Saturday night I began experiencing what felt like muscle cramps, or tightening of the muscles on my lower abdomen. It was only occasional and I figured it was due to all the walking I did at the dog park earlier that afternoon. Sunday the area would have the occasional sharp pain and be a little sore but nothing more than that. Monday morning I had the pain again followed by more painful cramping and my whole stomach was much tighter than normal. That happened like 3-4 times in the span of about three hours. I called the doctor and was told to stay home from work and lay down, moving around as little as possible and drink lots of fluids. I also have a yeast infection right now that the doctor has me treating with monistat 7 (maybe that has something to do with it?). After laying down most the day I had no cramping except the occasional lower abdomen pain that felt like a muscle cramp. This morning I had a few times where my entire stomach got tight again. It wasn't as painful, but is uncomfortable. I am going to call my doctor again as soon as the office opens, and I am taking her advice again and staying home from work and laying down. Should I be worried? Should I go about my normal day (My work doesn't like me missing like this)? I just don't know what to do, this is my first pregnancy and I feel lost.
The biggest cause of painful contractions AND pre-term labor is dehydration. Being dehydrated really irritates the uterus. When you get crampy, drink a LOT of water and lay down for a bit. You should be drinking 3 liters a day, at least. Many people think they are getting enough water when they're really not. A good clue is the color of your urine, it should be clear, not yellow. Braxton-Hicks contractions will feel like a painless tightening, many people describe it as "the baby balling up". Also, at 33+ weeks, you can be experiencing round ligament pain, which is normal and actually a good sign. It means your pelvic bones are getting the good hormone relaxin and the ligaments are softening and stretching to make room for your baby. This is not a muscle-like pain, like contractions, it's more of an achy and sometimes sharp pain in your hips. The yeast infection and Monistat won't affect your contractions.
I had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions while pregnant with my oldest son, they would get pretty uncomfortable at times. When I was pregnant with my twins, I didn't notice having Braxton Hicks as much, but my doctor said that it was because I was too full of baby.
No, a yeast infection will not cause preterm contractions. I had preterm labor with all my kids, I had to be hospilized, and we were lucky to keep my kids out of the NICU. I was very grateful to not have a preterm baby. PLEASE, if the contractions continue, or you have more than 4 an hour, or they continue for more than a few hours, or you see a lot of mucous, water leaking or rectal pressure GO TO THE ER. This is what saved my babies, kept me in bed for as much as 6 months during each pregnancy, but it was worth it to save a baby from a preterm birth and it's consequences. Your doctor should do at least ONE cervical check (but not too many, as these can actually aggravate preterm labor) and there is a test they can do, called a Fibromectin Test, to see how high your risk of preterm delivery is. Your doctor should already be doing these, IMO. Water is one of the best things, but if it IS actual pretem labor, more will have to be done to keep that baby in there until it is ready to be born. I had to take daily meds with two of my pregnancies. One I had to take regular Anti-tocolytics (I took Yutopar, which they don't use anymore, but I had Brethine in the hospital with other babies) I took two Yutopar, every 2 hours round the clock (I had to set my alarm to take the stuff in the night) and with my last pregnancy we used Aspirin Therapy, which worked,except for one time, where I got very upset and had to go into the hosptial for an IV and some Brethine. But, I keept those babies in me for 38, 39, 38 (maybe 37?) and 36 weeks each. None of the docs at the hospital belived I'd make it to Term. Everyone thought I would have my babies way early. (I started contraction as early as 12 weeks.) But, I took my bedrest VERY seriously, and it paid off. There is a known relationship between doctors and midwives who REALLY stress Bed Rest, and lower preterm delivery rates. The docs who are too casual about Bed Rest and keeping an eye on a mama with preterm contractions, and beleive, that it's "OK" to go back to work ect, have MUCH higher rates of babies being born preterm. The docs who are more "aggresive" (I hate this word) about insisting on carefulness during preterm conditions have much better outcomes in preventing preterm babies being born. NOTHING is more imporant than keeping that baby in you right now. What did it for me, when I was 23, and first had preterm labor, and wasn't taking my Bed Rest seriously, was to be taken on a "Scared Straight" tour of the NICU. I had NO idea. Although educated, I didn't KNOW what went on with a preterm baby, and when one of the nurses showed me (I was in a wheelchair, that's how careful they were) a tiny red, squirming thing, with a tube down her throat, tubes and wires coming out of her, and clear skin, and at least an other 3 months before she could come home and said to me, "THAT is what your baby looks like right now, and that is what your baby will be suffering through, if he or she is born now." Scared the boredom of staying in bed for the next 4 months right outta me. Ask your doctor if he can surriptitously take you into the NICU, and show you what a 33 weeker looks like. You'll not leave your house or your bed, until 37 weeks. BED REST means that. Resting IN the bed. Or on the couch. (No shopping, no going out to dinner, no visiting freinds, no working 30 hours a week, instead of 40, or even THREE hours a week, I couldn't even sit at the computer, when pregnant with Sage, most days. Your ONLY job now is keeping that baby in there until he or she can live on their own.) Lying on your left side will help, as will keeping calm. Mine got so bad that I had to take medications, with some of my pregnancies, but I know what happens to babies in the NICU, I didn't care WHAT they did to me, if it would keep my baby in my body even one day longer. Every day in the womb is worth a week in the NICU. I repeated this mantra to myself every day I couldn't do anything. It worked. I know you can do this, as hard as it is. Blessings.
