BH at 19 wks ...SHOULD DR DO A VAG EXAM?

hi, i have been reading other posters qu & comments on Braton hicks, and i have figured out that i have been having them for maybe 3 wks now.

I am almost 19 wks and my dr hasn't comducted a vaginal exam. Is this ok? I never have more than maybe 2 a day, they are not painful, just my whole belly tightening, and getting breathless, with a hard tummy tey last 30sec.

I am only really petite, and at every scan my babies have been right on track or a day or 2 ahead of my dates. Everyone says to me, (due end march 40wks) there's no way you'll make it to march!! I look like i am 7 months preggers already.

I guess i am a little worried about pre term labour. I am going to talk to my ob in a week about the bh...but i would like to know if you girls think a vag exam should be conducted, or at what time he might conduct it.

I went into labour 2 weeks early with other 2 ds who measured both 6pound seven and a half ounces, and 6 and 8 and a half ounces. I quess i am just seriously doubting my bodies ability to get TWO babies to a decent weight.

It was a while ago that i had my boys and the last time petocin had to be used as my waters broke and i didn't contract on my own, so i can only vaguwly remember very fast hard strong contractions that came every 45sec from go to whoa.

Should i worry if they get painful. What is the magic number, i have read it depends on your ob, some 4 some 6 in an hour, but other ladies have said they have had many moe than that, just due to having twins?

Sorry for all the qu, but i would feel better if i could remember how to feel early real contractions. I never really had bh in prev preg.

Has any one had braxton hicks end up as ptl?

 

I haven't had any BH, I just wanted to say I am 36 weeks and have never had an internal examination. I think they say BH are ok unless you have 6 or more in an hour. If you are concerned you should question your Dr, of course.
Sorry I couldn't be more help.

 

Hi there, I am 28 weeks tomorrow and have been having bh contractions since about 20 weeks. The thing to watch for is anything over 4 in an hour. Ask your OB what their "number" is that would warrant a phone call to rule out ptl. Some books say 4, others say 6...so ask your ob.

I did have to go to the hospital one night at 20 weeks as I had 5 in an hour, after having been in bed for 2 hours watching tv.....just came out of the blue. So off we went to the hospital after having called my ob and my cervix was checked and thank goodness there was NO change. I was asked what my activity level was that day and I honestly over did it. Hard not to when you are feeling well, you think you can get a lot done! I paid for it later and learned to slow down and ask for help.

Oh, another thing my OB said was that between weeks 20-28, the twins growth is explosive, doubling and tripling in size....which stretches your uterus very far and it is a muscle that can easily be agitated, thus causing more bh contractions. When I have a full bladder, change positions in bed, get up from sitting or even hit a bump in the road, I have a bh contraction!

Monitor yourself by lying down for an hour, it is hard to know what is normal and what is not. But if you hit that "magic number" in an hour, call your doctor. GET OVER the fear of "bothering your OB" by calling them. That is their job and what they are being paid for. A twin pregnancy is different than a singleton, everything is double. Listen to your body, take it easy, drink your water and grow your babies big!

 

It was pretty normal for me to have lots of bh ctx. But one person's normal is another person's labor... They started doing vaginal checks on me via trans-vaginal u/s around 20 weeks at the perinatologist...it's much less invasive than a manual check. I think it's important, especially on your first pregnancy to let your doctors know of anything that could be pre-term labor...just b/c you might not know what your "normal" is...

 

Hi! It looks like you've gotten lots of great advice from the previous posters.

This was my experience with BH contractions and vag exams: I've had lots and lots of BH since 16 weeks or so. It really freaked me out at first because everyone was saying they weren't normal until later in pregnancy. But it's common to feels stuff like this earlier on when you're carrying multiples. Anyway, I had two manual exams (one where the doc touched my cervix and the other when she just looked at it and didn't touch it). I worried that the vaginal exam was too invasive, but then I had a transvaginal ultrasound last week at 19w5d and my cervix was long and closed. So, it doesn't look like either the contractions or the vaginal exams did much to my cervix. But everyone is different, so I would talk to your doctor about whether the contractions you're feeling are normal and whether a vaginal internal exam or a transvaginal ultrasound would be appropriate in the near future.

 

I had some episodes with BH contractions around 20-22 weeks, but since each time they subsided after an hour or so, the dr. didn't do any kind of vaginal exam. It's only been in the last month--with continued episodes--that they've started checking my cervix regularly (at this point, they aren't doing much of anything--I'm only 1 cm dilated, and I've been that way for weeks).

If you're just having a couple a day, and you've kept your doctor informed, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just stay hydrated and all that good stuff!

 

Great advice given to you here....I just wanted to add that when you have them....and you lay down to rest to see if they are going to stop.....DRINK lots of water.....the uterus is a muscle...and when muscles are dehydrated...they contract. If you are ever concerned you have had too many.....DO NOT hesitate to call your dr.

PS I was hospitalized from week 20-21 with Pre Term Labor and had to have shots....and had many contractions.


Take care,

Missy Eby

 

I too have quite a few BH from very early on. I didn't have any with my first pregnancy. It is no wonder I was induced at 42 weeks, my body had no clue what a contraction was. I get them a lot if I over do it. Sometimes all night. They only did one internal exam at my very first OB appointment as a routine exam. They didn't even know it was twins at that point. They have never looked inside me since. They have done a lot of ultrasounds and nonstress tests, but no vaginal exams. I am glad though. Vaginal exams freak me out really bad, I tend to get a bit paincky. It is a wonder I ever gave birth before, I am just so private about my privates. If ever you feel worried just call labor and delivery or your OB doctor. Like someone said earlier, we are all differnt. My BH hurt worse now than the first part of my real labor contractions having my son.

 

thankyou girls, you have given me some great advice, i will tell ob about them and find out that magic number, but i know at the momnet 2 a day is nothing to worry about.

Thankyou so much for all your help!!

 

QUOTE(Susanna+3 @ Oct 28 2007, 11:03 AM) [snapback]470574[/snapback]
It was pretty normal for me to have lots of bh ctx. But one person's normal is another person's labor... They started doing vaginal checks on me via trans-vaginal u/s around 20 weeks at the perinatologist...it's much less invasive than a manual check. I think it's important, especially on your first pregnancy to let your doctors know of anything that could be pre-term labor...just b/c you might not know what your "normal" is...


My exact advice. And if you are getting trans-vag. u/s's then, chances are they have been measuring your cervix all along.