are Braxton Hicks really harmless?

Starting yesterday I have really strong Braxton Hicks contractions everytime I get up to walk (copier room, breakroom, bathroom etc.) Today I had as many as 3 back to back walking from my car to my office. I know they are normal and water and rest are supposed to help but are they harmless when I'm having them all day long?

 

Hey there, hopping in from the first year forum here.......sounds all too familiar from when I was prego with my twins. I had BH contractions from literally 16 weeks on every day. My OB always told me that my uterus carrying twins is 8 weeks ahead in size compared to a singleton pregnancy, so if you add 8 weeks to your already 23 weeks, that is like being prego with one at 31 weeks! So your poor uterus is just practicing away and getting ready, remember it is a muscle.

We had so many trips to the hospital thinking I was in labor with BH contractions, honestly, I was there weekly it seemed from about 24 weeks on. Best rule of thumb here sweetheart is "when in doubt, call your ob". If you have more than I think 6 in an hour (sorry I forgot the exact number), call your OB. I did and every time and was told to come on in to Labor and Delivery and boy I was glad to hear my babies were fine, my cervix was not changing and the contractions did not fall into a pattern.

SO, bottom line is, if you are worried, call your OB. If you have BH contractions that fall into a pattern, every 5 minutes for example, call your OB. It is better to be safe and keep those babies in than have something happen. Trust your instincts and call if you are unsure, at any point during your twin pregnancy This site is awesome, so keep posting and asking questions. It was my life line when I was pregnant with our twins and continues to be a support system to me now that our babies are here.

Your goal is to go as far as you can, so listen to your body. Once your babies are here, those last uncomfortable weeks will seem like a distant memory. You wont ever forget it, but it will be a distant memory. lol!

xojillian

 

I agree with Jillian. :good: That would be my advice, if you are worried at all, call your doctor. My doctors rule was to call if I had more then 6 in one hour. I did have to go in twice {once at 25 weeks and the other at 30ish weeks} Luckily everything was okay, but there is no reason you shouldn't call and put your mind at ease. :hug99:

 

I'm glad you ladies posted this info, because I asked my doctor today and he said that at this point "It depends"...what does that mean? lol. I don't think he could have been more vague. I'm only getting at most 3 an hour and that's not every hour...I told him too, so if he had issues with it he could have addressed it...I didn't think it was worrisome anyway. But it's nice to have a guideline of what to do. I just had one not too long ago...Dh called me 3 times in 5 minutes and each time I had to get out of my comfy chair and race to the phone so it wouldn't wake my son. My belly definitely rebelled!

 

QUOTE(mom2SaraandSam @ Jul 15 2008, 01:41 PM) [snapback]877901[/snapback]
I'm glad you ladies posted this info, because I asked my doctor today and he said that at this point "It depends"...what does that mean? lol. I don't think he could have been more vague. I'm only getting at most 3 an hour and that's not every hour...I told him too, so if he had issues with it he could have addressed it...I didn't think it was worrisome anyway. But it's nice to have a guideline of what to do. I just had one not too long ago...Dh called me 3 times in 5 minutes and each time I had to get out of my comfy chair and race to the phone so it wouldn't wake my son. My belly definitely rebelled!



I had BH contractions for a really long time in my pregnancy, to the point that I eventually needed to be on medication and was put on bed rest because of it. I was told in the beginning that more than 4 an hour was reason to call your doctor. Then as I got further along and had more and more, I think my threshold was raised to 8-9 per hour. And at the end I was way surpassing that.
Now the entire time this was going on, my cervix never changed and the babies were doing very well. But the day after I went off medication I went into labor, so either that was luck, or the medications stopped the contractions and once the contractions came back it progressed to labor.

 

My doctor says the same thing, "it depends," and she doesn't like to call them BH because she says it's misleading. They are real contractions, they just aren't labor contractions.

As the previous posters say, you'll probably be told a limit by your doctor and if you go over that threshold then you will probably be told to go to L&D. Sometimes they can put pressure on your cervix and cause changes. My threshold is the standard for twin pregnancies, 6/hour. I had to spend a night in L&D once so far when I was having 8/hour, but fortunately it didn't cause any cervical changes.

Also, as the previous posters said, it's always a good idea to mention them to your doctor. I know a lot of people tend to want to ignore the contractions because they are what they think are simply harmless BH, and I think that's why my doctor (and many people in the medical field) no longer like to call them BH. With multiples, they often come a lot earlier in the pregnancy, are much stronger, last longer, and occur more frequently than with singletons. They do need to be monitored.

