Frequent Braxton Hicks

[kbaby]

Hi, this is my first time at posting a message. Im hoping someone will be able to put my mind at ease. Im 24 wks preg with my first baby and this week experienced 3 hours of tightening in my stomach. I read in a pregnancy book that they could be braxton hicks, but it said that they would be infrequent. Mine were happening every 10 mins, they werent painful it was tightening and felt really hard and would fade after 20 seconds. I called the MW who said to go and get checked out at the hospital. They did a internal exam and said that I hadnt dilated and to be kept in overnight. Everything seemed fine and there were no signs of any urine infections or anything. They eased off and so I was sent home. That was 3 days ago but i'm still getting them. I cant feel them if I lie on my side and they seem to start at around 3pm each day. I'm really worried as the hospital havent really said what they are and only to contact them if they become painful. Im worried that this means I will go into labour early. None of my friends have had any.
Has anyone else experienced braxton hicks every couple of minutes. How will I know if im in labour or not.
Hope someone can help
Thanks

I guess the short answer is that you can't be absolutely sure it's not labour, not least because some women do have amazingly "easy" labours even with a 1st baby.... but labour almost always lasts a lot longer, is much more persistent, frequent contrax & painful. And no matter how quick or easy it was, you'll have a bloody show &/or leak amniotic fluid, before the baby drops out, too.

Don't trust the books to give a perfect picture. I read that B-H are not supposed to be painful; well, mine are. Not wildly so, but definitely a bit like real menstral cramps. I feel I can shrug them off because real labour is so much more intense, and my B-H only strike once a week or so.

Kbaby, that sounds like what happened to me at exactly the same time, but I was put into hospital for 3 weeks and spent most of that time on a drip to control the contractions (something like adrenalin I believe). They gave me a couple of injections to speed the development of the baby's lungs just in case he eventually came early. They eased me off the drip and monitored the contractions. When they calmed down considerably they gave me tablets I had to take three of a day and they sent me home. At home I was supposed to take it easy, and avoid stress. Even walking up our two flights of stairs at one go could bring on the contractions, for which I would immediately take a tablet - so obviously I took it very easy. I was going to the hospital once a week to be monitored. After a few weeks at home I felt better and more confident and I stopped taking the tablets (never told my dr I did that), but 1 or 2 weeks later my water broke and 24 hours later my DS arrived, 5 weeks early.

That is my story. I hope it helps, but I wouldn't take this situation too lightly. I may have gotten more 'service' from my doctor and hospital due to my insurance situation, but still... Are you taking a supplement with magnesium? That is usually the first thing they give here for such problems.

All the best

I'm getting B-H fairly frequently too... evenings seem to be when I get them most (or maybe they're just more noticeable then?) If you're concerned I'd definitely keep in close contact with your doctor/midwife - if anything for reassurance purposes.

Labour is different for everyone, but having gone through it once, I'm fairly certain that for me these are B-H as I remember how painful my labour was!

Thanks everyone. I asked the hospital if there was anything to give me to stop them and they said that because they were stopping eventually on their own, they wouldnt unless they became more painful. I have just done a search on irritable uterus and that seems to have the same type of syptoms ie frequent contractions but no dilating. To be honest the doctor I saw wasnt very helpful and said that they wouldnt give me steroids to develop the bebys lungs as it wouldnt survive anyway. I have a MW appt on wednesday so maybe ill ask her a lot more questions and check if there is anything I can take to prevent them.
If anyone else has advise on how they dealt with a similar thing. Please post a message.
Thanks

kbaby - I'm not sure about the medical implications on whether the steroids would help or not (in terms of strengthening the baby's lungs) but 24 weeks is a legally viable baby and I was under the assumption that this is the turning point where the baby can survive and therefore they will help. You may well be able to force the issue if you're put in that position again.

I'm sorry, as I haven't been in a similar position I can't really offer much in the way of advice. However, it does sound like you need to keep constant contact with your doctor. Will be thinking of you. hugs

Goergina is right. I'm shocked at their dismissive attitude to the 'viability' of your baby. Of course it's viable at 24 weeks. I'm sure someone will know the exact success rate at this gestation, but babies do survive and thrive this early if he/she does decide to come. Would it be possible for you to contact your consultant via his/her secretary and explain what is happening. If not, maybe try and keep a log of your contractions and then show to your midwife, or even GP. Wishing you well. xxxx

Message withdrawn

I also had frequent contractions at 24 weeks. I was on holiday at the time and after they had been going on for about 4 hours a couple of minutes apart to the point that I couldn't walk, stand or sit I went off to the hospital. I also hadn't dilated at all and they put me on a monitor and gave me a thorough check.
They fed me 2L of fluid and explained that often dehydration causes an irritable uterus and they seemed to think this was the case with me.
Since then I have made a big effort to drink lots (at least 3L plus a day) and I haven't had them since.
Might be worth trying as a home remedy while waiting for other medical opinions - drinking lots can't do you any harm.
Am now 32wks and no baby yet.

