Yeah.
Three days of consistent (every 5-10 minutes), strong contractions will do that to you. Good news is, it's the same false labor I continue to have and I'm not dilating at all. FFN was negative again. Bad news is, this is just how my pregnancy will continue and there's nothing we can do about it.
You see, my uterus is irritable. As am I, these days. So what is an irritable uterus?
For the most part, Braxton Hicks contractions are rarely painful and will remain quite irregular. During periods of heavy activity, however, you may find the contractions become uncomfortable. If so, resting with your feet up will usually lessen your discomfort.
For many women, having Braxton Hicks contractions would be a blessing. For those who have been told they have an "irritable uterus" the onset of mildly uncomfortable contractions during the last weeks and months of the pregnancy would be ideal. Irritable uterus is a term used by doctors to describe painful contractions that do not cause changes in the cervix, like those seen during labor. These contractions can be frighteningly similar to the real deal, only without the regularity of true labor.Yes, this means I experience labor-like contractions all the freaking time. And that freaking sucks! It's painful, it's tiring, it's annoying and there's really no way of me knowing if I'm having cervical changes without having to go to L&D. Luckily, they've been very nice to us. We're regulars. I'm waiting for them to just point to the room we'll be in and allow me to hook myself up to the monitors, enter my info into the computer ("yes, I feel safe in my home. No, no alcohol or smoking during the pregnancy. Nope, I don't have herpes. No allergies to drugs.") and even administer my own FFN test. If I could only check my own cervix...
The highlight of our trips to L&D is getting to hear her heartbeat the whole time we're there AND see the BPM (which fascinates me). She's a little superstar and always does perfect while on the monitor. Which is interesting, since I've noticed she can be having a very quiet day but strap that monitor on her and she starts doing flips and turns and moving all around. She either a) is a show off or b) doesn't like the monitor and tries to kick it off my stomach. Considering who her parents are, I think it's probably A. Trouble.
3 comments:
I agree, it totally sucks. But I'm kind of glad that I'm not the only one dealing with this! :O)
Ick, that does not sound fun at all. I'm going with the fact that she is likes to show off her skills as a soccer player for you :-) You have me cracking up at wishing you could just figure out how to check your own cervix - now that would be useful! We should put our minds together and figure that one out. Then in a few short months we could be two very rich mommies for these little girls, LOL!
Oh, do I ever hear you on this one. I'm at 6 trips to L&D in a month's time, and even odds that I'll rack up another before the week is out. Technically it's all threatened PTL, because my cervix hasn't changed, but it sure feels like the real deal when you're contracting every three minutes. You have to go in, because what if you didn't and you did start having cervical changes, but it sucks being a frequent flier.
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