Labor question

[Liziz]

I have a question for anyone who has experienced a significant amount of contractions prior to labor really getting going...

I'm full-term at this point, but I've had contractions for several weeks now...not regular, and not painful (though annoying!) -- but definitely real contractions. For that past week we're talking multiple contractions every hour. Still nothing painful or regular, but the frequency and intensity has definitely increased over the past couple days. I didn't have that with DD1 -- I had some Braxton-Hicks, but I didn't really have any contractions until after my water spontaneously broke and labor started soon after.

If you experienced contractions prior to labor starting -- was there a clear "change" in the contractions that signaled to you that things were really getting moving? Or was it a very gradual change? I'm asking because I'm a little concerned about labor timing and getting our DD taken care of (friend who is going to watch her doesn't live super close, and if DH's work is also not super close), and while in general my philosophy is "labor at home as long as possible", I'm hoping I'll be able to identify when things are really starting earlier rather than later, so there's time to not be stressing about DD getting to my friend's house or DH getting home!

[georgiegirl]

I had prodromal labor with my second two kids. I was able to tell it was the real thing when the contractions didn't slow down after a few hours. I had an app to time them. After an hour or two of fake labor, the contractions would get further and further apart.

[mikala]

My second pregnancy sounds similar to yours. Off and on "real" contractions that always seemed to slow right as the point that I started timing them.

My actual labor started with my water breaking in the middle of the night, then the contractions immediately returned and became consistent. DS2 was born about 8 hours later,significantly faster than my first labor.

Do you have a neighbor or anyone else that could watch DD in a pinch until the other friend arrives? I'm guessing you'll have time but I always find it reassuring to have a worst case scenario plan in place just in case. We ended up with plenty of time for family to arrive to watch my oldest but I had an overnight bag packed for my oldest and a list of cellphone numbers and dates friends were available just in case we had a fire drill delivery.

[essnce629]

With DS2 I had an irritable uterus and was having non-stop contractions (2-15 minutes apart but no cervical changes) from 26 weeks till I went into real labor at 38 weeks 5 days. I knew it was real labor when I woke up with bloody show. With DS1, the bloody show clued me in that it was real labor as well. DS1 was born about 5 hours after I first saw bloody show and DS2 was born about 27 hours later. I had a homebirth with both kids though so there was no need to go anywhere or get childcare situated. With both kids, my water didn't break till after I was already 10cm, so that couldn't be used as a real labor sign. With DS1, my contractions didn't feel painful or uncomfortable till 55 minutes before he was born so we were lucky the midwives made it! With DS2, my contractions picked up and became active (where I had to actively concentrate on them, not talk to anyone, get in the tub, etc) at 4am and DS2 was born 6 hours later.

[klwa]

I had prodromal labor with my second two kids. I was able to tell it was the real thing when the contractions didn't slow down after a few hours. ... After an hour or two of fake labor, the contractions would get further and further apart.

This was me. (Except I didn't have an app to time them.)

I know a PP mentioned bloody show being her cue, but for me, in 2 of the 3 labors, that happened a few days before labor started, so that wasn't a sign for me. Only with my youngest did bloody sow come with labor. (And I'm still convinced that a combination of stress & sickness caused her to come earlier than she would have otherwise.)

[swissair81]

With kid number 5, I had one contraction every 15 minutes for roughly 20 hours before going into labor. I had weeks of BH contractions before that, but this was a trip. Labor was 2 hours once it started.

With my newest model, I didn't actually go into labor. I had two weeks of prodromal labor, but nothing happened. I went in on Wednesday thinking I was ruptured, and they told me I was 5 cm and wasn't leaving. I wasn't ruptured, so they helped me out with that and baby girl was born 4 hours later.

[ourbabygirl]

Sorry to hijack, but Congrats, swissair81!

[Liziz]

Thanks for the answers, everyone! I guess I just needed to ask the question, because I was in labor the day after I asked this question, and DD2 has arrived! I woke up to contractions that were definitely more painful than anything I'd been experiencing. I figured after a couple hours it was the real deal -- although the timing was such I thought I was still in very early labor and wasn't convinced it wouldn't all fizzle out. DH forced me to go to the hospital (as he was convinced it was real labor and NOT as far off as I) -- and I guess it's a good thing he did because I arrived at 9cm and DD2 was born less than 2 hours later!

[petesgirl]

Congrats!!

[Philly Mom]

Congrats!! Enjoy the snuggles.


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