Unusually long BH contractions?

[Em]

I've had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions through most of my pregnancy.
They started being very noticeable at about 20 weeks and have continued
since. In the past month of so, I've had about 25-30 per day while I'm awake
(when I wake up during the night, I notice that I am having them then as
well) and some of them are quite uncomfortable. Now, since Thursday I've had
several per day that seem of unusually long duration to me--like lasting 4-6
minutes (and feeling fairly hurtful). Everything I've ever read usually
indicates that contractions, and particularly BH contrax, last more like 30
to 90 seconds. Is having these long ones weird, or something I should be
worried about?

I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and I'm going to mention it to her
then, but I was just wondering if any one here had any light to shed on the
matter in the meantime. (I'm, of course, having nagging thoughts of uterine
rupture & the like...)

--
Em
edd 9/23/03
(37w4d)

[Em]

"Joanna Kimball" <thenospacekimballsatintergatedotcom> wrote in message
> "Em" > wrote in message
> > I've had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions through most of my
pregnancy.
> > They started being very noticeable at about 20 weeks and have continued
> > since. In the past month of so, I've had about 25-30 per day while I'm
> awake
> > (when I wake up during the night, I notice that I am having them then as
> > well) and some of them are quite uncomfortable. Now, since Thursday I've
> had
> > several per day that seem of unusually long duration to me--like lasting
> 4-6
> > minutes (and feeling fairly hurtful). Everything I've ever read usually
> > indicates that contractions, and particularly BH contrax, last more like
> 30
> > to 90 seconds. Is having these long ones weird, or something I should be
> > worried about?
> >
> > I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and I'm going to mention it to
her
> > then, but I was just wondering if any one here had any light to shed on
> the
> > matter in the meantime. (I'm, of course, having nagging thoughts of
> uterine
> > rupture & the like...)
>
> It's most likely just warm-up exercises, and you're close enough to your
due
> date that you don't have to worry about it being a sign of premature
labor.
> However, they can be bothersome (I had them like crazy throughout my first
> two pregnancies, and even with this one at only 5w3d I can feel that ache
> every once in a while). The best way to reduce them is to drown them, as
my
> midwives said--drink a TON of water or Gatorade and keep the fluids coming
> in constantly. You'll pee more but they really do subside. You can also
ask
> about an occasional glass of wine, which can help calm the really harsh
> ones. I found that mine were very long like you're describing if I was in
> the wrong position--washing dishes was the worst, but anything with
tension
> on my back would do it.

Thanks for the input, Joanna! I will up the fluids just in case, but I think
I'm really good about that already. I also have had the ache you mention
since I found out I was pregnant. It stopped being so prevalent about when I
started having "real" BH contractions, but now I have that menstrual-cramp
like feeling in conjunction with the BH. I think I have a very
"enthusiastic" uterus! One of the weird things about the long ones is that
they don't seem linked to activity. For example yesterday, I had one while
eating dinner, one while standing in the kitchen, one while sitting
cross-legged on the floor, and then three more in the night that woke me up
and lasted for 6 minutes each.

> From everything I know about uterine rupture, you'd KNOW. It's supposedly
an
> incredibly intense pain.

I believe the contracted feeling with rupture is also supposed to last and
last with it as well, not go away. I just worried a bit because when I was
googling info about long contractions I read that those over 5 minutes that
increase your chance of uterine rupture. So, I wasn't worried that it had
happened, just that it *could*. I only read that info one place though and I
don't know how accurate it was. I couldn't find much overall. I also got a
bit worried that they might be hard on the baby :-(

> Good luck and hopefully this means you'll have a very short labor!

Thanks! I hope they are doing lots of good work :-)

--
Em
edd 9/23/03
(37w4d)

[Cheryl S.]

Em > wrote in message
news:Wxx6b.378429$o%2.170725@sccrnsc02...
> I've had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions through most of
> my pregnancy. <snip> Now, since Thursday I've had several
> per day that seem of unusually long duration to me--like lasting
> 4-6 minutes (and feeling fairly hurtful). Everything I've ever
> read usually indicates that contractions, and particularly BH
> contrax, last more like 30 to 90 seconds. Is having these long
> ones weird, or something I should be worried about?

