1Cm Dilated Braxton Hicks 35 Weeks

Updated on October 06, 2014
J.B. asks from West Milton, OH
12 answers

Ill be 36 weeks in 2 days I found out sunday im 1cm dilated the after I started having contractions I went to the hospital and it was Braxton hicks so I have been 1cm more almost a week now when you guys think she will come and how do I tell if im having real ones? these hurt pretty bad also the last 2 times I have peed I have had drips after in my pants I have a lot of pressure down there I can also feel her hick ups on my butt... help lol

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So What Happened?

i went to the doc water isn't broken I am 50% effaced now tho still only 1cm cant wait to meet her

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Normal! As my doctor told me, you will know real labor! He was right You will know. Indescribable. Good luck.

3 moms found this helpful

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J.B.

answers from Boston on

Congrats on your pregnancy and on the fact that you'll be meeting your baby soon!

You're going to hate this answer LOL but what you're going through is the norm and doesn't mean your baby is coming any sooner than expected. With my first, I was dilated to 3 cm, at 0 station and having BH contractions at 34 weeks. That little bugger stayed put until I was induced at 42 weeks with a long labor and vacuum extraction. Good times ;-)

The other answer that you're going to hate is that you'll know it's labor when it ends with a baby in your arms. If the contractions stop, it's not "real" labor. Not that your current contractions are fake, but they're more like practice. When you're in real deal labor where there is no turning back, it will fell like your worst period ever, plus a back ache, plus sweating and nausea and being out of breath. Even when you start actual labor weeks from now, it's best to walk around and stay home as long as possible and not go to the hospital until you need to. Your doc will walk you through this when you call...she'll ask how far apart your contractions are, should stay on the phone long enough to hear you have one, and can usually tell by the sound of your voice whether or not "it's time." Productive contractions are ones that you can't talk through. If you can have a fairly normal conversation, it's not time. Also, you will most likely lose your mucous plug a few days before you go into labor, may have changes in your bowel movements or be less hungry or more nauseous, etc.

Anyway...every pregnancy is different but what I mentioned above are some general guidelines on how it goes. Never hesitate to call your OB if you're not sure if you're in labor or not...I've been through it 4 times and even with that experience, I spent my last pregnancy wondering for a week whether or not labor was starting. I had several instances of sitting on the couch timing contractions that tapered off before going in for a scheduled induction to deliver.

Best of luck to you!

2 moms found this helpful
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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

Braxton hicks start and stop.. I would have them .. and if I laid down they would stop..

I am sure you will see your dr and find out what is going on... you can stay 1cm dilated for weeks and weeks..

1 mom found this helpful

S.A.

answers from Chicago on

1 cm is nothing. You could be 1-2 cm for weeks with nothing happening. If you feel like you're leaking amniotic fluid, you should have that checked.

With my 3rd baby, I was in and out of the hospital 4 times before it was actually time. Because I had gestational diabetes, I was in the office 1-2 times per week for non stress tests. Starting at 32 weeks, I was having consistent contractions on the monitor. They gave me medicine to stop my labor until I was 35 weeks. I was contracting constantly, and every time I'd go to the hospital, they would monitor me for a few hours then the contractions would die down and I'd be sent home.

The most frustrating time was when I was 36 weeks and 6 days, and they said if I was a day later, they would induce. They kept me overnight and my contractions stopped at 3 am. They sent me home and said I'd probably be back in a day or two.

Guess what? It was a full week later. After all of that, I had no regular contractions until 38 weeks 0 days.

Goes to show that anything can happen. Hang in there!

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

The difference between Braxton hicks contractions and labor pains is the labor pains get stronger and faster while the Braxton hicks slow down and eventually go away.
You can be at 1 cm (or even 3 cm) for the whole last month - it doesn't mean anything.
What does your doctor say?
Follow his instructions.
Unless you had a fertility procedure (like IVF) your due date could be off by 1 or 2 weeks give or take - so you might be a little farther along than you thought.
Have you lost your mucus plug?
It's sort of a gross slightly bloody mass of snot (sorry but that's what it is).
If not, it's most likely you're leaking a little pee.
Everything is pressing down on your pelvis - and your bladder - so leaking a little pee is pretty typical for the last month.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from Louisville on

The dilation doesn't mean much before you are in active labor. I had one birth where I was dilated 3 cm for almost a month, and I never went into labor on my own. I had another birth where I was not dilated at all in the morning when I went in for my appointment and gave birth about twelve hours later after less than an hour of labor.

