Braxton Hicks Makes His Third Appearance

Braxton Hicks...who is that?

This was a term having to do with contractions that was completely new to Adam and myself prior to pregnancy. Braxton Hicks contractions, also called "false labor contractions," are irregular "practice" contractions that can be first felt around mid-pregnancy and increase in frequency and strength as your pregnancy progresses. Some people experience these, and some don't. They are nothing to be worried about, but they can certainly scare you if you aren't sure whether they are false labor contractions or the real thing....especially when you are only 32 weeks along in your pregnancy like us.

I have only experienced them twice before - once when we were in the mountains and it could definitely be attributed to dehydration and maybe altitude, and another time when we went out on the boat, and the water was really choppy. But both times, I knew that they were nothing to be worried about and they subsided after a few hours.

Anyway, yesterday we met Adam's parents at the airport to return Tucker, their Havanese and Hayley's best buddy, after dog-sitting for the week. When we were driving home, I began to have contractions. That was around 8:45 pm. They didn't hurt, but there was a definite, significant tightening of my abdomen, and they were happening about every five minutes. According to What to Expect When You Are Expecting, here is how you are supposed to deal with them:

To help with the discomfort of Braxton Hicks contractions, change positions (lie down if you're walking around, get up if you're in bed) or take a warm bath. If the contractions do not go away with a change in activity, and become progressively stronger and more regular, you may be in real labor, so be sure to put in a call to your practitioner.

You also read that you should drink water in case dehydration is the potential cause of the contractions. Well, we went ahead and picked up fast food for supper, ate, drank two large glasses of water, and then I went to lie down on my left side (also something you read in the book). Around 10:15 pm, the contractions still hadn't stopped so we decided to read some more for fear that maybe this was not Braxton Hicks but possibly pre-term labor signs. Babycenter.com (a reliable source) said the following:

When should I call my doctor or midwife?

Call your caregiver right away if you haven't reached 37 weeks and your contractions are becoming more frequent, rhythmic, or painful, or if you have any of these possible signs of preterm labor:

• Abdominal pain, menstrual-like cramping, or more than four contractions in an hour (even if they don't hurt)
• Any vaginal bleeding or spotting
• An increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge — if it becomes watery, mucusy, or bloody (even if it's only pink or blood-tinged)
• Increased pelvic pressure (a feeling that your baby's pushing down)
• Low back pain, especially if it's a new problem for you

If you're past 37 weeks, there's no need to call your doctor or midwife just for contractions until they last about 60 seconds each and are five minutes apart — unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise.

The only symptom I had was "more than four contractions in an hour," but it was enough to make us nervous, and we decided to be safe instead of sorry. (Hopefully others have done this, and we weren't the only ones to cry wolf!) It was one of those moments where it was the blind leading the blind. Adam was looking at me with bugged eyes saying, "I don't know...what do you think we should do?" And I was returning the same freaked-out look saying, "I don't know...what should we do?" Sorry, Anders, Mama and Daddy are definitely amateurs on this crazy ride. :)

Anyway, we decided to call the doctor on-call instead of going to the hospital. At 10:30 pm, the doc seemed to be a little annoyed at our call and said that based on the symptoms it was just Braxton Hicks contractions, and I should go to sleep and see if they were better in the morning. If I was to wake up to them increasing in intensity overnight, then by all means I should go to the hospital.

Okay....hmmmmm....should have felt better from that news, but our other sources (the web and the books) said we should be concerned. Oh well, we decided to go to sleep. I woke up a couple of times in the night and could still feel my abdomen tightening, but it was no worse than when we went to bed (and I was more tired at 2 am and 5 am than concerned so I went back to sleep).

I woke up this morning and was still having them and have continued to have them all day (but at least they have been more sporadic). Again, you go through this, "okay...are these things supposed to last this long and not be real contractions?" This time we decided to look at Adam's The Expectant Father book that I had given him when we first found out we were pregnant. Ya know...sometimes guys just simplify things perfectly. There was a section and checklist for "you might be having false labor contractions if," and we were dead on for every symptom.

Whew! Crisis averted! Thank goodness. They say you should "just know" when you are in true labor, and maybe that day is coming soon. And maybe I WILL "just know," but until then some of these things surely do seem strange and scary.