and more often this morning. My back was KILLING me. I felt like a big ball of tension. They gave me the drugs I had last night, but they weren't working. So they tried another drug - Nifedipine, and that has seemed to do the trick - and I went home. I'm sappose to take these every 6 hours, and to take it easy. Honestly I don't have it in me to do much anyway - I'm totally drained still, even after being home for 6 hours. It freaks me out that this is happening at 28 wks. I'm sappose to see my OB on friday morning. I'm worried about figuring out what is doing to much, BEFORE the contractions are triggered again. This pg was going overall so smoothly, and now I'm really starting to stress - but trying so much not to. I read that irritable uterus was only 18.7% at risk for premature labor vs 11% of normal pregnancies. So that makes me feel better.

Has anyone dealt with this and what did you find was your physical limits? I'm not on real bed rest, but told to take it slow. Any help would be great.

[Rachels]

I've been dealing with some of this, too. I often have contractions for hours at a time, and some of them are quite painful. Unless your cervix is dilating, though, you don't need to panic. You can also ask for a fetal fibronectin test if you go in again, and that will give you more information. A negative test means there's a 99% chance that you will remain pregnant for at least another two weeks. A positive test is harder to interpret-- you may begin labor, or you may not.

For my contractions, I've found that how hot I get during the day and how busy I am has a lot to do with how frequent the contractions are. Taking it easy as much as that's possible is helpful. So is drinking a ton of water. A TON. The other things that I'm finding to help is taking red raspberry leaf capsules three times a day. The contractions have slowed noticeably since I started doing that.

I also have it on wonderful authority from Lynne (calebsmama)that there are a bunch of supplements that can help. I'm headed to Whole Foods tomorrow to buy them. Her providers recommended (and she found this to make a noticeable difference): probiotics, Vitamin C, magnesium, and cod liver oil.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
New baby coming in October!
(Holy smokes, it's a boy!!!)


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

[JulieL]

Rachel, I tested negative on the fetal fibronectin test - thank God!
So that's another relief. What do you find you can and can not do physcially? My L&D nurse (wonderful gal btw) said that I should keep it really really low, not to be walking around at malls, or even grocery shopping. I'm hoping to find out on friday what exactly my OB wants me to do/or not. Are you restricting yourself this much? Contracting for hours like that is SO exhausting, and something I never dealt w/before as DS was a c/s. I hope both of us end up with healthy full term babies!

[Rachels]

No, I'm not that restricted at all. It hasn't been shown to actually be helpful, anyway. I try to rest a lot, though, getting off my feet regularly and lying down for at least a while every afternoon. If I'm feeling tired, I really try to respect that. I don't do any strenuous exercise and try to minimize how much lifting I do.

It IS exhausting to contract for hours like that. Staying cool and hydrated helps. Try the Red Raspberry Leaf, too. My midwife recommended that, and it really has made quite a difference. It soothes the uterus so it's just not so reactionary.

But irritable uterus is not the same as preterm labor, and you don't need to behave like you're having preterm labor. If you're not actually effacing and dilating, then the contractions are tiring but aren't causing the kinds of changes that would cause your baby to be born early. You'll probably feel better if you can avoid taking all those heavy meds, so it might be worth trying these supplements even if your OB isn't familiar with natural health kinds of approaches. They're all safe at this stage of pregnancy and really can make a difference.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
New baby coming in October!
(Holy smokes, it's a boy!!!)


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

[psophia17]

Hey Julie - I have no advice to offer, but some telepathic no more contrax vibes are shooting your way!

Just wondering, are you spending a lot of time thinking/stressing about your new business? Or hunched over your portfolio or sewing machine? That kills me and I haven't got 6 months worth of baby under my belt.

[Puddy73]

HUGS! I had this same problem when I was pregnant with DD, beginning at about 30 weeks. In my case, the irritable uterus was triggered by a large degenerating fibroid and persisted for the remainder of my pregnancy. I took Breathine (sp?) a few times when the contractions were really strong, but I hated the way it made me feel. Despite all of my contractions, I ended up being induced when I was 10 days over due.

As Rachel mentioned, staying cool and hydrated helped more than anything. My OB did put me on modified bed rest until 36 weeks, but after that I just took it easy. I did some light housework, drove short distances, and worked at home on my computer, but nothing more strenuous than that. When the contractions intensified, I just stopped whatever I was doing, laid down and drank some water. Of course, it was pretty easy to do then because I didn't have a toddler running around!

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/03 & a little pumpkin due 10/05

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

[jk3]

I dealt with this during my pregnancy with my DS. The drugs did not agree with me and since I was not dilating and all of the FFN tests came back negative I did not have to take them. I had to take a leave from my job at 26 weeks and I was put on modified bedrest. Not fun. The main tip is to drink LOTS of water - more than you think is humanly possible. Also, rest on your left side whenever possible. Although I was on modified bedrest, the contractions were pretty regular until I delivered at 36.5 weeks. I did not notice much of a difference in terms of the frequency if I rested or if I was up and about in my house. I can honestly say I do not know what triggered the contractions. I hope you feel well. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any specific questions.

Jenn
DS 6/3/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[tina-t]

I had the same problem when I was pg with ds. It started at 27 weeks until I delivered at 38 weeks. I was placed on Nifedipine which slowed down the contractions somewhat. I still had to drink a lot of liquids. My docs placed me on a reduced work schedule which did not help and eventually took me off work. I was on modified bedrest until 36 weeks.

I know that this is worrisome but an irritable uterus is not the same as preterm labor.

[JulieL]

Thanks everyone. I'm gonna just take it easy. Honestly I'm still exhausted and am hoping I feel "renewed" soon. I guess I'll be more cautious than not, would rather being to careful than not enough. She's moving like a storm ~ so that makes me really happy. Hopefully things won't get any more eventful!

