HELP!!! Am I in Labor?

Hi, I have had 3 children and have worked as an OB nurse. It does not sound like labor yet. Contractions should become regular and you will have trouble talking through them. You should wear a peri pad to tell if your water is broke or you are leaking urine. If the water is broke it should have a distinct smell not a urine smell and should be clear, if you have a greenish discharge it could be meconium stained fluid and you need to go to hospital for that. You should go to the hospital for decreased baby movement also they can test and see if the baby is moving enough. I know that the end of pregnancy is uncomfortable and don't worry most OB nurses understand if you come in with questions and don't know if this is labor even with the 8th baby...lol....every pregnancy is different. Good luck! ; )

dont take a shot to stop it if YOU think you are in labor! You know your body best abd this ti me sounds like it. Is the pain regulated? You had mentioned it wasnt but if it is now then they need to be at least 2 minutes apart b4 they will let you stay in the hospital. Just keep walking around and breathing. Try to stay calm. If the pain is too much though i would consider the hospital definently but if yiu can bear it then do it. If you are in labor now dont let the dr give you a shot to stop it b/c obviously your body wants this baby out now! Good luck will keep youin my prayers tonight

as an after thought...might want to try a midwife if available and youcan get the extra cash they can do a quick ckeck maybe?

Hello -
It sounds to me like the pain and discomfort you are feeling are due to the baby dropping down, not necessarily from being in labor. The nausea you are feeling is probably because of the pain, even if the pain doesn't seem that intense to you. I get migraines and they make me nauseous even when I don't feel the pain is really that bad.
When you are in labor, you will feel contractions. Your water may or may not break. Often in first pregnancies, labor begins with water breaking, but in later pregnancies, not as often, I hear. You didn't mention anything about contractions, so are you having real ones?
I recommend getting one of those wraps that helps to hold the baby up off of your pelvis. I used one with my first pregnancy and it really helped. I saw one at the babies 'r us on sawmill/161. You can also get them online.
http://www.fitmaternity.com/maternity-clothes/m1.html
http://www.daisychainmaternity.com/collections/daisychain
http://www.cheekymonkey.ca/BellySling.htm
http://www.bellybra.com/
or make your own
http://www.parentsconnect.com/tips/give_belly_a_lift.jhtml
Good luck enduring the rest of the pregnancy! The end will be worth it, right?
Blessings,
J.

I have a few concerns with this...First, how did he verify the difference in dates? Was it through ultrasound or just guessing? U/S are most accurate in the early stages. If your early u/s was consistent with the March due date, then you could just be having a large baby. My 2nd child, I was measuring 44 weeks and he was just at 38 weeks when he was born. Every pregnancy is different.

I never had the gush of my water breaking but instead had trickling for hours. With the discomfort, I also have a high tolerance and to me it sounds like it COULD be labor. I had 2 children without pain meds and it was realtively bearable up until the last hour.

If you are uncomfortable to this extent, go to the hospital. Have them check and do an ultrasound and take it from there. Keep us posted!

I don't know if you're in labor, as every labor is so different.
Some other posts think you are not in labor because you are not in awful pain, can breathe...
For my daughter, I left home and walked to the hospital because my husband insisted and wanted to be on the safe side.
So, we left home at 8:30pm, walking (the hospital was 3/4 mile away). I was joking on the way to reassure my husband.
Turned out at 9:30, one hour later, our daughter was born. Just after arriving at the hospital, my water broke and I started pushing.

If you are in doubt, call whoever can watch your little one and go to the hospital to be checked. If you are not in labor, you'll be reassured. If you are, it's the place to be. As mentioned in a previous post, nurses and midwives are understanding and will answer your questions without thinking that you should know better the third time around.

Good luck and keep us posted (if you can!)

I agree that you should go to the emergency room. All of the OB nurses are very helpful. Be your own advocate!

This may not be everything you want to hear but it sounds like you are dealing with some pretty normal stuff here. Ive had four babies and with every pregnancy, the discomfort toward end got worse and worse. I am not saying you can't be right about being in labor....But some of the major signs seem to be missing.
If you REALLY feel your doctor is wrong, is there a day when your Doc is always out of the office that someone else covers for him? Maybe you could get an emergency check out on one of those days....or...this is drastic but if you said you fell they would have to check you out. The only problem is, if you are in labor, they would say it was because you fell probably not because your doctor was wrong.
I am not trying to sound mean, but you sound like a very (understandably) uncomfortable and tired mama who just needs to have this baby. I can completely understand but those doctors deal with woman sick of being preg all the time and it takes something unusual to get their attention.
Bottom line is....if and when you're really in labor, it's eventually going to get much worse and there won't be any doubt or question about the signs. All you can really do at this point is be really prepared for this being it, and preparing yourself emotionally in case it isn't. Don't worry, you will be looking at that sweet baby soon!

There are two problems you may run into by waiting to go to the hospital one is if the baby is not moving as much as it use to there could be a drop in oxygen supply to the baby or somthing could be really worng with him babys should keep with the same activity plan all the way up to birth if not it indicates somthing is wrong.....

also if you are leaking fluids it might very well be your water most womens water does not break on there own and if it does its a faint drizzle but it you let that fluid keep leaking out then your baby is going to suffer from not having that fluid there

when it comes to your body and pregnancy it is always better to go and get it checked out than to not go and possible indanger your baby help if you have insurance than its all fine and pay for either way but always go and check it out

One, you are in control of your body and healthcare, so if you want him to check you, tell him to. The biggest thing is the regularity of your pain or contractions or whatever you are feeling and that they increase and get more intense. Just pressure or discomfort may not be the signs unfortunately. Its very rare that you don't feel contraction pain. And M., you can refuse the betamethasone shot if you want to! Take control, ask questions and consider the choices of the healthcare team, but if you feel uncomfortable with their choices you don't have to do everthing they say!

