Preterm Labor

Question: Preterm Labor? I am 32 weeks pregnant, will be 33 weeks on tuesday. I am worried that I might be going to go into preterm labor, because of the stuff I've been going through. I talked to my doctor, and she told me just to take warm baths and relax and that if it is preterm labor my baby will be ok as far along as I am. But, I have been having really bad lower back pain its been getting worse all day. Theres really no time intervals between the spurts of back pain but it hurts really bad. Right up under my rib cage it's been having waves of pain too, normally around the same time my back hurts. The past few weeks I have been having a really thick discharge and a couple days ago it had a pinkish tint to it. Was this my mucus plug? Also, when I was at my appointment the doctor said my belly had dropped and my baby was in the birthing position. So does this mean I am at risk for preterm labor? This is my first baby and I'm just really worried about this happening. Oh and I have started to lactate some.

Answer: i hate doctors they are so mean at times if you came to me with all this i would have put you in hostpial to check things out cause it sounds like everything is get ready for labour or your in early labour ,look all i can do is tell you what i did for 4 weeks but i still had my baby at 25 weeks ,i took it easy which is hard if you have kids i got someone in to clean for me i did not have a bath because i had lost my plug which i think you have and most of all i tryed really hard not to strees which is not easy ,but since you are 33 weeks then you should be fine just try to rest for the next few days it mit help slow thing down i also had my son at 34w3days and he came home with me straight away and my sister in law had he baby at 34 weeks and she spent one night in hosptial as her baby had to get her temp up ,i hope all goes well and if things get to much go to the hosptial and tell them your not leaving till some one checks you as this is your body and your child and you know best what your body is doing,good luck

Question: How do I prevent preterm labor with fraternal twins? I'm 35 years old 20 weeks pregnant with fraternal twin girls. I'm terrified of preterm labor. I just had my 20 week ultrasound and found out that they are both girls and appear to be healthy (no visible defects and both a good size/weight). I'm already eating the way I should, drinking lots of water and resting. Any other suggestions from those of you who have gone through a twin pregnancy?

Answer: Make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamins but you can't prevent preterm labor if they could there wouldn't be so many premies. My first two pregnancies were preterm. MY first came at 27 weeks my second at 25 but my last two went full term so you can't control it. It sounds like your doing everything you can.

Question: How to tell the difference between scoliosis and preterm labor back ache? Well im 33 weeks pregnant and also have mild scoliosis.. I was wondering how I would know the difference between the low back pain you might get with preterm labor and my scoliosis Thank you!

Answer: I hear yah! With preterm labor it's cramping kinds of pain in your lower back that wraps around to just above your pubic pain, in your lower belly. If it is just your scoliosis, you might try some back massages, I wanted on practically every day. Best of luck during delivery, you might have some back labor because of the scoliosis, I did with my little girl. Ask your midwife/doctor to massage your lower back during labor, that helped me.

Question: 27 weeks pregnant, If I go into preterm labor what are the chances of the baby surviving? I'm always nervous now about having preterm labor.. Im 27 weeks now so what are the chances of my baby surving if I go to preterm labor? I have had 2 miscarriages before. But everything in this pregnancy seems has been complicated. Are their any survival storeies for preterm babies this early?

Answer: I have a even better one than 27 weeks. My husbands sister was born at 24 weeks along. The doctors said that she would only have a 10% chance on surviving. They also had mom kiss her good buy and rushed her off saying that mom would most likely never see her daughter alive again. Mom named her faith because she had so much faith that after 3 still births and 1 miscarrage that this was her time and god WOULD give her this baby. Well any ways Faith turned 13 years old last month. She has very few complications from being born so early. She used to have a studdering problem witch is now never shown. And the crazy thing is that I know in some states you can still have a abortion at 25 weeks along. Sad huh? Well mama.....I will keep you in her prayers and remember KEEP THE FAITH. Be easy and never push yourself further than needed be. Im not sure of the exact rate of survival but it is 3 weeks past 10%!!Congrats on your little on. God bless you both Tyffannie

Question: What are the warning signs of preterm labor? I'm 28 weeks pregnant. I have been having braxtion hicks for a few weeks. But this morning i got what i thought was braxtion hicks around 4am. Since it really hasn't gone away and am now having back pain and cramping. And feel like i have the flu. Could I be sick or could this be preterm labor? This is my first child so am not really sure. I'm thinking that going to the doc is what i need to do. I just wanted to get some advise before i do anything. As i don't drive and would need to call and wake up my mom who works nights. I really don't want to wake her up if i don't need to. But am going to try that and see.

Answer: When I was 23 weeks I had a lot of cramping and contractions. I thought they were "growing pains" and Braxton HIcks at first, but they wouldn't go away when I sat or laid down or anything. I finally decided I had to go to the doctor, and sure enough I was in labor. Luckily I didn't wait for it to get any worse because they had a hard enough time stopping it as it was, and I was only at a one at the time. Here is my advice: drink 3 glasses water eat a meal or a high protein snack empty your bladder get a pen paper and stop watch or clock with a second hand lay down on your left side for 30 minutes After the 30 minutes, place your hand at the top or side of your uterus and lay there for another hour. Note if you feel any tightening. These are contractions. If you feel any write it down in the notebook. Write when it started and how long it lasts. Also try to determine if your whole stomach gets hard or just the top/bottom, etc. If you have to go in, take this log with you. If doing this seems to help, remember being hungry, thirsty, having a full bladder, and overexerting yourself can cause contractions and cramping. Go straight to L&D if: You had more than 2 contractions The cramping continues after the hour and a half or gets worse during that time. The pains radiate around your back You notice any change in discharge - color, thickness, etc. You seem to be leaking pee or of course there is a gush of fluid You have any spotting or bleeding Remember it is better to be safe than sorry and at 28 weeks the baby would be high risk for hemoraging and would probably have to stay in the hospital for 2-3 months. Take care of yourself and good luck.