[ribbit1019]

I haven't been through it, but hugs! How scary!

Christy
Maddy born 06/09/04
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040609/3/4/0/-5/.png
Little Peanut due 03/02/05
http://lilypie.com/days/060301/4/0/0/-5/.png

[missym]

Julie, I'm so sorry you're going through this! Even modified bedrest has to stink and all that pain and stress is just unfair. I'm sending lots of positive thoughts your way, and I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03... and #2 due late Sept 05!

[calebsmama03]

Yes. I had a very iritable uterus with C and it did cause me to effeace a bit so I was in the hospital for 2 weeks trying to get the ctx under control. I continued to have them till he was born at 37 weeks. I was on nifedipine 4 times a day and terbutaline for breakthrough ctx and total bedrest - sucked! I started to have ctx this time at 20 weeks but no major cervix changes and, as Rachel said, bedrest is not shown to actually help so I just did modified activity - no picking up C, resting as much as possible, etc. When I switched to my HBMW she put me on the supplements Rachel mentioned above. THey did make a huge difference. I also made sure to drink AT EAST 100 oz of water a day and get a ton of protein. There's a special diet made up by an OB called the Brewer diet. I believe the site is www.blueribbonbaby.org ? If not, google brewer pregnancy diet. It stresses a TON of protein. I didn't follow the diete exactly but did try to get more protein. There is definitely something to the protein thing since when I was in the hosp with PTL and would have more ctx, the first thing they'd do is get me on my left side, drink a HUGE glass of water and eat some cheese, etc.

Re: the supplements, here is what I did:
Probiotics - Jarrodophilus +FOS 3 caps daily. Probiotics are said to keep the immune system strong, help stave off bacterial vaginitis (can cause PTL), and keep you generally well so your body can focus on building a strong baby. Also helps keep vaginal flora healthy (no yeast, lower incidence of GBS)

Vit C - 1000mg also for general health. Some believe that Vit C also helps keep the amniotic bag stronger so if you do dilate it won't break as easily. I walked around for at least 3 weeks dilated to 5 and effaced 90% so it apparently has some value! My water didn't break till just minutes before Sophie was born.

Magnesium - helps to relax muscles and supports proper muscle function. They give women in true PTL magnesium sulfate (AWFUL STUFF!!) in high doses to kill the ctx. There was mag. in my calcium supp (also essential for muscle function) but I took an additional 400mg/day.

Cod Liver Oil - not sure the mechanism behind this one, but there have been some promising studies with Omega 3 (cod liver oil) halting or preventing PTL for women at risk. In fact, me perinatologist who saw me when I started having ctx with Sophie said that his office is doing a clinical trial for moms of multiples comparing Omega 3 in high doses to a hormonal treatment they use to prevent PTL. A google search should turn up some info. I took Carlson brand low vitamin A Cod Liver Oil caps, 2 per day. Keep em in the fridge and take just before bed to avoid fishy burps :)

Disclaimer - of course I'm not a doctor and supplements are believed in by some and scoffed at by others. All I can say is I went from daily bouts of regular ctx and taking nifedipine at least 3-4 times a week while under OB care, to needing nifedipine maybe 1-2 times a month and much fewer ctx after I started these with my MW. She adjusted the doses based on how I was feeling, but this was the basic regime.

The biggest thing is to relax and avoid stressing yourself too much. If I had a particularly stressful day I ALWAYS had more ctx.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[jerseygirl07067]

Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you. I hope things remain uneventful until that due date!

Marcy

[bostonsmama]

Julie, you're in my thoughts and prayers, girlie. I hope those herbal remedies will give you some relief if you decided to take them. It must be so hard going through all of that, plus having a toddler and a bag business to get off the ground. ((Hugs)) mama.


Larissa
who is still trying to give birth so she can have more to say

[Sopamanda]

Oh, how familiar...I just came home from the hospital (7 days) with preterm labor; I also had an irritable uterus at 26 weeks with an ER visit. I was dilating a bit and at 33 weeks the terbutaline (or something like that, the shots) didn't work (had 3 of them) and had to do the Magnesium sulfate. Trust me, avoid that if you can. My contractions were 3 minutes apart but not painful. They're better now, and I'm on the Nifedipine every 6 hours as well. After 7 days of the contractions, the doc sent me home to just shower and bathroom, otherwise remain on my back. Really boring, but two days later, I'm able to be on the internet for short periods of time and read a bit. I couldn't even read a magazine because holding my arms up made the contractions start. Take it easy. I figure if I can rest for another 2 weeks, it really isn't that much an annoyance of my life considering the development the baby will have time to do. Remember the goal and I'm thinking about you!
Amanda

[Sopamanda]

Oh, how familiar...I just came home from the hospital (7 days) with preterm labor; I also had an irritable uterus at 26 weeks with an ER visit. I was dilating a bit and at 33 weeks the terbutaline (or something like that, the shots) didn't work (had 3 of them) and had to do the Magnesium sulfate. Trust me, avoid that if you can. My contractions were 3 minutes apart but not painful. They're better now, and I'm on the Nifedipine every 6 hours as well. After 7 days of the contractions, the doc sent me home to just shower and bathroom, otherwise remain on my back. Really boring, but two days later, I'm able to be on the internet for short periods of time and read a bit. I couldn't even read a magazine because holding my arms up made the contractions start. Take it easy. I figure if I can rest for another 2 weeks, it really isn't that much an annoyance of my life considering the development the baby will have time to do. Remember the goal and I'm thinking about you!
Amanda

[JulieL]

Wow Amanda that sounds even scarier! Were you dialated at 26 weeks or just at 33 weeks? I thankfully was/am not dilated at all. I hope you get through the pregnancy fine!