I ended up in L&D with contractions yesterday

Hi,

I am at 25 weeks and a half weeks pregnant with boy/girl twins. I was feeling some contractions on top of my uterus lately. I mentioned it to my doctor when I had my appointment on Tuesday and he didn't seem too concerned, he said it's normal with twins. It was really bad yesterday, when I felt as if the top of my uterus was tight, just like a really tight corset and it was hard to breathe. This feeling was constant for hours, it wouldn't go away no matter how much wather I drank, and I think I drank about 9 bottles by 3 PM. Someone else was wondering about something similar on a different topic, and I even put a comment there explaining how I feel and that I am not too worried about it.

My insurance company has this program for people pregnant with twins - a nurse calls me once in a while to ask how I feel. Yesterday she called by chance and I explained how I felt. She told me to call my doctor. So I called them, left a voicemail, the nurse called me back, then she told me that the doctor wants me to go to Labor and Delivery to monitor me... So here I was, not being too concerned, and all of a sudden, on the way to Labor and Delivery... We went, they monitored me for 2 hours and it turns out I had contractions. They took tests; things seem to be fine with my blood pressure and cervix. So they sent me home. Now I am wondering if I should I be worried? Today I felt fine during the morning but now I am starting to get that heavy feeling again. So far my pregnancy wasn't too complicated and I think I overdid when I cleaned last Tuesday, I moved some chairs around... Maybe it's from that, I hope.

Has this ever happened to someone else and how did it affect the rest of your pregnancy? Should I expect this every day from now on or it's something that happens once in a while? I am really scared of bed rest and I hope I won't end up on bed rest, although I would do it if I have to, of course.

Thanks for your help as always,

Monica

 

yup, every woman has that with every pregnancy - only, with a singleton, you usually don't feel them so early nor do they become uncomfortable/painful so soon & they're usually just referred to as braxton hicks. it's basically just your uterus "tuning up" for labor. as long as they aren't affecting your cervix, they can be annoying but nothing to worry about. you will probably feel them off & on from now until the end of your pregnancy - staying hydrated & relaxed (as much as possible) will help, but you probably won't be able to get rid of them completely. if at any point, they feel different in some way to you or you just have a feeling that something's changed, it's worth going in & getting checked out. sometimes, it's hard to know when BH are just your uterus practicing & when they've crossed the line into actually changing your cervix. *hug*

 

With my singleton DD I went into ptl at 30 wks. I stayed in the hospital with terbutaline and also a mag sulfate drip for almost 2 days. They sent me home with a Rx for Procardia that I took until 36 wks. I delivered DD at 38wks after my MW stripped my membranes the day before. So, my point is, you can have ptl issues earlier on and go on to successfully carry a fullterm pregnancy.

No more moving chairs

 

You can take calcium and magnesium supplements to keep your uterus relaxed... Dr. Barbara Luke's book has recommendations.

Good luck!

 

I went into PTL at 24 weeks exactly, was hospitalized for a week, sent home on strict bedrest. I was hospitalized 5 times in total, some stays being 2 weeks long. My boys were delivered at 37 weeks via scheduled c-section. So you never know. I had consistant contractions from 24 weeks until I delivered.

 

At 33 wks, last Friday morning I went in for a Non Stress Test (the first of a routine weekly testing) and was sent to Labor & Delivery due to contractions that were 2-4 minutes apart. I did not feel any different than I had any other day. We tried Procardia, but ended up on a Mag drip with constant monitoring all weekend. I was given 2 Betamethasone shots. I was 3cm dialated, 60% effaced. I stayed in Labor & Delivery until Sunday evening, at that time I was taken off the Mag drip and given Procardia again and was moved up to the Maternity Ward until Tuesday afternoon. Since my contractions had minimized, they were not uncomfortable, and I was still only 3cm dialated on Sunday, I was released to come home with Procardia (10mg/4hrs) on bed rest. I am now 34 weeks and hope to hang on for a few more...