# Crampy, but no contractions?



## Nickarolaberry (Dec 24, 2001)

Hi mamas,

I'm 38 weeks plus and been having braxton hicks pretty regularly/strongly for the last week or so.

Today I just feel kinda crampy and grumpy but no real contractions. Crampy, like, if I wasn't pregnant I'd be getting my period.

what does this mean?! If anything.

I'd LOVE to go into labor but not really rushing things along. Midwife suggested sex but dh and I haven't been able to umm, work out the logistics! (sorry for the TMI). I'm not so coordinated even under the best of circumstances and now I just don't seem to be able to maneuver very well! :LOL


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## Mallory (Jan 2, 2002)

I would say you are getting close, but as long as no one has the clock set on you, relax--you aren't past dates, your water hasn't broken.

It sounds like you are still sleeping at night (as well as can be expected at 38 weeks, not contractions keeping you awake).

What ever your body does this week is helping move you closer to holding that baby. Those contractions are preparing your uterus, and ripening or even effacing your cervix.

I'd say get the last things ready and sleep as much as you can. Soon enough you won't be able too!


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## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

it means your body is getting ready to go into labor. No telling when, though, might be another week, might be four weeks. Those last days of pregnancy are absolutely the worst!


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## Nickarolaberry (Dec 24, 2001)

:LOL Yes, the last weeks are hard. My feet are gigantically swollen -- midwife isn't worried about it, it's just the feet, no blood pressure issues. But the only shoes I can wear are my flip flops!

Mostly though I have a vicious cold (thanks dd for bringing that one home from camp!) and all the phlegm is really getting to me. I'm not sleeping well because I can't breathe, not because of the pregnancy (although turning over from side to side and hauling my body pillow with me is quite the gymnastics feat!

Okay. Gonna try and do some rocking on my big rubber ball, although I think it may be underinflated. It came with a hand pump....it took me over 2 hours to get it inflated (you should have seen me! What a workout...I was sweaty afterwards and needed a shower) and I'm not sure I succeeded completely. I have to hide it from my girls though. They think it's the greatest thing EVER.









BTW, what's evening primrose oil and how/why do people use it? I am taking red raspberry leaf 3x a day per my midwife's instructions for "Toning" the uterus.


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## cottonwood (Nov 20, 2001)

I had major cramping for the last three weeks (that is, 37 weeks until 40 weeks) *and* loss of mucous plug! I kept thinking "anytime now..." :LOL As the days went on and on and on, it helped to tell myself that at least my body was doing something to get ready.


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## Patchfire (Dec 11, 2001)

I started feeling crampy about 60 hours before I went into labour with ds - almost exactly. The cramps would get stronger, then weaker, but they were always *there* until I started having contractions.

With dd, I was crampy for five hours or so, then went into labour. I had my membranes stripped with her, though, about one hour into the crampiness, so it might've been longer otherwise.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

That's exactly what happened to me. I had tons of contractions and then about a week before DD was born, they sorta tapered off and stopped, and then I just felt crampy like before my period. That was on Sunday that I first felt that way, and DD was born Wednesday night (at 39 weeks).

My advice? Get as much sleep and rest as possible. If you do go into labor, you want to be ready. A lot of labors start at night, so you wind up missing a night's sleep. That's what happened to me, and it made the first week of marathon all-day all-night nursing really hard, because I was so desperately exhausted. I really wish I'd had the sense to take it easy that last week, but everyone kept insisting first babies were always late so I never expected her to come early.


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## Nickarolaberry (Dec 24, 2001)

I guess anyway I'd better pack a bag for the hospital birth center.

With dd#1, my bag was packed 2 months in advance. With dd#2, I was ready about six weeks in advance (also because she was high risk).

This is baby #3 and I'm having trouble remembering what I"m supposed to put in the bag. :LOL

The only thing I have all prepared are my cloth diapers,







!

I have to dig out the co-sleeper (i need it for when the older 2 dd's climb into bed with us so I have somewhere safe to put baby -- dd2 is only going to be just 2 and not so careful!) and probably should find and wash all the gender neutral baby clothes.

Midwife today said nothing much going on (no internal though); baby's head is down and nicely active but not engaged or anything. Not that that means anything. Although dd1 was born on her due date and dd2 was 10 days postdates (I knew absolutely the dates for them....they were IVF babies...but this one was a miraculous suprise so although I'm measuring exactly at my edd, we're not *precisely* sure!).

I'm SO ready though!


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## mommyofshmoo (Oct 25, 2004)

I'm right there with ya having period-like cramping but no labor yet. I've had this period-like stuff on and off for at least three days now. When I have sex I get intense period like pains/contractions for a while after, but it peters out.

I'm starting to get pretty antsy. I'm only 1 day past my due date, but there are logistical reasons why it would really be better if this baby is born by the 11th, or soon thereafter. I really wish there were a way to get this show on the road. I'm doing EPO and occasionally blue cohosh- but blue cohosh didn't do much for me last time.

I had such a bad experience with castor oil last time I didn't want to repeat it, but now I think I just took too much. I did 4 ounces both times (2 X 2 ounces). I've read about some women who had good experiences with it- and usually they did less total castor oil.

Oh well, just trying to just get lots of rest. Maybe I can talk my midwife into doing a vag exam today and maybe tweaking my membranes a bit. Last time they stripped my membranes- which worked like a charm, of course, but in stripping them, they broke my water and contractions came very, very hard and fast after that. I'm a little scared of having a labor that starts so abruptly again. It's hard to make a concious choice to get pain like that started again.


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

I'm feeling like that too. I'm 37 weeks just now.

Last night and all day yesterday lots of cramping, low in my groin. It felt like pms cramping.
I was hoping it would turn into something or stop so I could sleep!


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## Maggi315 (Aug 31, 2003)

Just wanted to add that I, too, am crampy with nothing much going on. Last night, I sat in the tub and went to lay in bed, felt like I had bad menstrual cramps and then contractions every 7-10 minutes, but nothing exciting happening. Made for a long night, today I feel like I am hungover or something from lack of sleep.


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