# Lots of contractions



## san fran shan

So I have been having a lot of contractions. They aren't painful, but some are pretty uncomfortable. I have them all day, every day. I drink 80 to 100 ounces of water a day, I work from home in a chair, I don't go anywhere or do anything other than use the bathroom and make quick food, and lay on the couch. On Monday night, I laid down to count them and had 8 in one hour. Called L&D and they had me come it. They hooked me up to two heart monitors and the contraction monitor. I was having them every 7 to 10 minutes. They swabbed my cervix, did a manual exam, and a vaginal ultrasound. The swab came back negative for pre-term labor, cervix is closed, and is long measuring over 4 cm. They gave me a shot to slow the contractions down and sent me home. 

Last night it was happening again. Every 5 to 7 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 7 minutes. I didn't call as I have an appointment with a perinatologist at 1:30 today. 

I guess I am posting this just because it seems so weird. Just tons of BH contractions? Has anyone else had this many, this close together, this early?


----------



## SquirrelGirl

Yep. 

And I laugh at your "this early" comment. :haha: I had all that start at 18 weeks. Not that it's funny you're having this issue, I just would have loved to have made it to 29 weeks without contractions like that, YKWIM?

I had what is called Irritable Uterus. Just lots of BH type contractions that weren't changing my cervix. I was put on strict bedrest around 21 weeks and got a transvaginal ultrasound every week to check cervix length. At 30.5 weeks the contractions became "different", closer together (ever 1.5 minutes) and I had that "if something doesn't feel right" sensation. I went to the hospital and was admitted for preterm labor. 

Moral of the story... yes, you can have BH type contractions like that that often without being in preterm labor. HOWEVER just as you're doing, make sure you're watched carefully by your doctor. Hard to say whether bedrest does anything to help, but you might want to consider it. If monitoring shows no changes and then something changes in how you feel, get yourself back to the hospital. Don't ignore things that are different.


----------



## san fran shan

Thank you for your reply. I have been having the contractions for 6 weeks, but just recently they increased. I definitely wont ignore anything and luckily all my doctor and hospital/L&D visits are no co-pay. So nothing is hindering me from going at any little change. I plan to stop cooking dinner and stop going with my husband on the weekly grocery shopping trip. I am happy to see you made it to 35+ weeks!


----------



## lizziedripping

You're absolutely right to keep getting checked sweet. Whilst I did have lots of bh contractions from as early as 20wks, they were rarely painful and nowhere near as frequent as yours. Mine were more like tightenings which would leave me flushed and my heart pounding. They happened for a few hrs a day every day, but most of the time I was free of them.

I did have a friend who had intense, painful bh and was convinced she was in early labour at 28wks - they amounted to nothing and she went to 39wks. It is still possible that your uterus is irritable and responding to the increased size and stretching of two, but you should definitely keep an eye on things and keep getting checked, you don't lose anything by being vigilant. Keep us posted hun xx


----------



## wondertwins

Short answer: they're perfectly normal in twin pregnancy, but can eventually lead to preterm labor.

Long answer: I had tons of what I called BH contractions starting pretty early in my pregnancy. (Or it seemed early compared to my singleton from 12 years ago). Every doctor's appointment, I'd mention it to my doctor, and he'd just shrug and say, "Yep. That's what happens when you have two babies in there. Your uterus is irritated from being pushed around so much." (Side note- I love the thought of my cranky, irritated uterus. :haha:) So, I started to ignore them. There were nights where they would get pretty uncomfortable, but would settle down by morning. 

Anyway... fast forward to 32 weeks. It was my last day at work so it was pretty chaotic as I tried to make sure I had everything in place for my leave. By afternoon, I started feeling wet down there, and thought my waters might be leaking, so I told my husband we needed to stop by L/D on the way home from work just in case. All the while, I was having the contractions. We got there, and they hooked me up to the monitors and tested the wetness. It was negative for amniotic fluid. Turns out I'd just peed myself. :blush: I sighed a huge relief thinking I could go home. Nope. I was having full blown contractions every 3 minutes -- contractions which I'd been convincing myself were normal. They pumped me full of liquids and gave me some shots, but the contractions wouldn't slow down. I was admitted and put on (EVIL) magnesium sulfate. Thank goodness I'd peed myself! By going in, I was able to get the steroid shots, and they were able to eventually get the contractions under control. I spent 15 days on hospital bed rest followed by another 9 on home bed rest. 