I had constant braxton hicks from about this time. They were frequent but not painful. My dd arrived a week late. I'm sure you'll be alright but keep getting checked if you're worried.

Was anyone told to have bedrest, I'm afraid to do anything encase I start them off again. I'm also worried encase they do develop into labour.
Also what would magnesium do?

kbaby, Magnesium is generally taken to prevent muscle cramps and if you are taking a supplement specifically for pregnancy, it should have some in it, otherwise you could ask your chemist for a supplement.

I was confined to bed (except for going to loo) for the 3 weeks I was in hospital. Once I was let out of hospital, I was confined to the home. My DH shopped - I went nowhere except to weekly monitoring check-ups. The night before my waters broke I had gotten brave and gone shopping with my SIL as I was bursting out of my maternity clothes. Apparently resting helps baby grow too, so my Oby/gyn said.

The tablets I was given to take when I went home are called Partusisten, but they may have a different brand name in the UK. They are produced by Boehringer.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that although my ds was early he was perfectly healthy. Don't stress yourself out about it otherwise it could exacerbate the problem. Just insist that you get help and don't be fobbed off.

It would be great if Pupuce or Mears would pop on here, I'm sure they would be able to offer advice.

I'm 25 weeks in 2nd pg and started having a lot of Braxton Hicks recently. I find that I have more when I've been physically active - maybe overdoing it. On the bright side - they are supposed to be helping your uturus to tone up for labour.

Thanks, ive been taking supplements and noticed that they contain magnesium. Ive also started drinking more. Ive only had 5 today and they dont seem as strong. It just feels tight and makes me want a wee. I'll ask the MF about the bedrest. My partner says to take longer off at least until im 26 weeks.
What do you think? Ill let you know what the MF says tomorrow.
Ta Ta for now

kbaby, with my second, I had extremely painful B-H contractions from about 20 weeks on. I couldn't talk through them and they would go on until I changed what I was doing. Like yours, they could last hours. They usually came on when I exerted myself, so I'd have to sit and relax until they went away, but sometimes would come on when I was doing nothing, so I'd take a warm relaxing bath, which always made them stop. I didn't dilate at all until the time came and then I was induced.

The best advice given to me was to take a warm bath if they won't stop. Otherwise, sit down and put your feet up.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

I had painful contractions every 2 minutes , also starting around 3 pm, every day for the last 10 weeks and I went over 3 weeks late, but when I did go into labour it happeneed very quickly so much so that I had an unassisted birth, so I suppose in my case, the contractions were doing something, and I was probably slightly dilated for weeks

The midwife didnt say much, only that it happens to some people in pregnancy and try not to stress over it(easier said than done) I think im going to take next week off work and do a bit around the house and see if that brings anymore on, hopefully it wont and I'll go back to work the week after. At least next Friday ill be 26 weeks so hopefully the baby will stand more chance should anything happen.
I never realised this pregnancy lark would be so worrying and stressful. How comes I dont look like one of the models in the pregnancy magazines all glowing and healthy : )

Hey kbaby, I really empathise with you! I am having regular and quite frequent contractions, a couple even while I read your post and the replies (which the doctors say are probably "just Braxton Hicks contractions" but I'm not so sure of). Mine are definitely caused by some other problems (blood tests and urine tests showing all kinds of junk and high risk signs), but the hospital doctors did not look after me the way they should have and sent me home due to lack of space saying not to come back unless it becomes real labour (errr, isn't the aim to prevent that, rather than wait for it to happen?!). So I'm having to take matters into my own hands now and have researched my symptoms and made a list of questions that I am going to demand the answers to, and won't rest until they either ascertain there's no threat to me or my baby, or find the problem and deal with it appropriately.

Mmmmmmmm here comes another one...

My advice to you is not to worry what they think and to get checked as often as you need to, to alert them to your concerns, and not rest until you get the answers that satisfy you. As someone else wisely advised, log them too, then they can see what's going on. If it really is nothing to be worried about, they should be able to tell you that more definitively the just because it's "probably nothing". In the meantime, here's a part of an article I found on how to tell when you should contact your caregiver. Hope it helps.

Sarah x

When should I call my doctor or midwife?

Call if your contractions are accompanied by watery or bloody vaginal discharge. Until you reach term (37 weeks gestation), call your midwife if the contractions are accompanied by lower back pain, if you feel more than three contractions an hour, or if they're coming at regular intervals; these are signs of premature labour. If you're past 37 weeks, there's no need to call your midwife until your contractions last 60 seconds each and are five minutes apart.

I know that this thread started back in like 2004, and I hope all went well, kbaby.
Hopefully I can resurrect it? I'm 30 weeks and have been having the same problems since 24 weeks. My midwife told me to do everything I can to stop the contractions. Physical activity of any kind seems to exacerbate them. But I'm going crazy because it seems like they are doing nothing and I'm sick of being in bed and letting the house get messy and eating already-prepared foods when I really want my normal healthy fresh foods from scratch diet. I don't even know if stopping the contractions is doing any good, and I'm sick of trying. Any advice?