PRE TERM LABOR????

[MELISSA911]

I know this will sound like a stupid question. But I was hoping for some advice from someone with experience with this. I am today 26 weeks pregnant. Yesterday morning I  noticed some mild cramping in my lower abdomen. I did not think much of this as I had this throughout my entire pregnancy with my first daughter. Then about 8pm it changed it started feeling like contractions and they were shooting into my back. They were real spiratic. But from what I have read Braxton Hicks are not painful. Well these were but they lasted about 1 hour. I chugged water because I had read that dehydration can lead to this. I was getting ready to call my doctor and make the ominous trip to L/D when they suddenly started going away. They have resolved however I feel like I have just had an extreme work out. My muscles are tight and sore. I have an OB appt. tomorrow do you think is ok to wait? Has anyone experienced anything like this? Any suggestions? (Thanks in advance for any advice given!!!!)

[AHP84]

I had preterm labor with my last pregnancy at 33 weeks. It came on very suddenly and I went to L&D because the pain was so bad and the contractions were less than two minutes apart. I was in L&D for about three hours and they were ready to send me home, but did a cervical check before releasing me and found that I'd dilated to two centimeters in the last hour...so I had to stay in L&D for four days to stop my labor, then was on bed rest for the next five weeks, and during that time, I was in mild labor for the entire time (but I was on meds, so the labor never caused any more dilation). It was miserable.

Anyway, I started getting really strong BH contractions around 25 weeks. They started getting painful around 28 weeks, but they were never more than six an hour. I kept asking my OB about this, as I never experienced that type of BH contractions in my first pregnancy, so it just seemed "off" to me. I kept getting the same advice over and over again--just keep hydrated and don't physically or emotionally stress yourself too much, and if you ever have more than six an hour or leak fluid, go to L&D. There's not much else a doctor or anyone else will tell you.
The best advice I can give is, if you experience painful contractions that are less than three minutes apart, then call your doctor right away. The morning I went to L&D for my preterm labor, my contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and I paid no attention to them (because I was so used to them by that point) until they got so painful I could hardly stand up and they were only a minute apart.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

For future reference, it's always best to go with the philosophy of "if you question what to do, it's always better to call your doc or go be checked"  It's ALWAYS better to find out it was absolutely nothing but a waste of time going to L&D than to find out it was something you should have gone in sooner for :)  

[MELISSA911]

Thank you for the feed back I really appreciate it.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

It sounds like you were experiencing preterm contractions.  Which isn't necessarily preterm labor. It does sound like drinking that water and relaxing helped a good bit.  Unless they start up again or you notice any leaking fluid I think it's safe to wait until your appt tomorrow and let your ob know.  IF they start up again before your appt, just go straight to l & d where they can be monitored to see if they are strong enough to cause cervical changes.  

With my 3rd pregnancy I had preterm contractions on a few different occasions starting around the middle of the 2nd trimester.  They would monitor me for awhile, make me drink a lot of water and sent me home.  They were never bad enough to cause the cervical changes and I went on to have a full term baby.  

[sameerab]

it might just be your uterus contracting that may have left you feeling sore...I think its just your body preparing for what is to come..I wouldnt worry about it just discuss it with your Dr.