# Long contractions?



## ishyfishie (Dec 20, 2006)

Wondering if anyone can help me with this! I know I was having BH before but wasn't ever able to feel them, I'd only notice if one of us happened to touch my belly and feel that my uterus was all hard. I started having some sort of contractions a week ago today and at first they were sort of short and pretty irregular, and sometimes I could feel them (like menstrual cramps) and sometimes I couldn't tell I was having one unless I shifted positions and felt the tightness or touched my stomach. In the past few days though, I can sort of tell when they're happening (usually not right when they start), but they're lasting a really long time--like half an hour. Not painful, just hard/tight/often crampy. I thought I should start timing them and then I realized they're lasting literally 15 min to half an hour. They don't stop or change at all when I change positions or activities. They don't seem to be happening at regular intervals but I've been a little lax in trying to keep track because they're not painful and half the time I can't tell when one starts! For the record, the last one lasted about 12 minutes and I can tell now that another is starting about 6 minutes later, but I can only tell because I keep poking at my belly to check! Earlier today I know one lasted for a solid half hour.

What the heck does that mean?? I was 35 weeks yesterday, dropped at 33 weeks and 4 days, and everyone is thinking this baby's coming early...but with contractions like these as my only clue, I have no idea how to interpret them! Help!


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## thehappydeer (May 15, 2007)

I am 27 weeks and started having contractions, small ones, but they sometimes last for 5 minutes, just like you said, I can only tell by feeling my hard belly. I just got off the phone with my midwife and her #1 recommendation was "drink more water!!!" You may have different circumstances, but it won't hurt to gulp down some big old glasses, sit down, relax and see if that helps. I wish you happiness and health!


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## ishyfishie (Dec 20, 2006)

Thanks! I've been trying to chug water throughout the day but now that I'm not at work with a water bottle next to me, maybe I'm not drinking as much as I was. I'll start paying more attention to that too!


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## Amber_G (Jun 26, 2007)

Hmmm, I was hoping some more people would reply to this. I'm at 36 weeks, so about the same time. I've felt somewhat the same, a lot of back pain, but not much else. Tho I did feel something like menstrual cramps a few nights ago and they felt like what I've heard described as a contraction (something with a beginning/middle/end).


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## ishyfishie (Dec 20, 2006)

Well, I'm still having these long ones occasionally and have been drinking a LOT of water. Today while I was taking a bath, I started having contractions that were about 45 seconds long and 4 minutes apart and after about 20 minutes of that, I stood to get out of the tub and had another 15 minute long contraction. My MIL was a nurse before she had kids and said the long ones sounded like BH. It's just odd now because I'll have shorter, more regular contractions that come and go, but any time I stand up, it's like I bring on one of the really long ones all the sudden.

For most of today, I've also been feeling crampy/sick to my stomach, almost like waves of nausea, but by the time I thought, "Hey maybe I should time the sick feeling," it would calm down for a while. For now, I think I'll give up and just go to sleep and see what happens!


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## thehappydeer (May 15, 2007)

I'm here to check in on ya! I'm glad you took a bath, I also read that can help slow them down, but it sounds like that didn't work in your case! My MW also mentioned checking for a urinary/kidney infection that maybe isn't obvious yet (you'd also feel kidney tenderness of this was happening). She said to page her if it was accompanied by any discharge or spotting or heavy cramping. She also mentioned (and I'm not prescribing at all ) that there are some herbs that can relax the muscles like Cramp Bark, if its uncomfortable, even tylenol can help- but I would check with someone who really knows before trying these things, I just wanted to offer a lead. Also, it may take some time for the re-hydration to kick in...keep drinkin! I wish you the best!


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## HeatherB (Jan 30, 2003)

Definitely sounds like BH to me. I've never had any THAT long, but there are times when they seem to go on forever. Hydration is definitely the biggest issue there. The shorter ones sound like early labor/gearing-up kinds of ctxs.

For me, I definitely have more BH when I stand up, though certain positions and even sitting for a long time can cause them. Oh, and if my bladder is full then they're much worse! It certainly might be worth looking into the possibility of a UTI just in case there's something irritating your uterus into the lengthy ctxs.


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## gizzyntaz (Apr 23, 2004)

I'm not sure, but could it be because your baby is posterior? I'm convinced DS was posterior and I had horrific LOOOONG contractions in labor (right from the start). They weren't really doing anything to my cervix, either, so there was no benefit. My doula has mentioned that often posterior babies result in a labor like that...

If you aren't sure of your baby's position I would start doing things now to make sure he/she is positioned properly.


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## ishyfishie (Dec 20, 2006)

Thanks guys! We're making ourselves get in the habit of timing contractions now. Those seem to be happening less frequently and are being replaced by the shorter, more frequent contractions. I just had an appointment with my midwives last week (and next week starts my weekly ones!) and my urine didn't show anything "off" at that point, and these haven't been accompanied by any other sort of pain anywhere else. Sometimes one or two contractions will be borderline "painful" but for the most part, it's either light menstrual-like cramping or just that tightening sensation. I have a NST and ultrasound tomorrow with the diabetes specialist guy (who I have to keep seeing once a month in order to stay with my group of midwives), so I'll see if he can tell anything.

Baby is head down (been for about 10 weeks now) and anterior (was usually posterior until a few weeks ago but has stayed anterior since at least that point).

I just wish there were some "labor is imminent!" warning light that went off, you know? She dropped just under two weeks ago, the shorter contractions started Monday this week, I've been really thirsty the past few days, and (sorry, way TMI!) been on the toilet more the past few days than I had the previous week. Felt completely sick to my stomach most of the day yesterday for no apparent reason and have been increasingly impatient with our "needy" cat, lol. I trust that baby's coming when she's ready and not due to anything I've done to spur her on (was going to start EPO at 36 weeks but now I feel like we might not even get that far!)...but as much as I want her to come now, I want her to come and be healthy! Feeling like every day or night "might be it" is going to be exhausting if she actually stays in until her due date.


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## HennaLady (Aug 28, 2006)

I had these super-long painless contractions in the end of my pregnancies, too. I think they are completely normal and a sign that your body is gearing up for the big day. However, I don't think they mean your labor is necessarily imminent. I believe I had them for several weeks before I gave birth, and the only real sign I had that labor was going to begin within a few hours was that the painless contractions would lift my entire uterus up several inches along my torso, towards my head. You could see it gradually lift up and stay up there! Those only began about 5-10 hours before "real" labor started and was my sign that my uterus was getting coordinated in its contractions. I have a little video that I made of these "impending labor" contractions if you'd like to see. Just let me know and I'll upload it for you. Here's hoping your little one stays in for a good number of weeks still!

HTH!


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