a little help from women experianced in child birth and labor please?

Question

ok i am 38 wks i am scedualed for a c section on the 5th due to baby being breech. my dr said if i have contractions, any bleeding or water breaks go to the hospital and dont hessitate. ok my question is i cant tell if im having braxtion hicks or if its contractions, about every 15 mins for the last hour my belly gets hard i feel it a little in my lower part but its mostly the top of my belly that gets real tight and if i poke it with my finger it dont give. they dont hurt and they only last about 30-45 seconds. ive had 2 kids before but one was induced and my other one i didnt know i was in labor till i was dialated at 6 cause thats when it started to hurt but with this one i cant wait till it starts to hurt so please help, do these sound like real labor or braxton hicks? thank you.

Answer 1

Drink a big glass of water and lay down for an hour. If they go away or get farther apart, it's definatly not labor. You could have just gotten dehydrated.

If they start getting stronger, longer and closer together, then that's labor.

You could also try taking a bath or shower and see if they change or go away.

Have you tried encouraging baby to turn? I got my breech baby to turn around 38 weeks by doing shoulder stands. You can also do breech tilts and put hot on your pelvis and cold on your fundus. AND you could try seeing a chiropractor who does the Webster Technique. It's very gentle and highly successful at turning breech babies.

Answer 2

What? Because it hurts. It's the only way we can get a child. We'd like some acknowledgement - for most people having a baby is a big deal. It's the most important thing they will ever do. So to acknowledge the pain that a woman goes through is not asking much. And men here complain non stop about going to war. Even though they've never been near a front line.

Answer 3

Well I would say they are kinda far apart to be actual contractions however I would call my dr if they persist or if you feel any type of pressure in your vaginal or rectal area. That would definitly mean you are in labor. Due to the fact the baby is to be c sectioned and breech I would take precaution and call your dr let him/her know whats going on and see what they say. You can also always call your birthing center and ask there advice they answer the phone at the nurses station 24/7.

Answer 4

It sounds like Braxton Hicks, or very early labor. 15 minutes apart for an hour means you've only had four.....not anything to rush to the dr about.

And to ease your mind a bit....I gave birth (vaginally) to a breech baby and lived to tell about it. I was also a breech baby (delivered vaginally). You do not HAVE to have a c-section.

Answer 5

To be honest it sounds like Braxton-Hicks. Real labour contractions usually start in your lower back and radiate around your front, then spread down the tops of your legs. Very uncomfortable. In fact, this has stirred up nasty memories. I'm going to go have a drink now.

Answer 6

It's so hard to know if it's braxton hicks or not, but relax. The lady that said have cold water & lay down is right. I went through the same thing, went to the ER. They checked me and the baby, had me drink cold water and lay down! They did the non-stress test and sent us home. I carried my baby until our sceduled c-section date, we did great.

So call your OB/gyn and talk about what you have been experiencing. She might want you to go to the hospital, have the baby monitored for a while and then they'll let you know what's next. I always took my bag full of bathrobe/pj's/nursing bras with me in case I was admitted, too.

Answer 7

I am not a doctor and you really need to call yours or the hospital ob unit.I went into labor early with my second child.I did not really feel anything except for my stomach tightning at the top.It would tighten for about 30 seconds then quit and then start again in about 20 minutes.I would definitly call the doctor or hospital and explain what is going on just in case it could be labor and they would be ready for you.Good luck with your new baby and I hope everything goes smoothly.

Answer 8

Well if after an hour the contractions don't lessen up then you are in labor. Try drinking water and laying down.. if they get better then you are not in labor and are just having braxton hicks. either way though i would call the emergency room or your doctor to verify the concerns you are having.. it is better to ask then to wait and see. goodluck and hope everything works out for you..

Answer 9

the diff btetween real and false contractions is...false ones will subside if you change activities. Lets say ur sitting down reading and you feel pains and such to tell if their real ornot sit for a couple of minutes and then slowly stand and walk to the kitchen and slowly serve yourself a glass of water. If the pains seem to be lesser or go away completely then their false.
The real things dont go away at all if you change activities, they just get worse...increasingly so that eventually you wont be able to speak or even think!!!
however lemme tell u from personal experience i didnt know i had been having contractions for 2 days before both my babies were born. my son was natural and my daughter by c section. My Dr said that i must've had high pain tolerance!
hahaha...like he was the one hurting!

Answer 10

I was wondering the same thing until just 5 weeks ago. The beginning of labor wasn't so painful as it was just a lot of pressure on my belly. Mine started at about 20 minutes apart and would wake me out of sleep but didn't hurt at all.
Take it easy and take care. Congrats!