How true is it that being scared can send a woman into labor? UPDATED

[EmmaRea]

Some middle school student of my husband's egged our house about two hours ago. We woke up to this awful pounding on our windows and thought we were being robbed. I was terrified.

And my baby hasn't settled down since. He won't stop moving and it's making me cramp. I wouldn't say BH, but definite cramping and an over active baby. What's going on? Do I just wait this out?

 

[Dragonfly]

Normally your body goes in to labour when your mind is ready, I rememberer reading up on this when I was looking in to things as I was over due twice. So you where meant to be relaxed and waiting not stressed. Stress would block it. I know in soap land arguments cause labour but I am not sure thats true.

 

[nov_mum]

During the earthquakes in Chch, NZ I can tell you that it delayed labour for many. Caused a pile of people to procreate and 9mths later there is a baby boom but I think that was being thankful to be alive and having no tv for days on end hehehe

 

[hopefulfor1st]

I don't think there is any connection between being scared and preterm labour!
Adrenalin blocks the natural oxytocin that creates contractions

 

[anita665]

I'm sure you'll be fine. People go through some shocking stuff in pregnancy and don't labour early. Stress can cause braxton hicks though. It seems like just about anything can cause braxton hicks.

Most likely it's the adrenaline which is causing your baby to be so active.

 

[MindUtopia]

Like others have said, you're probably actually less likely to go into labour if you're scared or upset, as adrenaline interferes with oxytocin production and oxytocin is what you need to go into labour. It's also why labour slows down or stops if you get panicked, nervous or scared once you're already in labour. But adrenaline can make baby move more, so that's probably what you're experiencing. Adrenaline is what is stimulated when you consume caffeine which is why many women say their babies move around more after they have a cup of tea or coffee. So try not to worry. Take yourself off somewhere and practice some deep breathing or take a nice relaxing bath and try to calm down though. You'll just wear yourself out worrying.

 

[EmmaRea]

What a night.

Woke up at 4am yesterday, and didn't have a nap all day. So I was already tired. Then woken up at 1am (my time). Kept awake until 4am, and had to be up at 6am. Baby took three hours to finally settle down enough to let me drift off. I'm still having cramps.

Oh, and I'm really quite upset with the students that did this, as it seems the school where my husband works was putting on a function last night, and the boys bathroom was vandalized, as well. Read: destroyed.

All I want is a bed and to stop cramping.

 

[EmmaRea]

One of them mentioned at the school function last night that he knows where we live and would like to bring a gun to our house.

I'm speechless. I knew they misbehaved, but this? Funnily enough, I'm at the police station right now as my DH makes the report, and I want him to hurry up and finish because I want to go home NOW... I'm worried someone would hurt my pets while I'm out.

 

[Stressbucket]

I'm so sorry you're going through this.

If you're ready to go into labor, you'll probably go, but I assume the activity on the baby's part is because you're dumping a lot of adrenaline into your, and his, bloodstream.

Which is to be expected.

Could someone from the police station drive you home and have an officer stay at the house until your husband gets home, at least? This sounds terrifying, and you don't need any more stress right now.

 

[TryinFor1]

What the heck happened that a child would talk about bringing a gun to your house and you being scared for your pets?

I am sorry you are scared. Rest assured you won't be shocked into labor though.

 

[EmmaRea]

My husband works with some of the more... difficult students. Once I calmed down around 4 this morning, I had to admit that I wasn't that shocked our house would be egged. Some of his students are great kids who really do want to do a good job and be in his class. And then there's some that hate his guts, but have to be in his class anyway because they have to be at school so many hours in the day, but the school has nothing special to do with those kids anymore, thanks to budget cuts for special education. The school essentially stuck these kids in a class they hate because there's nothing else they can do.

These kids in particular were having a hard time in class on Thursday. They were disciplined for being disruptive to the whole class, vandalizing the bathroom, and verbally abusing my husband and his immediate supervisor, saying things to these adults I wouldn't have ever dreamed of saying to an adult at their age!

There were lots of threats towards our local schools (guns, bombs, etc) floating around Facebook, so the district superintendent said parents were excused from sending their children to school yesterday (Friday), if they feared violence or a copycat school shooting. Therefore, these students got a bonus day off school and used that day to harass the school anyway. IF I had to guess what their motives were for threatening our home, I'd say they got the idea from these recent shooting events and the sheer number of threats all over America. At the same time, I know the chances of these kids doing anything is slim. But what if?

I'm home now, and so is my husband. We are planning on pretending we aren't home tonight. No lights on so no one can see in our windows or anything, and calling the police if anything happens. I'm not sure there's anything else we can do. It's not like the police can babysit us. I feel like a sitting duck, just waiting around to be attacked.

 

[TryinFor1]

Wow I am sorry. It's great your husband is willing to work with troubling students. Kudos to him.

I would do the same thing though. sit around and see if anything happens. Glad you guys are safely at home, and I am assuming your pets are fine, which I am happy about also. Lol.

 

[Laura2806]

It's awful that your going through this and there is nothing you can do nothing anyone can do. Glad your with your husband though and hopefully you have some time off over the holiday to spend together and try to put this behind you. As PP said its great your husband is working with these children, it's just a shame these particular students are grateful for is help! Some really are little swines!

I hope you can relax before too long xx

 

[sxb]

Have you thought about getting an alarm system. We has one growing up for the same reason... My parents worked in a school with some difficult students. It always put our mind to ease knowing we had an alarm system with a panic button.

Anyways chances are they won't do anything... Just trying to intimidate your husband. Good luck hun.

 

[sxb]

*had

 

[MummyPony]

I echo sxb get an alarm with panic buttons it will make you feel safer and help you call assistance quickly if you need it

 

[cautious...]

How awful for you. I know I'm feeling over protective of myself right now (sometimes paraboid) so to be actually threatened like this must be horrible

My Dad is a Professor at a University and when we were younger one of his students found out where we lived and decided to scare us quite badly. Apart from anything else it's such a violation of your personal space, in the one place you should feel safe. We had to be accompanied to school by the police etc.

It sounds like these kids went a bit 'crazy' having the day off, and hopefully once the structure (school) is returned they will calm down. It makes me feel angry just reading how disrespectful they have been.

I really hope that you feel calmer soon xx