preterm contractions? please help

[kayla93]

Hey ladies,
So I am 23 weeks with my second, and yesterday was having cramping that was tightening my entire belly. They were about 15 minutes apart, and then went to 10 minutes apart. I went in to the doctor when they first started happening, and he said to go to L & D if they became 10 minutes apart. I went in, and they put me on the monitor for a few hours. They determined that I was having preterm contractions with no dilation, and said I need to drink more water. I have been drinking around 64 oz of water a day, is that not enough? She said at this stage, if it continues to happen, they wont do much for me except give me fluids and maybe vistaril to relax me and my uterus. Does this mean if they continue, they wont stop the contractions?

First question, how much water do I need to be drinking each day to avoid this happening? She seemed very sure I wasnt drinking enough, but I feel like I have been.

Second question, are preterm contractions the same as braxton hicks?

Third question, are there other ways to help stop these preterm contractions, since water wasnt helping? I was having these for over 12 hours yesterday.

 

[MommaJJ]

I hope someone can answer these questions for you! Didn't want to read and run. Good luck x

 

[laura_2010]

Hi I was getting Pains Last week which I was thinking it felt the same, I wasn't drinking alot either so iv put a few bottle of water with juice in the fridge to keep me drinking I find if I drink from a bottle, I went to hospital with pains as I also had protein in my wee too but no water infection.. But didnt go on a monitor as they said from 28 weeks? My pains have now gone but where horrible I did have my 21 weeks scan yesterday and everything looked fine, XXXX

 

[Rhiannon137]

I'm sorry you're going through this scary situation. What you descrube is certainly worrisome enough to keep a close watch, but probably nothing to panic about. The fact that you are not dilated.is a great sign, but you need to keep it that way. Hopefully a few minor precautions will get things under control.

First answer: I aim for a gallon of water every day. I don't always achieve it, and often feel the difference when I don't. And yes, I pee all the time.

Second answer: no, preterm contractions are different than normal Braxton Hicks. For me, the BH contractions tend to happen like isolated, prolonged tightening that in contained to my uterus. They can be intense, but they don't settle into a repeating pattern or feel like my back and groin muscles are getting involved.

Third answer: staying well hydrated and getting some rest (like sitting on the couch with your feet up level of rest) are the first lines of defense. If that is not helping, definitely get in touch with your doctor. There are medications they can give you if preterm labor seems like a real concern.

 

[rapunzel87]

Hey!

I had this last year while pregnant with my first. I actually had a fever and ended up in the hospital with a high heart rate. The fever caused dehydration which in turn caused the contractions. I was told they were pre-term contractions. They gave me ice water to drink to bring the fever down and stop the contractions. They kept me hooked on for about half an hour. Afterwards I was just told to keep hydrated, but there wasn't a follow up or anything. I never thought too much about it either. I ended up giving birth at full term (39 weeks). So that was good! Try not to worry too much. Just keep sipping water throughout the day. I am sure all will be fine

Have your contractions stopped? Also 64 oz does sound like a really good amount to me. If you are still having them I would suggest a second opinion. Because that would mean the water isn't working :S Perhaps a different ob/gyn.

 

[Kiwiberry]

Braxton Hicks are not the same as preterm contractions. I have heard that they can feel similar though just not as strong. I'm not trying to tell you this to scare you or anything but I had preterm contractions for 3 days before I went into labor and gave birth to my daughter at 27 weeks. If I had known what I was feeling was actual labor contractions I would have been able to save my baby from being born so early. I went into the ER and because I wasn't dilated they were ready to send me home. If it wasn't for my OB office requesting that I go into labor and delivery just in case I would have probably gone into full-blown labor at home all by myself. It took 30 minutes from the time they checked my cervix at the ER (not dilated) until I arrived at the actual Hospital, I was already 3 centimeters dilated. Please keep an eye on yourself and sometimes doctors can make bad judgement calls but you are the one who knows your body best. Oh and they tried to tell me I was having braxton-hicks as well but that was obviously not the case for me.

 

[Skywalker]

Hey ladies,
So I am 23 weeks with my second, and yesterday was having cramping that was tightening my entire belly. They were about 15 minutes apart, and then went to 10 minutes apart. I went in to the doctor when they first started happening, and he said to go to L & D if they became 10 minutes apart. I went in, and they put me on the monitor for a few hours. They determined that I was having preterm contractions with no dilation, and said I need to drink more water. I have been drinking around 64 oz of water a day, is that not enough? She said at this stage, if it continues to happen, they wont do much for me except give me fluids and maybe vistaril to relax me and my uterus. Does this mean if they continue, they wont stop the contractions?

First question, how much water do I need to be drinking each day to avoid this happening? She seemed very sure I wasnt drinking enough, but I feel like I have been.

Second question, are preterm contractions the same as braxton hicks?

Third question, are there other ways to help stop these preterm contractions, since water wasnt helping? I was having these for over 12 hours yesterday.

This happened to me with my first pregnancy. Here are my tips and what worked for me:

1. Hydration is key, so I recommend continuing drinking the water you're already drinking, but also add coconut water. This has potassium and electrolytes which help hydrate you even better than just water alone.

2. Get in a warm bath or shower. This usually stopped my contractions by relaxing the muscles and it was what my doula recommended to help me know if I was having "real" contractions or braxton hicks/preterm contractions. If the contractions continued after a bath or shower at regular intervals, they could be considered "real"

3. Change positions. If your contractions continue at regular intervals even when you change positions (from standing to sitting, sitting to laying down, laying down to standing, etc.) they can be considered "real" but you'll notice the contractions lessen in intensity, get spread out further, etc., if they're not real when you change positions.

4. Avoid stress. In my first pregnancy I had a TON of stress and I had to work hard to manage it because it actually was bringing on contractions. Breathing deeply helped me, calling a funny friend who'd make me laugh and take my mind off things, etc. All very important!

I hope these suggestions help! Also a GREAT piece of advice my doula gave me was, "Longer, Stronger and Closer Together." She said that if I ever was in doubt about whether I was having braxton hicks or real contractions, ask myself are the contractions getting longer? Are the contractions getting stronger? And are the contractions getting closer together? If the answer was yes, she would have me do the four steps above, and if the contractions CONTINUED to get Longer, Stronger and Closer together, I had to go to the hospital.

 

[Blessedbaby]

Follow the advice from Skywalker also keep hydrated.

Im surprised they didn't put you on bedrest. Good luck for the remainder of your pregnancy.

 

[awnmyown]

What Skywalker said Adding in changing positions, laying on your right side, a warm bath or shower, are all known to help in addition to drinking as much water as humanly possible. I think there's no "perfect" amount to drink, and a lot depends on the woman, the baby, what you're doing, the weather, exercise, activity, etc.