31 weeks pregnant... preterm labour?

[Scarycoaster]

Been unwell the last five days. Started as terrible muscle pain/exhaustion/hard to breathe then went to a brief rise in temperature. Last day and a half been hard to walk /burning back pain/felt sick with no appetite. Cervix on checking is open by 1cm. Lower cramping, period like.

Thick Mucus like discharge today, in one lump. On it's own. Photo if needed.

Spoke to midwife and she said to see how it plays out essentially. But to obviously not leave things too long as previous birth with dd was considered fast (under four hours) .

I am hesitant to rush into hospital as our local doesn't deal with preterm and the one that does isn't known for it's amazing hygiene.

Any other situation I would have been down there asap to be checked, but with corona and living with two vulnerable elderly parents I am concerned about going there, it being nothing and then risking bringing something back with me which could hurt them.

I don't want to bother midwife again as I appreciate they are super busy right now. But what warning signs should I look out for? I obviously don't want to risk my baby but nor do I want to risk the health of my family here atm going to a less than ideal hospital unless it is really needed

Feels around 2cm now, two fingers in and can feel something hard?

Pregnancy line is ringing out...

Go and get checked! I understand that you are worried about the risk with Coronavirus but the risk to you and your baby definitely outweighs it!

Go and get checked out for yourself and your baby and unless you're trained you don't know how many centimetres you're.
I get you're worried about coronavirus but this does outweigh that i am afraid. Keep on ringing and make your way there if they don't pick up before you arrive then just go in and speak to reception or ward.

You are*

Stop putting your fingers in there. Take the advice of your midwife. If things change/have changed then cal your midwife again. Stop putting your fingers in there.

And you're not bothering your midwife they're there to help and wouldn't see it as bothering them especially with preterm labour

I finally got through to a midwife. I'm basically left to wait it all out and see how things develop, if it gets worse to then go in due to the fact I had a brief spike in temperature the other day.

Completely understand why and have been isolating anyway. But jesus it is so scary to be told to stay away the moment they hear that.

With dd I felt so cared for, any worries or issues they would ask to see me and cover everything. I felt cared for and knew my baby was safe and okay.

To be left an anxious mess worrying over wtf is happening is so daunting. Even if you understand the reasoning why.

What the? I get that they think you should isolate but you could also be in pre term labour? That doesn't make sense to tell you to wait it out even if they tried to get an ambulance to you with paramedics kitted uo... they should really see you because if you do end up giving birth you'll be there anyway. Honestly I'd phone back and say someone needs to check this is very unsafe and they're putting your baby in so much danger if you are in labour!

I just feel like I'm being silly now if I push it. I lost more of my plug last night, more with blood in this time. Still getting period like contractions, enough to have disturbed my sleep but not stop me sleeping completely.

Because they dismissed it all, so has husband. Meant to be on bed rest now but running around after a 21 month old.

I'm just exhausted and scared and bloody confused. Maybe I am just being a drama queen but it's hard not to be worried at a time like this in a world like this where I can't even see a medical professional!

You need to phone them again and mention you lost some plug with blood. Please go and bet help. They're endangering your unborn baby.

I have messaged my usual midwife with a photo. Waiting on a reply, I know she was assisting with a birth yesterday so likely very busy!

I've given up on the pregnancy line if I'm honest. Usually they are brilliant, but they seem incredibly stretched atm and pretty pointless atm if my experience is anything to go by.

Just keep an eye on everything and don't let anyone fib you off. The fact you had blood is worrying.

Thank you for your help

Thankfully although still there, the back pain and plug issue seem to have died down a bit. Which I am hoping is promising.

I did call pregnancy line again and also heard back from my midwife. One is saying not to go in still as things have relaxed a little on my end, another is saying I need to go in.

So confusing. I think if I still felt as bad as I did yesterday I would be in there, but considering things have calmed a little I'm going to wait it out.

Apparently it is normal to lose your plug at 31 weeks? I know they can regrow as such, but from my understanding it still seems quite early :/

I know it’s scary but don’t try to examine yourself, as you’ve had a baby before it’s not uncommon for your cervix to remain slightly open, it’s known as a multips os, your cervix never fully closes after your first baby, meaning most women will have a cervix that remains slightly open during subsequent pregnancies. By repeatedly checking your cervix you are increasing your risk of infection and effectively giving yourself a cervical sweep, stimulating pains and the mucus to dislodge, also bleeding is not uncommon following a cervical examination hence why you may have noticed some, the more you examine yourself the more you will stimulate the pains so it’s a bit of a vicious circle of that makes sense, if you are really concerned then persist in calling again and just explain that you are still worried and that you would like to be checked

Thank you :) I haven't done so since last night and got quite the (kind!) Telling off! Rightfully so in retrospect. Not quite sure what I was thinking.