Advice on Fetal monitoring readings (pic attached)

[Swanny]

For anyone who has ever been hooked up to the fetal monitor in hospital did any of you get tightenings recorded that weren't painful?

I've been on the machine twice over the weekend and heartbeat was fine but both times midwifes seemed suprised at tightenings and said are you feeling those? I said well yeah it goes tight and baby feels active and they just said but they aren't painful though? I said no cause they weren't just a bit tight like braxton hicks but when I've brought my notes home and a print out of the monitor recording they look like regular contractions...

Like a hill going all the way up to the top then back down and then say in inch of straight line at the bottom and then back up again for practically the whole time I was on monitor.

She wrote in my notes 'tightenings but not feeling them'

Do you think it means anything or just braxton hicks?

x

 

[Kimboowee]

It will just be braxton hicks - you'd know if they were contractions because they would become more timely and painful!

I had a scan at 28 weeks and was getting BHs all the way through but couldnt feel a thing

 

[myluckyyear]

I had that with my son, they just sent me home. It was very confusing as I didn't know whether I was in labour or not. As it turned out I had my son 2 days later so have always assumed it was just very very early labour but I have never been told that officially.

Sorry that doesn't help much!

x

PS Greetings from Guisborough neighbour

 

[LoraLoo]

I had this with my first daughter, the m/w couldnt believe i wasnt feeling them (i was 34 weeks and in for a water infection), she put her hand on my tummy and said she could feel them, but they just werent painful? xxx

 

[Swanny]

Does this look ok? Bottom line?

 

[Swanny]

Bump

x

 

[nullaby]

When I first went to the hospital with my daughter for PTL at 27 weeks, I had contractions like that but didnt feel a thing. Once they said your having a contraction not sure if then I realized what it was I could start to feel them. I never had BH on the monitor so not sure if theres a difference in the "mountains". It looks like contractions not far apart to me but if they didnt say anything its possible its just bh.

 

[Swanny]

I do think it's likey that it's just braxton hicks as I have had them quite a lot from about 1/2 way through pregancy but always have read that they are infrequent and these seem to have frequency to them.

Like you say though I guess if they thought there was something more to it they would have said...they did seem quite surprised though lol

x

 

[fiveoyea]

my charts look a lot like that.been having contractions every two minutes for a week now and they have started to hurt... i think it's just very slow labor...i'll find out more tomorrow as i had started dilating so i'm interested to see how far along i am now..

 

[JazzyCat]

I agree it's probably just very slow labor. I'm on the machines twice a week and I haven't had any contractions that go that high. I do feel mine once they get in the 25+ range, but those are few and far between. I'll tell u I'm surprised you don't feel them, but doesn't mean anything is wrong I don't think. I'd say u r lucky!!

If you contract your stomach muscles during the monitoring, the machine will see that as a contraction too, so you never know what it is reading exactly. I think the fetal hb is the main concern and yours looks good, so I wouldn't stress out about it! Good luck!

 

[flumpsmummy]

you maybe have a high pain threshold if it is real contractions.x

 

[Swanny]

Just feeling like tight like someone is sitting on stomach putting pressure on and stomach goes rock hard. Having quite a few of them tonight too

 

[MissFox]

Swanny- mine get that like too- Haven't been that regular but I've had mine hit 95 on the scale and I was talking though it and chatting with DH and the nurse was like "Are you feeling these?" and I told her it was just like my belly was getting tight. Occasionally at the beginning of a couple I would go "OH HEY THERE IS ONE STARTING!" But that's pretty much it. The ones when I stand up go over 100 and they don't hurt at all.

 

[Swanny]

What did they say that they are? Braxon hicks?

x

 

[MissFox]

At 34+4 when I was having them they were like WOAH YOU REALLY ARE CONTRACTING AND NOT LYING OT US! (yea, no shit!)
The last time she said YUP You've had a few contractions. I had a really big one at my last dr appt and she asked if I was having any contractions and I said YUP! Having a big one now- so she had me lay down and she felt my belly (they've all felt my belly when I say I'm having them) and said OH YEA YOU ARE! and proceeded to tell me to stay off my back in labor lol. I've never had them referred to as BH when I was on the monitors. I've been on the monitors 4 times since 34 weeks and I'm almost always having them- only this last time after my 5.5 hours of false labor was my line almost straight. I had more activity after a shot to stop contractions! It's all really hard to say.