Question: How does the test for preterm labor work? Tomorrow I take a test to see what the chances of me going into preterm labor, I was wandering how does it work? If it shows that I will go into preterm labor can they say about how long until I go into labor or will it just say that at some point before 37 weeks I will go into labor? How exactly do they do the test? I was just wandering so I would have a better idea before I go see my doctor tomorrow. Thank you.

Answer: The test your are referring to would probably be the fFN test. This test basically tells you whether you are likely to go into labour in the next 2 weeks, and is then repeated fortnightly if the results are negative for preterm labour. A positive fFN result is not very predictive of preterm labor and delivery. However, a negative fFN result is highly predictive that preterm delivery will not occur within the next 7-14 days. To the best of my knowledge the test entails having a vaginal swab taken and analysed.

Question: What can make you go into preterm labor? I am almost 28 weeks pregnant, so I'm heading into that last trimester. I already take really good care of myself and never do anything strenuous. I do not know much about preterm labor and birth and have no reason to believe it would happen to me, however I was wondering if there are things that make you go into preterm or is it just a natural (and unfortunate) thing that happens? I just want to educate myself. My baby girl means the world to me and I will do anything to keep her safe and healthy. Thank you.

Answer: There are things that can make you go into preterm labor, some natural some not. Women under 19; women over age 35 are at risk for pre-term labor. Women who have had previous preterm labor may be at risk. Women with certain uterine/cervical abnormalities are also a risk. Some signs of pre-term labor: - * Contractions (your abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often * Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding from your vagina) * Pelvic pressure—the feeling that your baby is pushing down * Low, dull backache * Cramps that feel like your period * Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea I was due May 25 but just last Monday I had to have my baby girl delivered. The only sign I had was vaginal bleeding...to put it simply I had lost so much blood the ambulance had to take me to the local hospital. My OB was called and they decided to send me to a better equipped hospital if the problem worsened and the baby had to come. I was transfered to that other hospital on Sunday at 9m. Around 1am Monday, they made the decision to do a c-section because if they waited any longer, the baby or I could have died. At 3:42 AM my baby girl was delivered. I knew the signs of preterm labor but the only one I had was the vaginal bleeding. I didn't feel any contractions( although once at the hospital they hooked me up to a fetal machine and the contractions were monitored on there but I didn't even feel them). Usually if you go in for preterm labor they can calm the uterus down and try to stop the labor from coming. If you have any of the signs let your OB know or the hospital. I would consider reading upon the subject and asking your OB. Your OB would be happy to answer any questions regarding your pregnancy. They want you to be educated that way you will know when you need to call them if something is wrong.

Question: What are my chances of having preterm labor a 3rd time? I am pregnant with our third child and I am just a little anxious about preterm labor. With my first pregnancy I went into labor at 28 weeks, had to be put on bedrest and took medicine everyday to stop having contractions. This worked and I was able to deliver my baby full term. With my second pregnancy I had the exact same senario only at 30 weeks, but with bedrest and medication delivered only 2 weeks early. I am wondering what the chances are that I will have preterm labor again this time around. As the 28 week mark approaches I get more and more nervous - I am in my 18th week now. Anyone have any experience with this, or knowledge?

Answer: I hate to say this, but as a woman with a history of pre-term labor (twice, no less!), you are at very high risk for your body trying to go into pre-term labor again. Fortunately, it would seem that you respond to the medication to stop labor, which makes it a little easier, but I foresee bed rest in your future to be likely.

Question: How do I prevent going into preterm labor? I am 30 weeks pregnant and although I realize my child could probably survive outside of the womb from this point forward, I would like to carry full term. What are someways to prevent going into preterm labor?

Answer: I think the best thing to do is know the signs of premature labor and get to the hospital right away if you experience them, as a lot of times they CAN stop the labor if caught early. It also depends on if you are at risk..have you had another preemie, and if so, what reason were they premature? There are many causes to premature birth, and sometimes you don't have any risk factors and still deliver early. Just know the signs, and watch for them. My oldest was 5 weeks early due to PROM. My water just broke in the middle of the night. I had to deliver. They never knew what caused it. I went on to deliver 2 other boys , one at 39 weeks and one at 37 1/2.

Question: How can I really tell if I will have preterm labor? I am about 33 weeks pregnant with my second child. The first pregnancy I had some preterm scares and was in the hospital a few different times. This began at about 7 months. I ended up having my daughter about 2 weeks early, so she was not considered preterm. This time I was in the hospital with preterm issues at about 25 weeks. My cervix had already began to shorten, and the baby was really low. I have pretty much been on bedrest since then. I have almost all of the symptoms of preterm labor, yet my doctor doesn't seem very concerned. He never really examins me at our visits. I have a feeling that I will have the baby sometime within the next month. Is there any real way to tell? Is there a chance that he has my due date wrong? If any of you have any answers that can help me please let me know. I have been looking everywhere to find some sort of answer, but just don't know where else to turn.

Answer: Bless you being on bedrest couped up and worried that is crud!! The doctor should be watching you closely I had a bit of hypertension and my doc started having me come in once a week at 28 weeks he watches me like a hawk and I'm really not even very high risk as my bp leveled out on it's own he checks my cervix and asks how I am every week even when his office is packed he is awesome but beyond that I'm just babbling you need to keep an eye on all of this and be very careful I'm 33 weeks and as ready as I am to hold my baby I want him to stay in a bit longer !!