35+2 early labor???

[Loki721]

Hi, I’m looking for some advice from others in/ or have had similar situations. So for the last few days I’ve had contractions on and off which get closer together and more painful (last night they were really strong and only a few minutes apart but the eased off after a few hours). I went to the labor ward early Thursday morning and they checked my cervix which was still closed. They did the FFT swab which came back positive for potentially going into labor in the next 7 days but they did say it wasn’t very accurate. I’ve had the steroid injections in case he is born early. They admitted me to the ward for observation but discharged me today and said to go back in every time I have contractions. Has anyone else been in this situation? Did you end up going into labor soon after it started or did it go on for weeks? I’m absolutely exhausted because the contractions are worse at night so I’ve barely slept and I’ve got constant pressure in my lower back which pain relief doesn’t settle. The doctors were so vague on what the plan is and just want to sit and watch for a few days to see what happens but I don’t know if I can carry on doing this much longer. Surely the stress and exhaustion isn’t good for the baby either :(

Hi OP! Ah, it’s a horrible and uncertain place to be isn’t it? I’m 35 weeks too, and what you’ve described sounds very similar to what happened to me but at 29 weeks

I woke up in the middle of the night with strong, regular contractions. Went into hospital and they got closer together and stronger… and then just stopped. I was allowed home and I had several weeks of random contractions, regular ones 3-4 minutes apart, ones that woke me up in the middle of the night and kept me awake. I lost bits of mucous plug and had a big bloody show. Then things just settled down again and since about 31 weeks I’ve felt fine… weird!

I have no idea what it was in my case, but just wanted to reassure you that it might settle and you’ll be able to continue the pregnancy a bit longer

Hi @Loki721, like @Enwi I can’t give any kind of clarity around what happens next but I wanted to weigh in and say that I had something similar at 33 weeks. Painful contractions that got quite regular over the course of about 4 hours, a small amount of mucus plug loss and was seen at triage. Monitor was fine and my cervix was closed. The swab came back negative for me though which meant I wasn’t admitted or given steroids.

There was a suggestion that maybe an infection had caused the contractions and a bunch of tests were done but I’ve heard nothing back so that suggests it was a bit of an anomaly. I do wish I had a more definite answer for reassurance but I guess that’s just not how it works haha.

I’ve felt a bit on edge ever since as I don’t want to go into labour this early. Like you I’ve had a few episodes since, but admittedly never as prolonged.

I hope yours ease off to allow little one to stay in for a little while longer (and to let you have some rest) but bare in mind that even delivery at this point has very good medical outcomes for the baby. Given that you’ve had the steroid treatment as a precaution it sounds like you’ve done everything possible to keep them safe :) if you’re ever worried then give the triage line a call again and they will likely bring you in for a check given the background.

Thank you both, very reassuring to hear they settled down for you both hoping it’s the same here. They’ve just started up again but are very spread out at the minute so will ring triage if they get closer together.

@Loki721 I haven't experienced this but I had to be induced early with almost no notice and my baby was born at 35 weeks exactly. Of course it's not what anyone wants, but if it comes to it, I'm sure your baby will be fine, especially after the steroid injections. My baby was in perfect health and needed no additional care at all.

Hello, this is my second pregnancy, I'm 35 weeks and 6 days. Unlike my guest pregnancy which was smooth throughout despite having to be induced 10 days over, this pregnancy is really starting to floor me in recent days. I have a sick loose bowel movement with a few days. Nausea woke me this morning and ended up vomitting. The bathroom floor was wet after I vomitted so I don't know was it the heaving that made me wet myself or some amniotic fluid. Feeling incredibly cold all over my body and really down in myself but no feeling of contractions tho..Sorry for going on so much just need to reach out for advice on whether anyone thinks this could be early labor. I am not due until February 14th, growth scan on Thursday showed baby at 2.8kg.

Hi @Crystalyx , I’m a FTM so not very clued up on the signs of labor myself! Is it possible you could have D&V? Would make sense especially with the feeling cold and unwell on top of it all. Do you have an assessment unit you could ring for advice? You don’t want to be getting dehydrated if you are having loose stools and vomiting. Hope you feel better soon x

Thanks Loki721 thanks so much for taking the time to reply when you have more than enough on your own plate. I hope you are doing okay since your initial posting. I rang my emergency department of my maternity hospital and they suggested doing an antigen test to rule out Covid which I did and thankfully am negative on..they suggested it could be a tummy bug or infection like you mentioned. The nausea has eased significantly so hopefully the tummy will be settled by tomorrow. Wishing you the very best xx