Long post and a bit tmi, but need advice

[alasia]

Hi,I could really do with a bit of advice/reassurance on some stuff that's been happening over the past week and a bit!

This is a bit tmi and I'm really sorry, but it's mainly about discharge.

I'm just over 30 weeks pregnant (31wks on Weds) and over the past week and a half I've had discharge that's slightly yellow tinged. About a week ago I had sex and the next day I noticed a thick (kind of the consistency of mousse!), pinkish discharge in my underwear. I put a liner on and went to check an hour later - there was more discharge, it was sticky and quite thick; and as I was changing the liner some more kind of trickled out! It was very runny, and about 3 teaspoons-full came out altogether, then a few more drips. Over the next few hours it changed from that to being more of a beige colour and thickened again. Could that have been to do with the sex maybe irritating my cervix or something? Never had it before...

Ever since then I've been feeling strange - kind of like how I feel when I'm about to come on my period - and I've been getting occasional period-like dull aches, yesterday and the day before I had a constant stomach ache and my back was aching too, and today I'm getting quite a few sharp pains (just enough to make me wince) in my lower abdomen, usually on my left side. for the past week it's also been hurting when the baby moves, like it's tender inside and when he moves I get sore/sharp pains - but only when he moves.

I've also been feeling constantly wet 'down there' for the past week; this morning I had quite a lot of discharge and kept having to change the pantyliners I was wearing, as it didn't seem to soak into the liner and just sat on top feeling slimy! Although I am only using cheap liners from Boots as I ran out of my 'proper' ones!

The discharge is yellowy cream again now, and for the past couple of hours I've still been feeling...just really damp (it's horrible; feel like I keep having to wipe myself dry!), I keep checking my liner thinking it'll be wet but it never is! It's either totally dry or only slightly damp - so I assume the wetness must be 'inside'? Never felt like this before, it just feels really slimy inside and it's disgusting!

Oh I almost forgot - about 4 days ago (think it was a day or two after the pinkish discharge), I went to the toilet, thought I'd totally emptied my bladder but as I was changing my liner, something that I assumed was urine leaked out. Quite a bit came out, so I collected some in a sample bottle (lol) and it was almost completely clear, with a slight yellow tinge and when I smelt it, it just had a faint smell - almost sterile but it's hard to describe what it smelt like. Definitely bitter though, so I'm assuming it was urine and not amniotic fluid? Bits leaked whenever I relaxed my muscles 'down there' and I got another episode where quite a lot came out about an hour after the first one.

Then it stopped, and I haven't 'leaked' since. I've even tried relaxing my pelvic floor muscles when I need to go to the toilet and haven't had the same sort of leakage.

I'm SO sorry for the war-and-peace length post, it seems like a lot has happened over the past week but I figured it must all be normal/nothing to worry about, as I'm sure I'd know about it if I went into labour or my waters broke - am I right?

Hmm, I'd go see a midwife about the leakage, to be honest - might be a hindwater leak?

I assume everything is fine, and you are still getting lots of baby movements, right?

I think they have a sort of paper they can dab in the leakage and tell you, right away, whether it's amniotic fluid.

TBH I don't know, but if it were me I would ring the midwife and tell them, and ask to be seen.

First of all congrats on your pregnancy. I have 4 children and have had c-sections so never been in labour not have my waters broken but I would advise you to see somebody as soon as poss to check that all is okay and that the fluid you are experiencing isn't amniotic fluid or that you have an infection. I don't want to alarm you but if you don't know, and why should you, it's best to be seen. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

gooey stuff sounds like it might be abit of show, if it looked like bloody snot, but i think NQC is right could be your waters, she will put your mind at rest

NQC is dead right re the paper-dabbing test

For the record I had (at 31 weeks) a pink-on-the-loo-paper incident after several weeks of increasingly heavy discharge, panicked, rang the MW and ended up at the antenatal ward on a monitor, where they did an internal and told me the baby was fine and I wasn't bleeding, but I had extensive thrush.

It wasn't like any thrush I'd had before (discharge not white, not lumpy, not itchy, just copious) but the Canesten they gave me cleared it right up.

Ring your MW - if your waters have broken they'll ask you to check your temp regularly to check you're not brewing an infection, even if you're nowhere near going into labour.

I have to agree that it may be thrush.Call your practitioner to get it checked out.

Thanks - to however it was that asked yes the baby's moving, although not as much this past week (but he is still moving at least 3-4 times in an hour - it's just before, he was moving pretty much constantly!)

