Overreacting?

[ellieellie44]

I'm 35+3 pregnant. I have been in early slow labour for nearly 2-3 weeks now and contracting every 10-15mins, very very strong contractions, in agony. I now have a constant pain, like a very very bad period, and then the contractions on top of that every 10-15mins. I've been to the maternity unit countless times in the time that I've been in early labour to be told each and every time that my cervix is pretty much closed, beginning to open but still, closed. Now over this 2-3 weeks the contractions have been getting MUCH stronger and closer together, the other night I sporadically started bleeding out of nowhere, headed to maternity unit again. Same thing, bleeding had began to slow by the time I'd been there for an hour or so, still pretty much closed. My ankles keep swelling up and keep getting dots in my vision, they keep finding protein in my wee, and now on top of that ever since the bleed baby has been very quiet. Baby has been moving, but nowhere near as much as he used to. When I mentioned the reduced movements when I went back, they didn't seem too concerned, just monitored him for a bit, he did move on the monitor but it was nowhere near as much as he normally does, they then sent me home. I can barely walk I'm in that much pain, and now my feet are becoming that swollen that I can barely move my toes without it being extremely uncomfortable. I have a growth scan tomorrow and will be asking to speak to a doctor or consultant afterwards, am I wrong to be angry with the doctors? Surely they can't leave me like this and wait till I go into labour myself, I'm in early labour not dilating properly bleeding, showing signs of what I now know as preeclampsia (after googling and having a word with my mums friend who's a midwife) and baby's now quieter, and I get the current pandemic that's going on but surely they shouldn't be leaving me like this in this much pain and with this many problems? I feel as if I'm beginning to annoy them, surely I'm not just being a moaning pregnant woman and someone else sees where I'm coming from? Thank you

Sorry to hear this.

No medical advice to offer, but definitely ask to speak to the consultant. Trust your gut. If you’re still not happy, can you speak with someone from PALS before you leave?

Maybe take your hospital bag, just in case they keep you in!

If baby has slowed down in movement please go get checked, be the annoying pregnant woman (which you aren’t!) than anything be missed!

I was in a similar situation so sore and uncomfortable, I broke down in tears and they admitted me there and then. Please go see someone, that’s what they are there for.

Good luck x

Your baby can still be moving around when monitored, but if it’s noticeably less than usual for your baby, then that’s still reduced movements. I’d go back in and stress that you’re unhappy with the movements. Trust your instincts and if you feel like you’re being fobbed off, put your foot down and ask to speak with a consultant.

I don’t think you are overreacting at all.

Yes they probably want to try keeping baby in as long as possible due to lung development etc but given that you have reduced movement, floaters in eyes, swelling and protein I would be saying to them tomorrow you want to speak to a senior consultant/doctor and refuse to move until you are sorted. I would also suggest you speak to the trust representative and make a complaint and tell the doctors and nurses you will be doing this.

I hope you get it sorted tomorrow xx

Yep I agree, head straight back to the assessment unit and don't move until you have been seen by a doctor. Hope you are ok.

My hospital always said that they were happy with the movements but what mattered was whether I was happy with them, because I know normal for my pregnancy and they don't. Go back in. If go tonight tbh, if only because there'll be a different shift on so you'll see different staff.

*I'd not if

Oh yes don’t wait until tomorrow - go tonight x

@WhatWouldPennyDo @Teacaketotty @FizzingWhizzbee123 @LosingtheTTCplot @bananallamas @FourPlasticRings okay I will be heading up now! Now that I know that I'm not the only one that would be doing the same, I don't mind being the annoying pregnant woman😂I just wanted to post for reassurance as I have anxiety too so that makes my worrying worse but definitely is something up I think , hoping I don't get fobbed off again as even the doctors fobbed me off when I was last in there by saying "sometimes bleeds do happen and can cause reduced movements temporarily" , but didn't even let me get a word in edgeways when I tried to tell her it wasn't temporary and had been happening for days. Feel like the only person that actually listens to me is my actual midwife that i see, feel like the maternity unit fob me off, just feel so hopeless feel like ripping my hair out! Fed up of not being listened to x

Good for you OP, let us know how it goes x

Good luck. Hope the night staff take you more seriously.

Good luck! X

Good luck. Where I am, with that story, you’d get immediate blood pressure check, bloods to check pre eclampsia, consideration of another blood test called a kleihauer to check possible cause of bleeding, and a scan. The story sounds a little bit worrying for a placental bleed so please do insist on a proper review by a doctor, you’re not being unreasonable at all! There may be a number of other explanations but you need to be listened to, reviewed, and whatever investigations necessary. Hopefully it does turn out to be just really terrible Brexton Hicks (which can happen) - but the constant pain in addition now needs a proper review. Good luck.

Hope everything is OK, OP.

