Impending Delivery or Paranoia?

[jenmc226]

I had my son at 34wks exactly. I went in to the hospital at 33wks 6 days after my water spontaneously broke. The doctor wanted to put my labor/delivery off for a week but baby had other ideas and came at 2am the next day. My son was 4lbs 3oz and stayed in the hospital 3wks before coming home. He's had no lingering health issues. He'll be 5 years old next month.

I'm now pregnant with baby #2. Today I am 34wks 1 day. I'm happy that I've made it farther than I did the first time around. But I feel weird. Part of me is so sick of being pregnant and I just want to be done. And I know the baby isn't ready to come out yet, but from my experience with my son I also know that the baby will very likely be just fine after a little extra care. I know pregnancies are 40wks, but 34wks has been my marker all along and I feel like I've put my time in. (Kicking my own butt for myselfish thoughts).

Aside from wanting to be done being pregnant, my body has started feeling different over the last couple days. This is where I don't know if labor really is impending or if it's just all in my head. The only way to describe it is that it feels like something is going to fall out of me. And I've had more and more sharp pains in my vagina and lower abdomen. My husband and I were intimate recently and I couldn't bear to have him fully penetrate - it was too painful (and he's not exactly a well-endowed guy). Emotionally I feel like I'm on borrowed time. I'm nervous because it seems like it could happen any moment now. And I'm anxious.

Everything I know about being pregnant ends at 34wks. I'm in unfamiliar territory now and I'm not sure I like it.

 

[sherryberry79]

I find it very strange that having delivered one baby early and been through the agony of not being able to bring your baby home for three weeks, You should want to go through that again. It's brilliant that your first baby did so well, and you're right, serious health complications are less likely at 34 weeks, but you should try to remember that a pregnancy 'should' last 40 wks for a reason, and it would certainly be beneficial for bubs to cook for a while longer yet!

I think you will get limited sympathy on this particular secion of the forum, as many of us who have had prems would give our right arm to get to 40 weeks, despite the discomfort that may come with being full term.

I hope you're midwife will be able to tell you whether the physical discomfort you have been feeling recently could be linked to a premature delivery. Presumably they are keeping a special eye on you during this pregnancy, I hope they can help you with your anxiety, maybe if they can confirm that the pregnancy is progressing well, you will feel a little less anxious, and maybe even come to enjoy the end of your pregnancy?

Anyway, I wish you and your baby all the best whenever the time comes (but I hope it's later rather than sooner)!

 

[Anna_due Dec]

I kind of understand what you mean, i don't want to have my baby early but i too am 34 weeks, have had a 27 and 31 weeker and am feeling like this should be over by now. My body hates being pregnant. I've been having painful contractions for 2 and a half weeks and the sharp pains you described. I can't wait for this to be over..but i don't want a prem. It's physically and emotionally exhausting so i understand but you do need to be careful about posting that you want a prem in the prem section, it may not go down well.

 

[jenmc226]

Goodness. I don't want another preemie. It's just that physically and emotionally I'm ready to be done. I love being a mother and it's totally worth it, but while some women love pregnancy to me it's a necessary evil to experience the miracle of bringing another life into this world. I'm also very anxious to meet my little guy/girl.

And I know that I had my son at 34wks and he was fine. And I read horror stories of babies dying in utero at very late term. It's scarier to have this baby inside right now since I don't know what to expect. My son was early because I have a unicornuate uterus. My uterus is half the size of a normal uterus and he ran out of room. What happens if this baby gets too cramped or caught up in the umbilical cord or if I go into early labor and cannot get to the hospital in time. I was told I can't have a natural delivery because it could cause my uterus to rupture, well what if that happens while baby is still in me.

My bigger frustration is not knowing what's going to happen this time around. My body definitely feels differently these last couple days and I don't know if it's all in my head or if it's normal changes or if it means baby is on it's way. It makes me feel helpless - like I'm not in control.

I guess my point is that I wanted input on how other mother's of preemies felt if they had a second pregnancy. Did they make it further along? Was it "weird" carrying past your first child's gestational age? Were you afraid? Did you feel like you were going to deliver early again - whether physically or mentally?

I can totally understand that mothers of very, very early preemies have a totally different mindset. As the experiences you went through after giving birth were much scarier and more traumatizing. And I apologize if I angered anyone. That was not my intent.