I was wondering about the thrush thing, which is why I didn't bother phoning the hospital - I've got to see my MW again on Weds, so is it worth just mentioning it then, and not bothering to see anyone today? I just don't fancy wasting people's time and I know I won't be able to contact my MW, so it's either nhs direct or the hospiptyal, which seems a bit extreme to me, especially as I haven't had any discharge at all in the past hour or so.

calordan - it didn't look like snot, which is why I didn't think it could be a show. The stuff today was more like baby lotion - that kind of consistency. I'm useless at describing stuff, sorry!

Why would it hurt when the baby moves - is that normal and just because he's getting bigger?
If he wriggles around in the lower part of my tummy it really hurts - feels kind of like he's trying to stretch my stomach apart at around belly-button level, it's quite an intense feeling for a few seconds then it goes. It's enough to make me wince but not like a really severe pain or anything. I was wondering if they were BH but it feels like the baby's moving under there, and that's what's causing those sensations.

Definately sounds like thrush or maybe just normal discharge which can increase tons in pregnancy.
I remember ds1 was such a vigorous mover that I felt battered in the last few weeks.

the pains really sound like contractions, maybe braxton hicks, if i were you i would really call a midwife, yes today, can you call the maternity department direct, if its nothing to worry about they will just tell you to see midwife on wed if not then they will just examine you and check you over, if you have lost any water then there will be less room for baby to move and it will be more uncomfy, call reasure yourself and tehn you'll be able to put feet up an dnot worry anymore

Don't just 'mention' it to your MW on Weds, march in and demand she sort it out! She may want to swab to check for thrush but might be able to tell straight away like mine did.

Ask about the pain as well - crampy things are always worth checking out.

I'm getting increasingly strong movements that occasionally take my breath right away but am starting to suspect they may be Braxton-Hicks pushing from the outside in rather than the baby pushing from the inside out, if that makes sense - I'll be asking my MW on Thursday!

Ok thought I'd add a bit more; I keep getting these sharp pains - they're really low down on the right hand side, sometimes they're almost behind my pelvic bone and sometimes a bit higher up, just underneath my bump. Had one just and it was only like a 5 second thing, but it really hurts. Like someone's sticking a needle into you.

Ok so not the most severe pain ever, but enough to make me jump. Is it ligaments or something stretching?

Also...how do I tell if I'm having BH. This is my first baby and I'm one of these people that feels something, but I'm never sure if I'm imagining it or not. So I usually leave it. Someone told me they can feel like your baby's pushing or moving just behind your belly button or lower abdomen, but I've also been told it's like pressure in your lower abdomen - I've felt both of those things but how do I know it they're BH or the baby moving? The 'pushing' thing sometimes feels different to when the baby moves or kicks; the area over/behind my navel gets tight (getting that now actually!) and it feels like my belly button's pushing out slightly. It happens a lot after the baby kicks that area - could it be a BH or is the baby doing it? That feeling seems to last for ages sometimes, so it can't be a BH can it?

Sorry for all the questions!

Alasia, you wouldn't be 'bothering anyone'! That's what the midwives are there for and you'll feel much better if you check it out and put your mind at rest.

BH can be triggered by hormones from u or from baby so as the baby is trying to wiggle about you get a BH on top, first baby they are not usualy sore though just noticeable.

Ok...it's just that there's nothing definite - if I was getting regular pain or something that I was sure about, I could notice them getting more regular or painful, then I'd know for sure and get it checked out - but it's a bit...they're kind of diluted symptoms! hehe.

I just think if I call the hospital and say "well I was getting these pains one day but they were just dull aches...then I had a bit of pinkish discharge for 3 hours, then I leaked either urine or something else but that stopped after 3 hours and now I've got nothing..." they'll just say to go away and come back if some regularity develops, you know?

calordan - yeah that sounds like what I'm getting. These aren't sore at all, just feels like someone pushing my stomach in or something - or the baby pushing against my stomach from the inside. Kind of tight.

I've had about three in the past minute or so though so it could be my imagination.

but you dont know if they are going to say that unless you call them, they might say

you leaked something and you dont know what it was, we would really like to check your waters are intact so you dont develop an infection

seriously call maternity and if they say dont worry talk to your midwife, just say this stupid woman on MN made me call I was just going to leave it.

Good point. I'll give them a ring - it's just you know...it's a Sunday!

Hehe. I know the babys health is the most important thing, so I'll get on the phone now. Thanks

How did you get on?

Hi Alasia...hope all is well....was thinking maybe could be an infection? Hope you called and got some answers xx