 

:hug99: thank you everyone for the responses it made me feel better, and I decided to just move my appt up to tomorrow so I can discuss all of this with my OB, so I will update you on what he suggests.

 

I'm guessing it depends because you need to know if they are truly BH or if they are the real thing. My experience w/ BH was that they stopped if I drank tons of water and changed positions and rested.

 

QUOTE(Heathermomof5 @ Jul 15 2008, 09:59 PM) [snapback]878875[/snapback]
I'm guessing it depends because you need to know if they are truly BH or if they are the real thing. My experience w/ BH was that they stopped if I drank tons of water and changed positions and rested.


That never seems to work for me. I have what they term an "irritable uterus." The ones that last over 35 seconds are the ones that need to be monitored. Most women, I hear, get ones that last under 35 seconds and those typically do get better from water, emptying the bladder, and changing what you're doing. The ones over 35 seconds, if there are many of them, can put pressure on the cervix, whether they are considered practice contractions or BH contractions, which is why so many of us are on monitoring to make sure there aren't too many of them. I have to devote 2 hours a day to counting contractions (only the 35+ second ones - I average between 3-5/hour) and I have a nurse that calls me each week for those numbers. Keeping a diary of them and daily activity helps me to see what triggers more of them (mainly walking and sitting straight upright). This monitoring also helps my doctor to know what restrictions I should be on and when/if I need to go on bed rest.

Everybody is different, every pregnancy is different.

 

When does BH starts and at which week should we start to get worried that it isn't just BH? I am having cramp like sensation and sometimes its pretty unbearable, but it goes away after a while (I didn't notice how long it last). I don't suppose at my current status I should be worried about real contractions, right? So I should just regard it as BH? Also, does BH usually occur only on one side of the tummy?

 

QUOTE(Lizzybo @ Jul 15 2008, 05:04 PM) [snapback]878450[/snapback]
My doctor says the same thing, "it depends," and she doesn't like to call them BH because she says it's misleading. They are real contractions, they just aren't labor contractions.

As the previous posters say, you'll probably be told a limit by your doctor and if you go over that threshold then you will probably be told to go to L&D. Sometimes they can put pressure on your cervix and cause changes. My threshold is the standard for twin pregnancies, 6/hour. I had to spend a night in L&D once so far when I was having 8/hour, but fortunately it didn't cause any cervical changes.

Also, as the previous posters said, it's always a good idea to mention them to your doctor. I know a lot of people tend to want to ignore the contractions because they are what they think are simply harmless BH, and I think that's why my doctor (and many people in the medical field) no longer like to call them BH. With multiples, they often come a lot earlier in the pregnancy, are much stronger, last longer, and occur more frequently than with singletons. They do need to be monitored.

I couldn't agree more!


QUOTE(muscaria10 @ Jul 16 2008, 02:02 AM) [snapback]878923[/snapback]
When does BH starts and at which week should we start to get worried that it isn't just BH? I am having cramp like sensation and sometimes its pretty unbearable, but it goes away after a while (I didn't notice how long it last). I don't suppose at my current status I should be worried about real contractions, right? So I should just regard it as BH? Also, does BH usually occur only on one side of the tummy?

I dont think there is a specific time as to which BH start. The cramping could be growing pains or it could be something else and its probably worth mentioning to your Dr if you are concerned. One thing I learned is to never assume anything during your pregnancy, and its always better to be safe than sorry. Peace of mind can really go a long way...GL!

 

I mentioned the amount of contractions I have been having and he prescribed me Prometrium, and scheduled me for weekly cervical checks, its been scheduled for next Wednesday at 4pm. My cervical length this time was fine. Here is all the info for the girls...

Baby A is estimated weight of 1lb 10 oz. Heartrate 155bpm
Baby B is estimated weight of 1lb 9 oz. Heartrate 149bpm
Plenty of fluid, they started out head down but was both breech by the end of the appt. :lol:

 

I am so glad your cervix is ok! and sounds like you had a great appointment!! YAY!!!! those are great weights!!!

 

I've been having a lot of them as well. Sometimes I might have a couple that really hurt. When that happens I've found that a nice soak in a warm bath helps. I love taking baths now esp right before my fiance comes home so he can help me out of the bath tub.

 

Right, so here's a question....is it BH when you feel the muscles in your uterus actually wad up, but it doesn't hurt? I get that alot. You know how when you get a charley horse, you can physically feel with your hand and the muscle is knotted up? It's like that, but it doesn't hurt. It never happened with my son.

Pregnant bodies do weirddddd things!

XO
Becky