Contractions coming and going?

Hi, all. I was released from the hospital for pre-term labor the other day to bedrest. Yesterday, I had contractions from noon until about 7pm. They were coming every 7 minutes, but never progressed and then finally disappeared. According to the definition of "true" contractions, these can't have been true, then, because they didn't increase in intensity. But they certainly didn't feel like Braxton-Hicks. Has anyone else had contractions start and stop like this? What happened?

 

I went into Pre term labour a 24 weeks. Was hospitalized and went home on bedrest. I had contractions like you are discribbing, and was told if I had more then 6 in an hour to go in. I was hospitalized a total of 5 times. I had pretty consistent contractions from 24 weeks until I delievered at 37 weeks.

 

technically Braxton-Hicks are contractions, they're just non-progressing contractions. although they can still cause changes to your cervix. i would clarify with your doctor under what conditions they would like you to go back to the hospital. like Slipper, i was told that if i had 6 contractions in an hour, i should go in.

 

What instruction did they give you? If you go into labor now, will they try to stop it? I ask because the 34 week mark was the point I was given that they would no longer try to stop the contractions. So at that point, I'd just wait it out at home until they were consistently 5 minutes apart.

I didn't have any real scares throughout my pregnancy. I wasn't even sure what I was looking for contraction-wise, which I guess means I didn't really have any. Until the end of my 35th week. I had what you described - pretty much all night. They'd go from 9 minutes to 7 minutes to 5 minuted then back up to 8 minutes. This went on from around 11 pm til 8 in the morning, when I figured I'd get ready to go in. They were never really intense, just bad tightening. But just as quickly as they came, they stopped. I went for 2 more days with no sign and I thought it was the weirdest thing that I was sure I was in labor 2 days before, and then I was completely fine. I went to my 36 week appt and discovered I had pre-eclampsia. I was admitted to the hospital and wasn't dialated at all - so apparently the contractions didn't do anything. After being in the hospital 3 hours those same contractions started up again and I went from a 0 to a 3 pretty fast. So my c-section was more of an emergency situation instead of being scheduled the next day (even if I hadn't gone into labor, the babies had to be delivered because of the pre-eclampsia). I do think my contractions returned because it was my body's way of protecting itself and the babies from the pre-eclampsia, by getting ready to deliver. Not saying you have Pre-e, because in addition to the contractions, I had all the classic signs. But it probably means your body is preparing. Could be a few more days or a few more weeks. The unknown was the hardest part for me!

 

I had an irritable uterus so I had contractions from 22 weeks until the day I delivered at 38 weeks they never changed my cervix and I was never hospitalized but since it was the first pregnancy I had that even had one contraction before the birth day I was on edge and always wondering if this was it!!! My dr told me that at 35 weeks they would not do anything to stop them if they were true labor so once again I was on edge thinking that no way would we make it to the scheduled c- section but a few days before the c section they checked me after a night of contractions and I just KNEW I was at least a 5. LOL. Nope a finger tip and the morning of the c section they checked me and my cervix was closed go figure!!!!

 

This question is driving me crazy too. I had pre-term labor with DS1 and didn't even realize I was having contractions. I thank God I was hooked for an NST and they caught that I was having them every 5 minutes and were then able to stop my labor until 35 weeks. With DS2 I started having contractions at 18 weeks and it terrified me that I wouldn't know the real thing. I finally recognized them as the real thing, but only an hour before I actually had him. I was lucky he was posterior, because they tell me if he wasn't I probably wouldn't have made it to the hospital. I'm very in tune this time around and have been having contractions since 13 weeks. I have had up to 6 an hour but then they subside. It's really frustrating not knowing when I should be running to the hospital. I guess I'm not much help because I just have a lot of the same questions.

 

I was told that if it happened 5x/hr, I had to come in. Or when it happened, I should drink a big glass of water, lay on my left side. If it didn't go away in 30 mins, call my doc.

I'd call your doc. If you feel uncertain, just come in.things change very fast.