All of that is to say... having lots of BH contractions IS perfectly normal and expected in a twin pregnancy. But if they become very consistent and strong, your uterus may be going from "irritated" to outright pissed off. :haha: Since there are things the hospital can do to stop them and/or get the babies ready with steroid shots, don't totally ignore them. :hugs:


----------



## SquirrelGirl

Oh yes.... Magnesium Sulfate is the devil!! The nurses called it flu in a bag. I felt so bad on it I was begging my husband to make it stop; that I couldn't do it any more. I was barfing all over the place (and subsequently peeing myself since the mag is a muscle relaxant!). Ohhhhhh so much fun! Thankfully my perinatologist took pity on me and changed my meds to Procardia.


----------



## lambchops

I dunno if im missing them, or whether nothings happening there for me yet but ive not had one niggle or pain or tightening yet at all through this pregnancy, i do get this pulling pain when i need to err pass wind haha but once thats outta the way then nothing. Feel a bit left out now haha, although im guessing its a good thing. 

You're deffo doin the right thing getting yourself checked out each time, never feel like youre being silly over it or overreacting, you know your body best and if you feel somethings different then keep going back!


----------



## wondertwins

Not to sidetrack San Fran's thread, but SquirrelGirl, I was on that devil juice for a full 56 hours, and they did a double loading dose since the first one didn't even slow them down a little bit. It feels like death. Plus, you can't have anything to eat or drink even though you feel like your mouth is a desert of dryness and fire. Not fun. Doctor says most women can't handle it more than 2 days -just long enough to get both doses of steroid shots. Luckily the contractions slowed enough to be controlled with procardia for the duration of the pregnancy.


----------



## jogami

I remember getting BH a while ago but they only lasted a few days then like Lambchops nothing since! I do have asthma though and am on Ventolin and heard that it prevents contractions and preterm labour so I'm not sure if my medication has anything to do with why I'm not feeling anything untoward :shrug:

Hope they calm down for you and keep resting, good luck!


----------



## Bumblebee117

I had bh but never any painful ones until about 34 weeks or so. I really hope you make it much longer and drink drink drink and rest rest rest! 

I believe that it is not a good idea to go in and have someone poke around in your cervix, it is very irritating for it and could actually lead to early labour. Of course go in to see if you're okay but in my belief too often is not good for the cervix. 

:hug: xxx


----------



## san fran shan

Thanks for the replies everyone! I went to the high risk doc yesterday. My growth scan went well. Babies are growing, both are head down. Boy weighs 2 pounds 11 ounces and Girl weighs 3 pounds 9 ounces. I knew there would be a big weight difference because the boy has a single umbilical artery (fairly common, isolated problem that wont cause long term health problems). 

We talked about the contractions and he said to come in for more than 6 in an hour, and I said, well, I would be there everyday and should just move in. He agreed that was not good and that extra poking and checking could make it worse. Since I had the cervical swab done and it came back negative for preterm labor, he said I was good for 2 weeks from the day of the swab. 

He also said I wont be going past 36 weeks because of the umbilical cord thing, and that all these contractions can actually be a good thing (as long as I don't go into labor) because they stress the babies a little which makes their lungs develop a little faster. I had never heard that before so I am going to look at the contractions as a positive thing, not negative. 

lambchops and jogami - a lot of the contractions I don't notice. My bump gets super hard for about 45 seconds then goes away. Others send a shooting sensation into my bladder and an uncomfortable feeling down there. I am just super aware of them since I am enrolled in the program to check for them twice a day.

wondertwins - I totally laughed at the idea of a pissed off uterus, then found this!


----------



## wondertwins

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


----------



## PammyJ

San Fran, I feel your problem...I get tons of BH contractions. I ended up in hospital for the week last week due to a kidney stone that decided to move...long story short, I had to have surgery, which further irritated my uterus and was having PAINFUL contractions every minute and a half! Talk about freaking me out at 28 weeks then! So they slowed down, or weren't as intense, but the day I got discharged (luckily), the nurse said I was still having them every few minutes, but I didn't notice...so now i'm on prometrium and supposed to be taking it easy...which I am, because on top of this, i've been left with a plastic STENT inside of my kidney and bladder...fun fun, so I feel like I have to pee every 5 min...shoot me, I love being pregnant, but not with kidney stone surgery/problems!!! Hopefully your uterus calms down...if not, we'll both be bored and chatting back and forth on here lots i'm sure, lol


----------



## san fran shan

Yikes! Kidney stones and surgery??! How awful. There is so much talk about preterm labor with twins I think we will both be on edge for the remainder of our pregnancies! 