That's such a sad story. My dad was born 3 months early. He almost died. He has a lot of trouble as far as his heart and breathing goes, the heart thing is probably hereditary, which he passed to me and, likely his dad passed to him as he had heart problems. He's not by any means a small man now, 6'1 197 pounds, but he has a lot of trouble with his body and stuff.
maggie's story is every reason to tell your work that you need the bedrest. Explain to them the dangers of what might happen if you don't stay in bed. Get your doc to write you a note explain your circumstances. Anything that you can do to stay in bed, do it.
Well, I went to the doctor today and my fibronectin test was negative and my cervix was closed, so those are all good signs. This has relieved quite a bit of my concerns. Regardless, she said she wants me to slow down. I've been working a lot and on some stressful projects, and doing quite a bit around the house to prepare for baby. I'm going to have to limit my time at work and stay off my feet more. I also need to pay close attention to these contractions and if there are more than 4 an hour I need to go to the hospital. So far there hasn't been more than one or two in an hour and sometimes hours pass without any at all. She also said something that concerned me, that if I went into labor past 34 weeks (basically next week) that there wasn't much they could do to stop the baby from coming, and I really don't want that to happen, he isn't ready to be here yet. I have to get over this feeling that I HAVE to work up to my due date, because right now I feel guilty for missing two days of work let alone now having to tell them I have to cut back my hours. Not to mention my boss has never had children so she is less than understanding. Really, though, this should be the least of my worries. Having a healthy, full-term baby takes priority right now.
You should be covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act for cutting back your hours and taking care of your baby and yourself. If your boss harrasses you or causes you to feel that you are risking your job, tell her supervisor or if your company is larger than (I think) 21 employees, threaten legal action. The working world needs to become more accepting and protective of pregnant and breastfeeding women.
There certainly IS. Brethine, hydration and bed rest and even a Trendelenburg lying position can be used until your due date. I was on antitocolytics, AND a home contraction monitoring machine, until 38 weeks with my first baby. They would have stopped ANY labor with this baby before 37 weeks. I've HAD labors stopped at and after 34 weeks. have they given you a home contraction monitoring machine? This is really neccesary, because, especially in first pregnancies, many mothers do not feell most of their contractions, and you can dilate to 5 cm without even realizing it. With the home machine, you put it on, and they send the data to a lab, where it is read immediately. The use of these machines reduces preterm births to a HUGE extent. Preterm birth is nothing to mess with. I can't believe your doctor is being so casual with it. I never saw my doctor with a serious face, unless I was in preterm labor, he is a really funny guy, never panics, but when a mom is having contractions early, he kicks into high gear. He has one of the lowest preterm delivery rates in our state, and he's a High Risk OB. Docs who are to casual have really high Preterm rates, and they just don't care. There is more to it than the baby "just living." Quality of life in the NICU SUCKS. I wouldn't want my dog in there, with all the tests, and the pain, and the lights and the separation from mama. Do EVERYTHING you can to prevent your baby from ending up there. You NEED a second opinion. Ask what the preterm rate of your doctor is. My guess is, with her attitude, prettty high. Like I said, a lot of OBs will just let babies be born preterm, hand them off to the NICU and not have to worry about the hard work of treating a preterm labor SERIOUSLY. There is PLENTY they can do at 34 weeks, and beyond. I know, I've had it done. And my babies DIDN'T suffer. And about the guilt for staying home from work. Your priorities are COMPLETELY differently now. If your job thinks that having a preterm baby is a price to pay for you coming to work every day, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves. I QUIT my jobs in the beginning of my second trimester with all the pregnancies I was working through. My babies were MUCH more important to me than my bosses. If they didn't understand, too bad. My children come first. What you need now is to STAND UP FOR YOUR BABY. TO your doctors and to your employers. Your baby is more important than any of these people. If they don't have your baby's best interest in mind (and any doctor who thinks that 34 weeks, when MOST babies don't even have lung function, much less sucking-swallow-breathe ability doesn't care about these babies, because SHE doesn't have to do anything but catch them and hand them off to NICU. Allowing your to deliver preterm is actually LESS work for her than TREATING and PREVENTING the preterm delivery) if they don't have your baby's best interests in mind, then YOU have to even more. Please, get a second opinion, preferably at a University Teaching Hospital. They have ENOUGH preterm babies there, they will do everything they can to keep your baby IN. You baby is NOT doomed to a too early birth, just because your doctor seems lazy. Stand up for your baby. It will only be the first time of THOUSANDS in her life. You can do it.
Any company with under 50 employees is not required to do this. Also you must be a full time employee with at least 12 months with the company. Most companies over 50 employees will have a Human Resources Director. If that applies to your company talk to that person.
My company has 12 employees, so we don't qualify under FMLA laws. However, I just went over my boss's head and spoke with the owner (who had similar problems with one of her pregnancies) and she has been very understanding. I am taking my maternity leave earler and still able to stay out as long as I had originally planned after the baby comes. Although, my husband and I are not sure if I am going to go back to work at all- financial reasons would be the only reason I would, and even then we'd work it out to where there is a parent home 99.99% of the time. If that means I work weekends and he weekdays, or whatever, that's what we're going to do. Next week is my last week of work, and my hours and responsibilities there are significantly reduced. I have been taking it easy and drinking LOTS of fluids and it seems to be helping. I only have contractions once every 2-3 hours at most and not as painful as they were previously. I also see my doctor again next tuesday and am going to bring up this delivery after 34 weeks thing with her again. I will find another doctor who won't just "let the baby come after 34 weeks" if I have to. I want to know why she feels that early delivery isn't preventable after that point (if that's what she ment and I didn't misunderstand her).
