Who had prodromal labor?

[water*drop]

I'm 40w4d. I'm on hour 17 of contractions that are roughly 10 minutes apart, 90 seconds long, and painful enough that I'm having trouble walking and talking through them. They did get down to 7.5 minutes apart for an hour this morning, but then they went back to 10ish minutes. Now they're getting more intense as the day goes on, but they're not getting any closer together. The on call doctor says stay home until they're 5-6 minutes apart. I don't have a gut feeling about it; I just wish it would either stop or result in a baby.

Does that sound like prodromal labor? How did you know when it became real labor as opposed to the universe playing a really cruel trick on you?

[ijack]

It sounds like that's what it is, but you don't really know unless they check your cervix for you. If it's real labor it should continue and get more intense even when you lay down and stuff like that. I had a friend who had it for weeks with her second It sounds miserable, I'm sorry

[water*drop]

I'm going to die if this continues until my induction (Wednesday night). 

[water*drop]

May 22, 2015 15:14:36 GMT -5 @lauralynne said:

He was my best sleeper if that's any consolation. LOL

DD didn't STTN until she was over 2, so I'll take it.

I keep alternating between wanting to go in and get checked just in case (with DD, my contractions never got close together, even when pushing) and not wanting to go in because I'll just be discouraged when they tell me I've made no progress.

[bunnymendelbaum]

I'm going to positive here and say you are going to have this baby soon!

[oswin]

Did you get checked at any of your previous appointments? If I were you I'd go get checked soon, because I'd want to know either way.

[water*drop]

May 22, 2015 15:42:34 GMT -5 oswin said:

Did you get checked at any of your previous appointments? If I were you I'd go get checked soon, because I'd want to know either way.

I was 2 cm on Wednesday, but hard and posterior/high. Right now we're trying to decide if we should go now or wait to see if they start getting even a little closer. The on call doctor said 5-6 minutes, but my actual doctor said 7-8 minutes based on my labor with DD, so if I could get even a little closer, I'd feel better about it. In the middle of a contraction, I feel like we should go, but then as soon as it eases up, I feel like it's probably not the real thing.

[Deleted]

Me. After my ptl scare at 32w6d that dilated me to 2/3 cm I continued contracting at least 4 times an hour, usually more like 8 or more for 4 more weeks until I delivered. They were painful enough that I had to stop and breathe through them etc. It was horrible.
I hope this pick up and you deliver soon!

Eta: I didn't know it was real labor. I went in for a bpp and nst. MFM said, hey have someone check your cervix since you haven't been checked since you left hospital 4 weeks ago. I thought ok sure, why not. Boom, I was 8cm.

[oswin]

Do you have care set up for your DD? Your in-laws are in town still, right? I think if it's not much trouble to go get checked you should go sometime this afternoon or evening, since it sounds like from @awinter's experience you could see progress at any time. Any chance if you go in they could give you pitocin to hurry it along (assuming that's something you'd want to do)?

[water*drop]

May 22, 2015 16:25:26 GMT -5 oswin said:

Do you have care set up for your DD? Your in-laws are in town still, right? I think if it's not much trouble to go get checked you should go sometime this afternoon or evening, since it sounds like from @awinter's experience you could see progress at any time. Any chance if you go in they could give you pitocin to hurry it along (assuming that's something you'd want to do)?

Yeah, I think we're going to have MIL come over after dinner and go get checked. I'd rather go in and be sent home in the evening than make MIL come over in the MOTN for a false alarm.

I think what they would do depends on how far dilated I am. If I'm dilated enough to be admitted, then they might give me pitocin after a few hours? I'm not opposed to the idea. If nothing else, I'd give left arm for an epidural so I can catch up on sleep...

[oswin]

Good luck! I hope you can get some rest, one way or another.

[vaportrail]

OMG I had prodromal labor for 30 hours before they admitted me. Super painful contractions 6-7 minutes apart that lasted about 20-45 seconds. It was awful.

But when they admitted me, I was already at 4cm so I got the epidural and popped him on out a few hours later.

GOOD LUCK!

[water*drop]

I'm glad I went in. I'm 3.5 cm, and he's having decels after each contraction, so here we go...

[whitemerlot]

I never knew what it was called, but I had intense contractions like that for 36 hours and could not sleep at all. I was 12 days overdue and told them I was done. My induction was scheduled for Monday and I went in on Thursday. I was very tired during my labor.

Just saw your update. I'm so glad you went in.

[Deleted]

May 22, 2015 19:57:53 GMT -5 water*drop said:

I'm glad I went in. I'm 3.5 cm, and he's having decels after each contraction, so here we go...

YAY IT'S HAPPENING! FX for a quick delivery.

[chickens987]

Good luck water*drop!!!!

[timorousbeastie]

Good luck!

[zeewifeandmama]

Good luck!! Safe labor vibes

[curbsideprophet]

Good luck!

[pierogigirl]

Good luck!

[rugbywife]

May 22, 2015 19:57:53 GMT -5 water*drop said:

I'm glad I went in. I'm 3.5 cm, and he's having decels after each contraction, so here we go...

good luck!!!!

[countthestars]

Good luck!

[oswin]

Yay! Good luck!

[ssmjlm]

OMG I think this is what I had. It was awful. I was in labor for 20 hours before I was dilated enough to be checked in. E didn't come out for another 17 hours after that. No one every gave me a term for it.

GL!

[Deleted]

Good Luck!

[cece]

Good luck!

[jewel]

Good luck!

That is almost exactly what happened to me. I was having painful contractions (unable to sleep through), 10 minutes apart, for over 12 hours. I had an NST scheduled the next morning anyway, and they saw decels at that time, so over to L&D we went.

ETA - contractions only got close enough together to actually birth a baby after a dose of misoprostal, epidural, and Pitocin.