Hope you are feeling better. Sounds like a nightmare!


----------



## moo_fie

I had some painful BH for a few days in a row 6 weeks ago, had to time them as I thought I had gone into labour. I panicked myself a bit, got a bit hysterical about it actually but haven't had any since (luckily for my oh I don't think he can handle another episode of crazy hormonal hysterical woman)
I'm glad everything is ok, as others have said you know your body if something feels off, get it checked out. :flower:


----------



## SquirrelGirl

Wow, Pammy! That totally sucks having to go through that at all, let alone while pregnant!

Glad you got to see the perinatologist, San Fran. Hang in there!! It's nice to know others have gone through the same thing and everything has been fine. I'll just say it again, though, as I feel it's so important... if ANYTHING seems different, get it checked out ASAP. It might be hard to tell sometimes if it's significant enough, but better safe than sorry!


----------



## san fran shan

I agree. I am on high alert for anything weird/different/strange/more intense!


----------



## lizziedripping

Hi San - doc is right about pre birth 'distress' maturing lungs quickly. It seems to be mother nature's way of preparing babies for a possible preemie birth. My daughter was in distress and 'half in, half out' at 24wks for a few days - her body had delivered, but her head remained in utero due to a cervical stitch. This traumatic start helped her lungs to develop, and she had relatively few issues lung-wise once she was actually delivered (at 24wks).

It's also why some section babies have a few lung issues even if born at term. Their lungs are still 'wet' and the hormones responsible for labour and contractions haven't acted on the lungs hours before birth which is thought to dry up secretions, and help them to function better on the outside. One of my twins had minor respiratory distress as a result despite being born at 38wks. This contraction process is a very important stage in final lung maturation. Your babies certainly won't be compromised by all that is going on with your body contraction-wise hun xx


----------



## Deethehippy

I've had them since 16 weeks and even got sent home from work as some were so bad one day. They are worse if i have a full bladder (you should try to empty every hour if poss) if i don't drink enough and if i stand or walk too much.

I asked my consultant and he said they were normal and even some singleton mums get loads. It's just if they get more painful and more frequent you should get checked.

It can help to drink a glass of water and lay on your left side for 20 minutes and you can take paracetamol/tylenol too if they are uncomfortable.


----------



## jackie2012

lizziedripping said:


> Hi San - doc is right about pre birth 'distress' maturing lungs quickly. It seems to be mother nature's way of preparing babies for a possible preemie birth. My daughter was in distress and 'half in, half out' at 24wks for a few days - her body had delivered, but her head remained in utero due to a cervical stitch. This traumatic start helped her lungs to develop, and she had relatively few issues lung-wise once she was actually delivered (at 24wks).
> 
> It's also why some section babies have a few lung issues even if born at term. Their lungs are still 'wet' and the hormones responsible for labour and contractions haven't acted on the lungs hours before birth which is thought to dry up secretions, and help them to function better on the outside. One of my twins had minor respiratory distress as a result despite being born at 38wks. This contraction process is a very important stage in final lung maturation. Your babies certainly won't be compromised by all that is going on with your body contraction-wise hun xx

I never heard this before it is nice to hear a plus side to having contractions i was worried about their lungs Hopefully the last few days of contractions have helped them out with that.
now i am confused about the distress part lol my doctor said if the babies seems like they are in distress he will move things along. i have to remember to ask him tomorrow what he thinks is distress.lol


----------



## jackie2012

san fran omg that uterus pic made me almost pee my pants i was laughing so hard lol i hope your feeling well.


----------



## san fran shan

I am doing pretty good considering...Still having lots of contractions...even when I lay down. My next appointment is Monday the 22nd. I will make sure they check my cervix and make sure it isn't changing.


----------



## PammyJ

San Fran, has your doc got you on any meds? I'm on Prometrium and it seems to be working...


----------



## san fran shan

No meds. I got a shot in the arm when I was at L&D last Monday, but that's it. Maybe they aren't too worried since my cervix and swab are all fine??? My last appointment was with the high risk specialist, so I assume he knows what he is doing???


----------



## PammyJ

Hmm, amazing how things are so different in the USA and Canada...my cervix hasn't even been checked...but the on call OB thought to put me on these $200 pills was a good idea. I see my own OB tomorrow, so we'll see if i'm supposed to continue to take them! I'd rather not be on meds!


