Contractions at 26 Weeks - Am I Overreacting?

I'm just shy of 26 weeks and last night I went into L&D because I hadn't felt movement from Baby A and I was having strong contractions. They did an u/s and found that Baby A had flipped and that is why I couldn't feel him anymore. Both hb's were strong - in the 140's. They did see that I was having alot of contractions so they just monitored me and checked my cervix (I was 100% closed). They released me after a few hours and told me to call my OB if I have any more contractions and I came home and went to bed.

Today, I've had about 4 really strong contractions. I can tell when one's coming on because I get this shortness of breath (it's this weird sensation that comes from my chest). When I feel that, I look down at my stomach to find that it's rock hard and I'm having another contraction.

I have a call into my OB to see what he thinks but I'm freaking out. Should I feel these contractions as much as do? I'm only 26 weeks and deathly afraid that they'll come early.

Any insight anyone can offer would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance.

 

I would call your Dr for sure. IMO it's better to be safe than sorry. What's the worst that could happen? They send you home?

Give her a call

 

Your contractions sound like my BH contractions. You can give your doc a call and see how many you can have in an hour before going back to L&D. If I have more than 5 in an hour, they told me to come in.

 

I agree that it sounds like BH, but you did the right thing by calling your doc! Your doctor will be able to give you a guideline for when to call/come in. My doctor had me call if I had more than 6 in one hour until my first bout of PTL, then he said if I had 4+.

 

I agree you did the right thing in calling. The doc will tell you how many per hour before they want you to call and potentially go to L&D. In the meantime, be sure to drink more water than you can possibly stomach and don't over do it. This could be your body's way of telling you to slow down.

BH's are not generally a concern, the concern arises when they aren't just BH and are actually causing cervical changes. I know that doesn't make you feel better because of how they make you feel physically but it should be mentally reassuring knowing they aren't doing anything except preparing your body for real labor (and making you crazy !).

 

Ditto PP - you should call if you feel anything you are uncomfortable w/. It doesn't hurt for them to check - L&D, just like you want to make sure that nothing is changing. FWIW - I always thought I was being parinoid when I called in - but I can tell you now - it was worth feeling silly to be able to get the boys to 29 weeks.

 

Instead of just checking whether your cervix has dilated at all, they really should be checking by ultrasound to see if it has shortened. If I went by the "guidelines" as far as how many contractions per hour, etc. I'd be in L&D every day! My contractions have only gotten worse and more crampy the farther along I've gotten, but so far my cervix measurement has not gone down too far. I think that's the hard thing with Braxton Hicks...it can can vary soooo much from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy. But it's best to be safe and call your doc, get your cervix length checked, etc.

 

I agree with the PP...I am 27 weeks and on bedrest due to contrax. When I have a question (like having 8 contrax. in 24 min like I did on Tues. night), my dr has instructed me to go to L&D and have my cervix measured for length--not necessarily dialation. So far, mine is long and closed. It's unnerving though because you never know when there's a problem or if it's a false alarm.

It made me feel better when I told my dr that I was confused on what was happening--I was in the hospital for contrax but they were getting ready to release me even though I was still having 4-5 an hour. His response was, "I'm confused too." He obviously knows what to do...but it's hard to tell me when to come to the hospital or just ride it out. Ultimately, we came up with a plan for when I started contrax. that became rhythmic (lie down, drink water, if they don't stop take Vistoril, if they still don't stop go to the hospital). Maybe knowing what your dr wants you to do will help.

 

I have been having many BH as well. I am about 28 weeks and have been having them for a bit now. They do drive you crazy and make you worry quite a bit.

My peri checks my cervix via ultrasound every 4 weeks. So far, no changes. To me, that means that my BH's are not anything to worry about. I tend to have mine in the late afternoon and early evening. Sometimes I have so many so closely together I can't even count how many I am having in an hour. The thing is, they usually go away after a bit or at least after dinner and they don't come back again until the next afternoon. Since the peri isn't seeing any changes I am going to remain calm. I agree with the pp that says every woman's body is different so it is important to pay attention to your own rythems and cycles and note what is "off" for you.

HTH
Amy

 

If something worries you at all you should get checked out, better safe than sorry! Usually they tell you if you have more than 6-8 in an hour you should get checked. The way you describe your contractions is just how I always feel them, they begin with a sudden shortness of breath. Some amount of contractions is quite normal though. Your doctor should give you guidelines to follow as far as that goes. When I was at 29 weeks with my twins I was having quite a few contractions and I got in the bathtub to relax and see if they would go away. Meanwhile my husband was on the phone with his best friend who had 2 sets of twins and lost the first set because she went into labor at 24 weeks and did not know or think she was in labor so they waited a long time to go to the hospital. My husband was telling our friend I was contracting and he told him to take me into the hospital right now. I am so glad because I really was in labor. I have had 2 children before but I honestly did not think I was in labor. Luckily they were able to stop it with medication but I was in the hospital for 3 days. I don't think you were overreacting at all.