Anyone else irritable for being irritable?

[confuddledDOTcom]

I normally start around 23 weeks, usually when I start it's with a bang and I'm running to triage to make sure I'm not really in labour - I've always delivered early, even had +ive fFNs from 23 weeks, and they don't ever expect me to go to term. This time I was saying "I'm not pregnant, I feel like I'm due on" before I found out at 10 weeks and it's just got worse over the last 9 weeks. Some days it's every 3 minutes, I've had half my belly go hard, I've had it rolling over in bed, we've decided to skip sex from now on because although we know it's safe it's so uncomfortable/ off putting to have them start up in the middle! We're at the point where we just have to be a little loving towards each other and I'm doubling over!

I've had a bad belly since April (obviously well before I was pregnant) and not been able to eat much because I swell up get really uncomfortable, when it started I said it feels like having a foot in my stomach. It's still going on so I feel totally rotten!

Anyone else want to share their irritability? I don't know anyone else who has suffered IU and haven't seen any support groups so would be nice to talk to others.

Oh and anyone doing Optimum? I think I'm meeting the researcher tomorrow and having a lovely fFN!

Well my obstetrician thinks it hasn't started early this time and it's just round ligament pain... Didn't meet with the Optimumm lady, not sure when that's happening as I was sure it was my 20 week appointment. Got another appointment with FMT on Wednesday so maybe it's something to do with that.

On the plus side, I've found out I'm having another girl which will be #4!

confuddled could you tell me more about irritable uterus? No one has ever suggested to me that I might have it, but DS1 was born at 32 weeks and with DS2 I went into labour at 29 weeks (contracting but not dilating, given drugs and it settled down), contractions again at 31 weeks then born at 34. Both pregnancies I had painful Braxton Hicks - first pregnancy I remember going on hands and knees sometimes, or shouting out with pain (actually did this in an antenatal class the night before he was born, midwife said 'oooh you're not going into labour are you?'. Oh how we laughed.....). 2nd pregnancy I had to give up pushing the buggy because I kept having to stop and breathe through them. I'm nearly 20 weeks with DC3 and waiting for them to start up again - sometimes think my uterus is going hard but am not sure that it isn't just baby in an awkward position....
I'm doing Optimumm, have my fibronectin in three weeks time and will automatically get the pessaries (oh joy!)

It's not well understood but it's regular BH that aren't BH, if that makes sense? A lot more painful and regular. They're not necessarily related to premature delivery, some people go longer than 40 weeks, some people do deliver early. It's never been properly diagnosed with me, someone mentioned it in passing last time and I looked it up and recognised what I read as me. Definitely sounds like you've got it.

When are you expecting to deliver? I'm 20 weeks tomorrow and we're expecting it to be sometime in January.

I have no idea to be honest! I would like to get to February, which would be about 34 weeks. Ds1 was in SCBU and I was separated from him and it was truly awful. Ds2 I was able to keep him with me on the transition ward and we were home in 5 days. So if I can keep going long enough to avoid SCBU I will be very happy, and I'm hoping that like last time if anything kicks off I will know enough now to get straight to the hospital and try to stop it, but I'm going to be packing my hospital bag in the next few weeks....

My earliest (31) was in the unit for just over two weeks and TC for a week, my other two (34 and 35) only went to the NNU because there were no TC beds, 35 weeker was there for a couple of days until they got us a bed together, but she insisted on being breastfed! I drew the line at being called downstairs in the night though lol! 34 weeker should have been there a couple of days but she's lactose intolerant and ended up very poorly when they gave her formula, was in the NNU for about 2 weeks and then 4 weeks on TC (yes, I was climbing the walls! I'd been in for about a week before!)

Each time the acceptance of me going early has increased, less "you never know" each time. Now we're just aiming to get to January, but because of the IU and Optimumm I think that by then I'll have probably used up my chances of keeping her in, had the full course of steroids and they'll be good to let me go.