----------



## Deethehippy

Today i had to stay in hospital for 3 hours because i was having lots of contractions so they wanted me to be monitored on the heart and contraction machines, everything turned out fine and i am home now BUT they never once checked my cervix or anything like that, it's weird how different places do things so differently.


----------



## san fran shan

Dee - glad you got checked and that everything is OK. How many contractions were you having in an hour? When I went they were every 7 minutes. Seems odd they didn't check your cervix. When I was at the hospital they checked it manually and with a vaginal ultrasound. I also ask how my cervix is looking at each prenatal appt. The contractions don't freak me out as much when I know it is sealed shut down there.

Pammy - what did your OB say about the meds?


----------



## lambchops

Deethehippy said:


> Today i had to stay in hospital for 3 hours because i was having lots of contractions so they wanted me to be monitored on the heart and contraction machines, everything turned out fine and i am home now BUT they never once checked my cervix or anything like that, it's weird how different places do things so differently.

Aww we've been like little heart monitor twinnies today! Glad everything was ok, must of been a bit scary, I think from reading a few posts in here in the US they love to check out a cervix whereas here in the UK I think from most things ive read they dont tend to bother until its time! Mad that isnt it! You'd think it would be a good thing to check, especially if you were contracting a lot! Get your feet up and have plenty of rest! Hope youre feeling better x


----------



## PammyJ

Here they don't really check your cervix either until its time, even when I was having my contractions just 2 min apart! I'm glad they didn't though, I think that can disturb things...in my mind anyways!
My OB is not concerned about the babies at all, he said stay on the meds and keep doing what i'm doing, which is basically nothing!
And YAY, I get my stent taken out next Wednesday!! Finally!!!


----------



## Deethehippy

My contractions were 4 minutes apart during tuesday night and quite uncomfortable but luckily i only had a few big ones whilst monitored and they are calmed down again now - trying to just take it easy as much as possible for these last 3 weeks.

Hope the rest of you are holding in there xxx


----------



## jogami

My doctor has never once checked my cervix either :shrug: When I first started going to her I was 16 weeks pregnant and very nervous that having twins would be "heavier" and cause my cervix to dilate quickly. I basically begged her to put a cerclage in and she refused. She said if I was to do one it should have been done before 16 weeks and her doing one that late could rupture the membranes. She said if I had to have started dilating/ getting contractions we would manage them then. *Touch wood* nothing has ever happened and I'm glad now I didn't have the ceclage but I still have no idea on the condition of my cervix. It's ok though I wouldn't want them to come now but if they did they would be ok.


----------



## san fran shan

My doc looks at my cervix on the regular over the stomach u/s. So the majority of the time when it is checked, it is that way. I have also had a couple manual exams of it which I do agree, that too many of those probably aren't good.


----------



## jackie2012

with my singletons they never checked it even with ultrasound or if they did they never said anything about it so when they i got the report from my first scan and that was on there i was like why are they checking that and is that a normal size.
And up until last week they were just checking it with the ultrasound but since i started contracting and having a bloody show they have checked it twice to see if my cervix has changed. 
Honestly think it kicks things up. Everything had pretty much settled down with me with rest until my doctor checked again. Now i the last few days i have been contracting again and this morning i have the bloody show again. i really believe if he had just left it alone things might have stayed quiet for a little while longer.


----------



## san fran shan

Wow Jackie! I wonder how much longer you have??? It must be so hard not knowing when it will happen!


----------



## jackie2012

yeah im going crazy waiting im not the most patient person lol. But it's going on 8 days that things started happening. I've never gone this long or slow. i didn't mind it too much when i was just getting the BH but the contractions are just tiring and plain old painful. The doctor doesn't seem concerned yet and they are monitoring the babies once a day to make sure they are still okay but i had figured by now the would have either put me in the hospital or broke my water or something. the contractions are still all over the place some 3 min some 10 min. so they said when the contractions get regular and i feel like i am "leaking" to go in. lol i was like i feel like i am leaking all the time how do i know if it's my water or not.


----------



## san fran shan

Yikes! That is good you are monitored daily, but that has to be so tiring! Can the test what you are leaking to see if it is amniotic fluid?


----------



## jackie2012

yes they do everyday when i go in to get the twins checked. they said i should notice a difference because right now it's kinda clear/bloody and mucusy and when it turns more watery i should come in but with all my kids my water never broke until right before i was ready to push so really have nothing to compair it to. lol im afraid i won't notice until twin A is coming.


----------

