painful contractions-had enough of this-help

[mergle]

I'm 39+2 weeks pregnant. For the past 3 1/2 weeks I've been on and off getting really painful contractions. They are starting in the back, going out to the front mainly. They feel like period pains but really strong-strong enough that I can't generally talk through them. Generally they start at around 5-10 minutes apart, go on for a few hours getting closer and closer, and then fade away. On Sunday (in IKEA!) they went on for 7 hours. I am getting really frustrated that it looks like something is happening and then it stops but more than that, it really hurts and I can't take another 3 weeks of this. I've had these 7 hour "episodes" 3 times now. Apart from that I am getting less painful contractions and what I thought were "proper" Braxton Hicks-ie not painful.

The midwife thinks this is all normal. She hasn't actually looked to see what is going on. I'm sure she's right but it really hurts and I am fed up. Any thoughts?

loved my tens - found it a bit useless for the last two hours but by then I think nothing would have had effect. It enabled me to stay at home for ages.

For both dd and ds I was only in labour for about 4hrs so I may not have given it enough time to work befor throwing it at the wall.

Maybe next time I'll try to slow it all down and have a go at the TENs machine.

Wow! Lots of messages. Thanks.

I went to see the midwife yesterday and started crying because I couldn't take any more. She was very nice and sent me to the hospital to check whether my TENS machine is working properly-that's about all they can do apparently. Its working fine, it just doesn't make any difference to the pain. Exactly the same thing happened today-7 hours of contractions then nothing. The baby was monitored and was fine. The only useful thing that was said was that I can take co-codymol but I'm not prepared to do that (I am taking paracetemol). They categorically will not induce or do anything that might bring on labour til 42 weeks. The attitude seems to be "sorry, but we can't do anything, you just have to put up with it.".

Mergle - have you had a urine specimen checked to see that you do not have a mild urine infection? That can acause pain that is contraction-like. Drink plenty of fluids as well. When you take paracamol, 30 mins later lie in a warm bath. The combination of the 2 things should help. Sorry that you are having to put up with this at the moment - it may well be worth it though. Lots of contractions get the cevix really ready for labour.

By the way, I don't have any scientific knowledge about pineapple. Hadn't even heard of it till I came onto mumsnet

mergle, why are you not prepared to take cocodamol? It's perfectly safe, and stronger than paracetamol. You shouldn't take it as well as paracetamol, but it's fine as an alternative.

I don't want to take co-codamol because of the stuff I've read about it. Actually I'm not happy about taking paracetemol as there is a history of asthma in my family.

The thing is, of course, now I'm 1 day "overdue"-so naturally the pains have stopped. I also had an internal examination done yesterday and I'm not effaced or dilated or anything-its all a mystery but it doesn't hurt any more and I'm sure the baby'll get itself out of there in its own time (or someone will get it out of there for me). Not a urine infection either. I've only just given up work-maybe I wanted to go into labour so I could start maternity leave early! Anyway, general thanks.

Glad things have settled down for you mergle. Hope it won't be too long before it is the real thing.

My husband is asthmatic and paracetemol is about the only non-pescription pain killer he can take as it does not contain aspirin.

BR