I'm 35 weeks and have had preterm labor issues for 3 weeks. What can I do about it?

Описание: You mentioned that around 32 weeks you started having issues with contractions but you're now 35 weeks and that's good. Every single day that you've been able to buy your baby is precious and important. The good news is that at 35 weeks now your doctor won't stop you because you've made it to at least 34 weeks. This is the point at which a baby will have the same long term effects as a full term baby but this doesn't mean that if your baby were to be born now there wouldn't be hurdles to overcome. Very important development is happening during these days including your baby's lung development, and their liver, and their brain. If your baby were to be born now you might face issues like breathing, and breastfeeding, and your baby may have issues with growing because they don't eat so well when they're premature. Preterm babies usually have issues with jaundice because their liver is immature. A good rule of thumb if a baby is born premature is to count on them being in the hospital until their due date. Sometimes you're pleasantly surprised and they get to go home sooner. As for these contractions that you're having it's good that you haven't delivered yet. That's a good sign that the contractions that you're having are really uncomfortable, they're irritating, but they're not dilating your cervix to the point where you're in labor. A lot of times you hear people say, I was in labor for five days. Really they may have been contracting for five days or you may have been contracting for the last three weeks but you're not in labor, that's a good sign. The true definition of labor is cervical change over a short period of time, like an hour or so. Once your cervix starts actively dilating then you're in labor. Watch yourself and if you start to have regular contractions then stop what you're doing and rest. Lay down or at least sit down and see if they go away. If you start moving around or keep moving around that will potentiate them and at this point, since you're preterm, obviously that's something you don't want to do. Rest and drink a lot of water because dehydration can also make you contract, and see if they go away. If over 30-60 minutes from the time you started to feel the contractions nothing is getting better or they're getting worse then it's time to get checked out. Preterm labor symptoms include constant lower abdominal cramping, or camping that comes and goes, constant lower back ache, or lower back ache that comes and goes, abdominal tightening, pressure, a feeling like you're leaking fluid, bleeding or spotting, and sometimes women have shooting pains down their thighs associated with contractions. If you feel any of these things then go to the hospital and get checked out. When it comes to contractions until you're 37 weeks it's best to get checked out if you feel like you're having four to five an hour, which is only every 10 to 15 minutes, so they don't need to be that frequent for you to get checked out. Really the only way to know if you're in labor or not is by going to the hospital where they'll check your cervix and see what you're dilated to, watch the pattern of your baby's heart rate, watch your contraction pattern, and then see if your cervix is changing actively over a period of time. They'll probably watch you for an hour or so and then come back and re-check you and if change is seen then you're labor and you'll probably stay and have your baby. But if no change is seen then you can go home reassured that the pains that you're having aren't causing you to be in labor yet and hopefully you'll be able to buy more time and make it to at least 37 weeks. If you just feel like the contractions are annoying but you don't feel like it's time to go to the hospital yet there are things you can do to feel more comfortable while having them. You can have your loved one massage your lower back if you're feeling a little bit achy, take a warm bath before bed to help you relax and that can do wonders for discomfort that you might feel from pregnancy. You can also try a heating pad on your lower back or on your abdomen for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. You can also talk to your OB provider about over the counter medication that's safe to take during pregnancy for just minor aches and pains. Best of luck with everything and congratulations ahead of time on the birth of your baby and if you have any more questions in the future please feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/IntermountainMoms and recommend us to your friends and family too.