contractions. when to call/go in?

I think I am having contractions. Never had any with DS and not sure what the dif is between brax hixs. When should I call or go in? What is the diff?
Dena

 

How close together are they? How strong are they? I have never actually gone into labor, so not really sure. If they are frequent, then you should call the doctor.

 

How far along are you? How far apart are your contractions? How are intense are they? Have you been drinking enough water? You may want to try drinking alot of water and see if they decrease.

 

Luckily when I went into labor my SIL, who is an RN, was at the house. I had been having B-H for quite some time, but the morning I had the girls the pains were quite different. My B-H were never consistent like actual labor pains. My labor pains made my entire belly tight and radiated all over my belly, unlike B-H which were usually limited to under the belly button for me or in one specific spot. Plus, I had a lot of pressure in my bottom whenever I contracted when I went into actual labor.

The day I went into labor my SIL suggested I take a warm shower and lay down and relax to see if the contractions stopped. They didn't, of course, and kept getting stronger and closer together. They were probably about 10 minutes apart and I was really miserable and uncomfortable and that is when we decided to call the doctor.

Everybody is different, but hopefully this helps.

 

Unfortunately you won't really know if they are the real thing or BH unless you go get checked. The real thing causes cervical changes, BH's do not. You should call your doc and discuss the criteria of when you should call. Usually it is if you feel so many in an hour (generally 4-6) and if drinking some glasses of water and laying down don't stop them.

 

My labor initially didn't feel any different from regular BH. The key is the timing. I was told to come in if I had more than 4 in an hour or if they were every 15 minutes or less.

 

Dianne's totally right- the only real way to know is to go get checked. I've had ctx for aboout 3 months now, and it's perfectly "normal" FOR ME to have 6 or so in an hour, and that's usually when they say to go or call when you have that many- but I've been in so many times, we've just realized that's my uterus! I think the only key is to call when something's different for you. If you don't normally get 6 an hour, or if they don't normally hurt, or whatever... that's when you should get things checked just in case. And again, drink a ton of water- my nurses always remind me that's the best way to prevent PTL!

 

Did you call or go in? At first I was told 4 in an hour. Then I was upped to six in an hour. Finally, when I was on meds for contractions and on bedrest, I was told 10 in an hour.

And for what it is worth, my contractions were never painfully intense, nor were they ever consistent, even when I was in labor.

 

I took a bath, drank more water and laid down and they stopped. I am only 33 weeks and my OB is out of town for 2 weeks... I hate calling L&D they are so quick to assume that I am fine...
No more yet today. I am sure I will be feeling more over the next few weeks. They were bound to start

 

s! Hang in there, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. I gave up calling L/D, and started just going instead. Don't ever be afraid of being to cautious!

 

My peri always tells me the majic number is more than 4 per hour. You can try laying on your side and drinking lots of water. If they do not go away just call. If they start getting closer and closer call. It doesn't necisarily have anything to do with how they feel, they may not hurt at all but the point that you are contracting regularly is more important. If you are ever unsure just call you will feel a lot better. It took me a while to get the hang of calling when I felt like something felt wrong because I felt like I was being paranoid. My doctor's assured me that they want you to call if anything seems out of the ordinary.