The contractions and pain don't necessarily mean anything either. Braxton Hicks contractions can hurt. Real contractions can feel like nothing but gas. So, just be patient for now. You've probably got about a month before you're done. Or not. There's just no way to know.

1 mom found this helpful

J.S.

answers from St. Louis on

What did your doctor say? I had to go every week during the last month, isn't that still the norm?

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M.C.

answers from Louisville on

This is one of those things that varies by case.

When I was pregnant, I was dilated to a 1 for several weeks before being induced a week overdue (which failed... I had dilated to a 3, but didn't progress after 10 hours so they sent me home.) during those weeks before my induction, I had lots of Braxton hicks, but they always went away after a couple hours. The few times they lasted a long time, they didn't intensify at all in severity or time. When I went into actual labor (3 days after that failed induction) I wasn't sure at first. They woke me up, and gradually got worse and worse until I HAD to do something about it and by then I just kind of knew that this was the real deal, but that there was no rush. (Braxton hicks= Cramping, but I could breathe through it/ distract myself. True labor= go walking (slowly) to relieve the pressure, and just this feeling of impending events.) after I realized the cramps were getting worse and coming more frequently, I startd timing them (from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next...) once they were about 5 minutes apart, I went to the hospital. (Per my dr's instructions.)

My labor was slow, so I had a lot of time to consider and be sure I was in active labor... My water didn't even break on it's own- they did that in the hospital after 9 hours of active labor. Lol.

My mom, for all 5 births, didn't have time to sit and time contractions. She knew from the first one that it was real labor (and she did have Braxton hicks as well, and claims that they were worse than her true contractions...) and got to the hospital because HER labor were quick and easy- the longest one was 3 hours. (Mine was only 20 minutes long... I was born in the hospital hallway. Lol.)

Sooo... There is a huge variation of what is normal for Braxton hicks and true labor. It seems that most women kind of have a sense if knowing when it it really time, but it is understandable to be anxious and have your mind play tricks on you.

As for the dripping... I wouldn't worry too much about it if it is only happening after you use the restroom. I definitely had the same issue.... There is a LOT of weight being put in your bladder, and it isn't as reliable as it used to be. If you are noticing dripping or excessive moisture (not slime... The slime most likely is likely your mucous plug, and it is normal to lose some of that...) I would ask the doctor.

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X.Y.

answers from Chicago on

I was 1 cm dilated, when I had my daughter 6 days before my due date. I had her in 40 minutes. I had braxton hicks at 12 weeks. You just never know.

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D..

answers from Miami on

J., when you have drips in your pants after a contraction, you need to go get these drips checked. You cannot, and I really mean cannot, tell the difference in pee and amniotic fluid. If you are leaking fluid, you could be introducing bacteria into the uterus and make your baby very sick.

If you have not had monitoring of your Braxton Hicks contractions done, you need to get in there and get that done. At this point, Braxton Hicks can turn into the real McCoy and you'd be in real labor.

You need at least another week with the baby in you (unless you are leaking). Get off your feet. Lay on your left side, drink the amount of water the doctor tells you to drink, pee often and don't move around a lot. Make sure that if you don't feel the baby for a while that you drink some orange juice and lay down on your left side to wait to feel it move. If you don't feel the baby moving, go to the hospital.

Please make sure to have your lekage checked. It's really that important.

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I was at 3 cm for over a month with my first baby, at 3 cm for a couple of weeks with my second. There is no telling when that baby will come, sorry!

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A.M.

answers from Hartford on

You need to go get checked to see if you are leaking amnoitic fluid. BH contraction may get stronger as the weeks near your due date. If you have any quesiton at all as to what is going on contact your doctor or whoever is on call. It is worth it to go get checked. I have been to the hopsital 3x which has resulted in them sending me home because the spoting or contracts ceased but was totally worth making sure the baby and I where okay.

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