The end of a pregnancy can be so hard! Good luck! You can do it!

A. V.

I would wait. When you get to the point where you need to sigh or concentrate on breathing through contractions, you are definitely in labor. In the mean time, if your contractions are becoming more frequent, it's probably a good time to call whoever will be watching your kids. Good luck!

I can't answer that---- but please make sure that you have someone available at any time to help drive you to hospital (in case you become unable to drive), and to watch your kids, etc!

I'm so glad to see so many responses for moms that have had more than 2 kids! I have 3 kids and I definitely felt my worst with the last pregnancy. The pelvic pressure was so bad that I couldn't stand more than 5 minutes without feeling numbness in my legs! I could swear I could almost feel that baby's head already coming out. I too was induced the first 2 pregnancies so I was extremely worried about missing the signs of labor but the third child always comes fast and you'll know the signs! I went to the mall to get some sweatpants for the hospital and went back home feeling sick so I took a shower and by then my contractions were so strong and she was so low that I thought the baby would just slip out any second!!! She was born 2 hours from the time when I left the mall. My water never broke. i had no mucus plug out but the extra mucus you start producing can be deceiving. You can also be leaking a little bit of pee with all that pressure. The nausea can come from the pressure on your stomach (there's no more room for it!) but also from hormonal changes. I do think that you should ask your doctor for a last ultrasound to get the dates straightened up or just go to the hospital and have them check you. My doctor was so understanding about my discomfort that she scheduled me getting induced on my due date (fortunately she was born the night before). I think you have all the right to ask that since this is your third and there's so much a body can take! Please write to any of us if you have more questions! We have all gone through the same stress, discomforts and issues!

Due dates are really more an educated guesstimate. At first I was told I went into labor with my second child at 35 weeks. Later the doctor said he could tell by his fingernails that he was full term. I know everyone is different but when my water broke the discharge was blood tinged so it was pinkish. Also contractions are usually regular and dont go away, so time them.
I know it is easier said than done but do what you can to relax and maybe find something to distract yourself.

It may be hard to find someone to accept you, but you have the right to change your OB at any point. I understand with insurance that it may be difficult, but you may consider finding a midwife in the area that will at least give you an evaluation. It will be a low-cost way to get a second opinion.

You could definitely be losing your mucus plug and experiencing early labor...it could last for days. Keep yourself hydrated and eat easy to digest foods--yogurt, applesauce, etc.

If you are certain of your last period, I personally would avoid stopping labor. It sounds like you are plenty far along. Doctors have been known to be wrong.

That being said, labors generally get faster with each subsequent child. If you don't have a plan for your little ones, get one quick and be prepared to go to the hospital or call an ambulance if your labors ratchets up.

It doesn't sound like you are in labour just yet , but things are heading in that direction , the baby moving down and pressure is signs that the end is near. The contractions you describe are braxton hicks , once you start having proper contractions you will be able to tell the difference , they become stronger , longer and closer together. Once they are about 5 or 6 mins apart and last at least a minute then you need to think about heading to the hospital , my waters did not gush with any of mine (have 3 kids) , I felt a little popping sensation down below and then had a continual trickle & I had to wear a sanitary pad to keep my underwear dry.

Sounds like you might be really uncomfortable, but it doesn't sound like you're in labor. I've only experienced labor once, and I know everyone's labor is different but it is extremely painful. Like I would feel Ok and then a contraction would come and I could barely move or breath it hurt so bad. I would feel a tightening in my back and it would move around my body. I had Braxton Hicks contractions for a couple months and those would just be a tightening in my belly with not really any pain, just discomfort. My labor contractions never did come at regular intervals like they say they will - I finally jsut went to the hospital after being up for about 48 hours in pain. Anyway, that's my experience with labor. If you're really worried just go to the hospital. All they can do is say you're not in labor and send you home. I know women go in all the time with false labor, so you won't be the first of the last and it will put your mind at ease. good luck!

Like some other people have said on here, I don't think you are in labor. Just really uncomfortable. You are probably not far off though. I have three kids and with each one it got more and more uncomfortable towards the end. That tightening you are feeling are probably Brackston Hicks contractions to get your body ready for the real thing. My first baby was born two days after her due date but my second and third where born at 38 and 37 weeks so you may be a little early. You just never can tell.
I am surprised that your doctor isn't checking you. If he isn't now he will be soon. I remember towards the end, my doctor checked me every time I had an appointment. The next appointment ask to be checked. Good Luck!

Everyone said you will know when you are in labor. They were right. You will know without doubt. The super intense contractions every 2 minutes after waking up at 1 am were mine. Everything I paid attention to said time the contractions - they should get closer together even if you lay down. My son dropped before 36 weeks and I went full term. There was definitely the feeling of pressure on my pelvic floor for weeks. Plus Braxton-Hicks that tried to trick me (had them from 6 months on).

Good luck.