Any news @ellieellie44? Xx

@LosingtheTTCplot I've been kept in due to baby's reduced movements, they said they will give me steroids if they think I'm at risk of going into labour but not yet as they're a nasty injection the doctor said. They're not doing very much just keeping an eye on him at the minute, there's been talks of inducing at 36 weeks if he doesn't start moving as normal, but I don't know the likelihood of that happening. I'm beginning to have palpitations though, I believe the baby's putting a strain on my body especially because I've hardly slept due to worrying. I just hope they do something soon, but the nighttime doctor that came on said something to the other nurses about how I only need to be in overnight, I was earwigging so not 100% sure if that was about me but it was straight after she'd seen me and asked about my contractions. Not been examined as they said it's invasive and they don't wanna keep doing it but if contractions get worse they will continue. Only feel like I've been listened to by the midwives and by the doctor that admitted me but since then don't really feel listened to tbh especially not by the night time doctor x

Glad you're in, OP, and that someone listened. Rooting for you.

Glad they kept you in OP.

@ellieellie44 this all sounds very stressful for you and it sounds like the staff aren’t being very supportive. I’m an NHS nurse and also have experience of being a patient. I would suggest writing down all your questions/ concerns and asking to speak to someone about them. Please don’t worry about being annoying the staff. Be polite but assertive and say you are not happy with how things are going and would like to speak to someone. Give them warning so they are prepared to allow time to properly speak to you and address your concerns. Tell them how you’re feeling. Record the conversation on your phone so you can go back over the answers. Good luck xx

Glad they kept you in OP. @ellieellie44

Have they said any more today or have you been discharged?

Hope you are doing better xx

How you feeling OP? x

@WhatWouldPennyDo @Teacaketotty @FizzingWhizzbee123 @LosingtheTTCplot @bananallamas @FourPlasticRings @MinesALatte @TenThousandSpoons0 @LST @Itsnoteasyfeelingqueasy to go down to labour ward this morning ss was contracting lots but then contractions stopped, doctors think this may be due to body being overtired due to not sleeping whole night before? Feel like I'm slightly being messed about again now as no ones bothered to investigate the reduced movements, my auntie is a midwife and she said that due to a couple of the monitorings where baby's heart rate drops and struggles massively to recover, he certainly would've been out by now via csection due to that concern. Baby still isn't moving as normal and seems to be getting worse since I've had another bleed😫the reason for bleed and reason for why baby's movements are reduced and baby's heartbeat dips still haven't been investigated at all, and all urine dip infection and blood test infection markers have beeen normal, no signs of infection until just now. The doctor has said that they think the cause for the reduced movements and the bleed and the early labour (I'm now going on 2cm dilated) is due to this urine infection that has only just been found and picked up, so obviously has only just been developed. They said the levels were slightly elevated not massively though, and they think this new very minor symptomless urine infection is the reason for these weeks of early labour. I don't understand how this could possibly be the case, since the early labour has been going on a while now so how could this be the cause when all urine infection markers and blood infection markers were fine until now?

@WhatWouldPennyDo @Teacaketotty @FizzingWhizzbee123 @LosingtheTTCplot @bananallamas @FourPlasticRings @MinesALatte @TenThousandSpoons0 @LST @Itsnoteasyfeelingqueasy I've also been given steroid injections and been given dose of antibiotics Jusr incase I go into labour since posting x

Sounds at least like they are paying a bit more attention now. As I said before, the whole story sounds a bit suspicious for an abruption - have they mentioned that word or talked about possibility of bleeding behind the placenta? (Don’t panic if you google - that doesn’t always mean you need delivery as sometimes it settles down, but certainly means you need extra monitoring). There’s a blood test called a kleihauer that can be done as well, and where I am that is part of the protocol for persistent reduced movements and definitely would be done in cases like yours where there is bleeding or pain.
Dips in heartbeat can be alarming but again aren’t always a cause for delivery - depends how long it stays down for and what else is going on. Have you had an ultrasound scan sometime in the last week or so?
Sounds like you’re in the right place for now. If they do want to discharge you home, please insist on a full discussion and make sure all your questions are answered before you go.
It’s possible that a urine infection kicked off some contractions, which caused your pain and some bleeding - but I hope they’re keeping an open mind about other things too.
Keep us posted, good luck!

They said that they can't see anything wrong with placenta or cord flow from what they seen on the scan, my contractions are getting stronger but can be eased slightly with paracetamol and codeine. The bleeding has eased but everytime contractions get worse, it seems to kick start the bleeding. Just everything that the baby is doing atm is so out of character and no matter how many times they tell me he's fine and he's ok I've just got a horrible niggling feeling that there really is something wrong, his heart rate was dropping he doesn't move with encouragement as he normally never stops moving anyway but when I drink Coca Cola or eat something sugary he normally gets dead hyper and moves about even more but he doesn't even move at all for anything sugary or when I'm lay on my left side. He has never liked ultrasound wands or dopplers or monitors on my belly he usually kicks the hell out of them he seems to hate them and they normally struggle to measure his heart rate or get measurements on ultrasounds due to the fact that he always kicks it and then moves away dead fast but on the ultrasound I had the other day he just didn't bother, he moved his leg slightly when they measured the cord blood flow and that's it, it just seems so out of character and it may seem like such small things to anyone else but it's just so unlike him and it's getting me really worried now as even sitting here stroking and poking my belly doesn't get him moving😕 x