Can midwife palpating tummy set things off???

[jkb]

Sorry to post AGAIN !!! im a nightmare at the moment... I posted a couple of weeks ago saying I had mild cramps & could it be labour... they seemed to ease off & i have felt pretty ok for the last week or so (apart from lots of pressure down in the lady bits!)......
however, i went to midwife yest morning who palpated my tummy & really pressed quite HARD down on the head to see how engaged baby was (she was 2/5ths engaged).... i was ok for a couple of hours after & then around 1pm yest, as soon as i sat down I started with period type cramps & everytime I got up & walked it was really really sore & crampy...this continued through the night (on & off) & again today..although id say its not AS BAD today as yest.... could she have set things off with her pressing?? or could she maybe have just set off braxton hicks?? (surely these wouldnt be all crampy like period though would they?)

xx

forgot to add... my lower back is crampy too when I get these cramps...also, when baby moves its really sore & crampy.
( my urine was all clear too yest, so its not an infection)

bumping

i don't think so...

when is your due date?

if it's any consolation, i was quite achey for the last week of my last pregnancy.

i dont think so

if it was THAT easy to start labour then no one would even be induced

im 36 weeks... & sitting here now with these cramps....

do they get better if you have a bath?

what are they like? slow, achey period cramps or more intense? needle-like, or muscular?

no they dont.. i have had times today where they are not there.. then i think.. oh they are back again... slow achey period cramps explains it best I think... with a hit of intense pressure when I get up from sitting ..when I get up from sitting I sometimes have to stop in my tracks..just for a few seconds to let it settle a bit... the thoughts of going for a walk to the shops or somthing would scare me...

well it sounds to me like your body is getting ready.

they can prod you very hard, they don't seem to think it causes any problems. i was prodded quite a lot - i felt like telling them to watch it but thought better of it.

could also be that the baby is descending / moving around into final position. i remember having a bad day in terms of pain / cramps but they settled down again.

it's when you start getting regular cramps that last for 40 - 60 seconds that you know it's started.

thank u hunny....you are very kind x i just feel that things were brewing.... & her doing her proding may have set things off.... so I will just keep a watch for them getting more regular & intense... hope they just go though.... as still think its too early!

they may just tail away. having a bath usually stopped things in their tracks for me.

you'll be fine, just take it easy, get lots of dvd's and watch some bad telly

For what it's worth, you feel EXACTLY like I'm feeling lol!

But I'm 38+5, had a sweep yesterday. Have felt just achey period pain types and bouts of pain when I stand up or she grabs my bladder. Will keep you posted, but don't think she'll be arriving till I'm induced next week somehow

yes do keep me posted first on the way.... i had a sweep with my first & a few hours later I felt like you & like this... I had him the next day.... the period pains WERE the start of things!

why are you being induced next week, firstontheway, if you don't mind me asking?

I feel like this. The period type of pains seems to be getting worse and its more of a continual thing instead of something that comes and goes. Worried that I might have another week of this before I actually go into labour. Spent all of today thinking I might feel a bit happier and able to cope with this if I knew when I would actually go into labour. I'm 37 weeks. I know for some people its just hours away and for others the pain just goes all together and labour is still a way off.

Warthog- I have PIH and on home monitoring/ medication for it, so they want the baby out by it's due date!

Have been trying EVERYTHING to kick the labour off naturally but no luck- and the achey feelings seem to have gone away now mostly I do think I was being a bit hopeful anyway seeing as I'm not yet term and this is my first baby, but it's just so dissapointing! Was desperately hoping to avoid the induction.

Well, I secretly attribute the early appearance of my DD at 37+5 weeks to my rough handling by the midwife.

On a routine home appointment about 3.30pm the midwife palpated my tummy and it was EXTREMELY painful - I yelped as she shoved her fingers into my pelvis. Baby was not at all engaged. Felt sore with very painful BH afterwards. Early next morning (about 3am) my waters went in bed in a BIG way.

We were booked for a home birth and they did give us 48 hours at home to try and get labour started - I did have contractions, but the effort all went into getting her engaged, rather than progress with actual labour. Finally I had to go in to be induced. DD arrived with hand up to her cheek (possibly due to unexpected engagement?) and I had a 3rd degree tear.

I still feel that DD wasn't quite ready for her arrival, she wasn't very alert for the first week or so and had jaundice etc. However I was just glad she was finally delivered safely and never made anything of the rough handling - but like I said, secretly still think it had a lot to do with it.

JKB - could be you have "irritable uterus", it produces contractions/cramps, and the uterus being roughly palpated or the baby kicking can trigger the contractions. Also walking/moving makes it worse. Unfortunately, if this is the case, then the contractions are not really productive just painful. Not much help, just would advise you to get as much rest as possible, and drink loads.

good luck, firstontheway. i was induced with my first and it was fine . at least you don't have to play the waiting game!

YES a MW prodding can stimulate contractions of the uterus...which can stimulate labour.

I had an inrritable uterus with DD3 - and had a week in hospital with "threatened premature labour". One of the things that would set me off was a bit of prodding. At one point I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes stimulated by prod. From that point student MWs were abnned from touching me (because they are encouraged to do a full belly exam to locate position before checking for hb) - and even the qualified MWs were checking the nb based on where it was last found so they didn't have to prod to locate it.

I've been having intense period type aches and pains for some weeks now and think it's just my body preparing. My baby has also started to engage. You will know when they're contractions for real as they are painful, not just achey

I've just got back from my midwife appointment where two of them prodded me really hard (so painful I came home and had a cry!) to see how engaged baby was (2/5)and now am in agony!

Having said that I started getting all the pains you are describing JKB over ten days ago and been having them night and day and I'm 37weeks... I think it is early stages of labour...but how 'early' it is I have no idea but I feel for you!

:-D

thank u all for your advice... i think you are all right... I think I DO have an irritable uterus...but as you say.. these paisn can go on for weeks.... so will sit tight!
I actually DO NOT want baby out yet.. my ds has a 2 week stay in Great ormond st hospital starting this sunday & I have to stay with him & the LAST thinng I want is to go into labour whilst im there!!!!! I have c section booked for 31st & desperate to go till then!!!!!!!

ah I read that on another post. Hope that goes well jkb. That's a lot going on for you. Take it easy and hopefully the baby will stay nice and snug inside until your CS.