Can I stop my contractions for a few hours?

[DesperatelyDue]

Hi night owls. I realise this sounds completely bat shit crazy but hear me out. (And don’t be mean, I’m truly desperate)

I‘m 77 hours into an excruciating latent labour. My contractions have ramped up to pain the likes of which I have never actually felt before. But they remain 5 minutes apart and the hospital have told me I will absolutely be turned away until I’m 3 in 10. (I have phoned back twice more to beg for help but the midwives are steadfast)

Every day, up until today, the contractions have stopped for 3-4 hours in the afternoon and given me a chance to eat without vomiting and get a few hours of much needed sleep. But not today!

I’m exhausted and really emotional. I can’t do much of anything because I have to stop every 5 minutes and get onto my knees.

So, my crazy question is… has anyone been in this situation before? And can you recommend anything that would encourage a break in contractions for a while? Thank you.

I had a similar sounding pain with DD1 and she was not quite back to back but sort of side to back with her hands up. Also had a long latent labour. After 4days and nights I went into hospital to get looked at and was 8cm. She was out within 6hrs. Good luck!

I had this with DC3. 1 and 2 were two hour labours. 3 was back to back. It's cruel to be left in so much pain and being dehydrated. Baby's position should be checked in case labour can't progress.

My XP was so fed up with the whole thing that he drove me to the maternity unit, leaving me lying in the entrance screaming in pain and drove off until he knew that they had admitted me. Drastic action, but it worked. They couldn't have a lone woman screaming and writhing in public view.

Yes definitely go in. Those sharp pains sound like they should be checked out. And this lengthy very painful ‘early labour’.

After 36 hours writhing in agony at home I went in expecting to be sent home I was 10cm dilated and I suspect had been for some time. I never had 3 contractions in 10 minutes! They were all long though, around a minute I think, and intense.

I also vomited a lot and was very weak. Second baby they gave me fluids.

Tell us when you’re on your way, hope you’re heading there now!

Go in now, you must be exhausted. I had a back to back labour and when I went in they tried to get me to go home and I refused.
With my last labour I had sharp pains every so often. Baby was born with their hand by their face...think he was clawing his way out!

Get that baby checked out. Everyone I know with long painful labours has had back to back babies but I also know of people who've been dismissed and they should have had an emergency section much earlier so best to get checked over.

Poor you OP. I agree with the PP, at some point or another you have to go in - it's not fair to leave you in agony getting more and more exhausted without even an examination. I get the logistics side, but if you carry on you will be too exhausted and weak to push, leaving it more likely that intervention will be required, and nobody wants that. You need checking over and pain relief. Good luck!

Hopefully baby is out by now op.

OP, you need to be seen.

Not to worry you but I was in labour for 72 hours before I was rushed to delivery. It sounds a lot like yours. I was vomiting at first and then got a fever after. I've never been delirious from fever before and they had to get me stabilised. They thought that I'd developed sepsis and me and baby were both treated for it after baby was out.

You can and will do this but you need your energy to get through this too. There's nothing wrong with going in to get checked out. Sharp pains could mean the baby is distressed and they need to monitor this.

The pains and white lines are concerning, you definitely don't need a migraine during labour. Go to the hospital, tell them everything and hopefully they'll get you on a drip to get some fluids into you and stronger pain relief.

You poor thing. Fingers crossed things start moving soon x

I had 5 days of this and was exhausted. My consultant was excellent and once she knew she set a deadline for progress or c section, I was admitted for pain relief on day 3 to 4 which made a huge difference meaning I was well rested by the time baby arrived. After the section I was told his position meant a VB was very unlikely to ever have worked out anyway.

I really hope you get some rest and pain relief soon. Women should not need to suffer unnecessarily.

GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL and tell them you are 3/10 whatever that means, and act it out until you're admitted.

Go to hospital and insist you are checked. My contractions remained more than 5 mins apart until DD was actually coming out and my waters didn't break until I was fully dilated. No one believed me when I said I was in labour.

The way women in labour are treated is fucking barbaric sometimes.

I think your baby is breech - sounds very similar to what I experienced. I think you need to go to hospital and insist on being seen.

Regarding the pain that feels stabby I had that plus horrid nerve pain in my leg, turns out baby was brow presentation and i needed an emcs, it wasn’t picked up til I was pushing!

good luck op!

i could be wrong but sounds like baby is malpositioned - I would go and get checked out. Hope you’re okay OP!

Fingers crossed op’s getting seen to

There's no such thing as 'prime baby season'. Maternity units in the UK are completely full and understaffed all year regardless of which month it is.

I had this. Midwife took pity on me and took me in. She gave me pethidine at 3cm as she could see I need to rest. Good luck, it’s exhausting.

Ha maybe it does, sorry!

You could have a UTI. That can cause the shooting pain during labour. It happened to my friend and she was going absolutely crazy. Get them to test you for a UTI as well - it's an instant check.

Not really sure how it works as I had to be induced but if I were you I'd be calling the hospital and just saying the contractions are at whatever daft number they want them to be, horrendous that you've been in pain for that long with no help from them. Also like a few other PP's have said I'm my contractions were never at a regular amount between each one, I had epidural so not sure if that changed things but I was as surprised as them when they said I was ready to push😂. Good luck!! Xx

Agree with pp that no one else would be expected to put up with agonizing pain for days on end with no relief. I never had a natural labour (induced both times) and at the time I kind of regretted it but now I'm just glad 😂

Good luck OP, fingers crossed she comes out soon !

Prime baby season?! Aside from the fact that babies come 24/7 13 months a year, every midwife will be able to tell you that September and October are in fact the busiest months of the year without exception.

I feel for you OP I really do and I think it’s worth contacting your maternity unit and let them know you’ve been tightening for a number of days now and you are vomiting with worsening headaches as it may be that if nothing else they may admit for rapid rehydration and anti emetics. They may also give you codeine or offer water papules as it does sound like your baby is in an OP position (back to back) as that is usually associated with a lengthy latent phase.

12 months a year. Bloody fat fingers.

Please go in and get checked out. I had shooting pains- it was kicking from an undiagnosed breech baby. Contractions also never got closer than 1/5minutes, they just got more intense until I gave birth!

Getting checked out is never a waste of any body's time op...

Visual disturbances need to be checked asap!