Do you know for sure the position of your baby? My doula said big BH
are often trying to get the baby turned into a better position. She
suggested that I crawl around the room to help wiggle him loose enough
to change position. My contractions stopped for a week after I did
that. Later (after they'd started back up again and were painful and
long, though not as long as yours, more like 2 minutes) she said that
contractions that are really working to get the baby out are generally
45 to 90 seconds long and very consistent in length, with a pattern of
getting longer over time. I'm not sure for a first baby, but in my
case, my doula was more interested in how long each contraction was than
how far apart they were, in terms of when to call her to come back and
when to go to the birth center.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 5 mo.
And Jaden, 4 days

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Em]

"Cheryl S." > wrote in message
> Em > wrote in message
> > I've had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions through most of
> > my pregnancy. <snip> Now, since Thursday I've had several
> > per day that seem of unusually long duration to me--like lasting
> > 4-6 minutes (and feeling fairly hurtful). Everything I've ever
> > read usually indicates that contractions, and particularly BH
> > contrax, last more like 30 to 90 seconds. Is having these long
> > ones weird, or something I should be worried about?
>
> Do you know for sure the position of your baby? My doula said big BH
> are often trying to get the baby turned into a better position. She
> suggested that I crawl around the room to help wiggle him loose enough
> to change position. My contractions stopped for a week after I did
> that. Later (after they'd started back up again and were painful and
> long, though not as long as yours, more like 2 minutes) she said that
> contractions that are really working to get the baby out are generally
> 45 to 90 seconds long and very consistent in length, with a pattern of
> getting longer over time. I'm not sure for a first baby, but in my
> case, my doula was more interested in how long each contraction was than
> how far apart they were, in terms of when to call her to come back and
> when to go to the birth center.

Thanks for the input Cheryl. I worried a bit about position and spent some
time on my hands & knees over the birth ball just in case.However, he feels
like he is in the same position he has been in since about 30 weeks--head
down with back towards my front left and hands & feet poking about on my
right side. I had a doctor's appt. yesterday and she confirmed that he is
still in the same position and she said it is a "really good position." The
doctor didn't have much input on why the long BH's except that maybe it was
a calcium problem (I have zero leg cramps or anything else though) and also
to reassure me that long contractions are a concern when labor is being
induced w/Pitocin, but if they happen on their own they are not very
concerning--she also said it was a good example of how women's bodies do
things their own way, not necessarily what the books say.

I don't feel very worried about it now, though they *are* uncomfortable!

--
Em
edd 9/23/03
(38 weeks today!)

[Rachel]

> since. In the past month of so, I've had about 25-30 per day while I'm awake
> (when I wake up during the night, I notice that I am having them then as
> well) and some of them are quite uncomfortable. Now, since Thursday I've had
> several per day that seem of unusually long duration to me--like lasting 4-6
> minutes (and feeling fairly hurtful). Everything I've ever read usually
> indicates that contractions, and particularly BH contrax, last more like 30
> to 90 seconds. Is having these long ones weird, or something I should be
> worried about?

I've been having similar experiences at 34 weeks. Yesterday I had them
all day long a few minutes apart and then last night they started
getting more intense and painful. After a panicky call to my dr I
drank 2.5 liters of water and finally they stopped. But, I didn't have
any that lasted 4-6 minutes; these were more like a minute or so.
I'm hoping this warm-up makes for an easier and shorter labor but
could be wishful thinking on my part. I would definitely mention to
your dr.
Rachel

[Em]

"Rachel" > wrote in message
> > since. In the past month of so, I've had about 25-30 per day while I'm
awake
> > (when I wake up during the night, I notice that I am having them then as
> > well) and some of them are quite uncomfortable. Now, since Thursday I've
had
> > several per day that seem of unusually long duration to me--like lasting
4-6
> > minutes (and feeling fairly hurtful). Everything I've ever read usually
> > indicates that contractions, and particularly BH contrax, last more like
30
> > to 90 seconds. Is having these long ones weird, or something I should be
> > worried about?
>
> I've been having similar experiences at 34 weeks. Yesterday I had them
> all day long a few minutes apart and then last night they started
> getting more intense and painful. After a panicky call to my dr I
> drank 2.5 liters of water and finally they stopped.

I had a *lot* of BH contractions and crampy feelings in June, after spending
the weekend moving to a new house. I got a bit panicky then and also called
my doctor about it. She said as long as I had no other symptoms of premature
labor, to just try to take it easy for the next few days and not overdo
things anymore. Everything was fine, so I guess I must have just overexerted
a bit. I'm glad yours went away properly as well!

> But, I didn't have
> any that lasted 4-6 minutes; these were more like a minute or so.
> I'm hoping this warm-up makes for an easier and shorter labor but
> could be wishful thinking on my part. I would definitely mention to
> your dr.

People keep telling me that this warm-up will help with labor. I really hope
they're right! I feel like I've been going through a "little" labor for the
past few months! My doctor was not concerned about the long ones I've been
having. She suggested taking more calcium in case that it related and also
commented that a lot of women's bodies don't behave just like the books say
(like, that contractions will be 90 seconds, tops!). I'm looking forward to
moving along with this though--this pre-labor stuff is lasting a long time!

--
Em
edd 9/23/03
(38 weeks today!)