Braxton Hick Contractions - NON-STOP

Of course you are worried...relax. Your wife needs to relax.
A baby will come when it comes. The BHC are getting the infant in position to be born and moving it so the head is down in the pelvis.
Water does not always break prior to labor...it can break at any point in time before the baby is actually born.
Due dates are a "best guess" deal...my Mum was always right to the exact day while docs danced around her dates by a week or two.
Very seldom are there significant complications to the birth process. Most gliches can be easily remedied these days.
My best advice is for both of you to RELAX and let it happen as it will, and happen it will.
BHC should not hurt that much..perhaps wife is a bit overanxious and causing you to be too.
Usually BHC are more pressure than pain.
Do what you can to help her stress level, apparently baby is fine...and wait.
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

Congratulations! You ARE a wonderful husbund & father-to-be.
Try to stay relaxed (easier said) but some women experience these more often than not. make sure your wife stays hydrated & gets plenty of down time. Pray you go into labor soon! Good Luck !!!

They typically won't let a pregnancy go past 42 weeks so at some point if regular contractions don't start they will schedule an induction. I had BH contractions for 10 weeks on/off but never went into full labor. I was sent home from the hospital twice after the contractions were not strong enough. Never had contractions close enough together and was induced 10 days post date (also had 3 due dates, but 10 days post last date). The contractions were definately different in true labor! Just push the dr to set a plan near 41-42 weeks and hopefully you'll both feel better that the end is in sight. Good luck!

First, good luck with everything & congratulations! I am wondering if she is in need of more rest & more hydration?

Hi T.,

First of all, what your wife is going through is EXTREMELY normal. Braxton-Hicks are the way the uterus prepares and strengthens itself for labor. They may feel strong now, but they are very different from real contractions and believe me, your wife will know the difference!

Secondly, with regards to due dates, due dates are NOT an absolute. In particular, with first time labors, many women will naturally go to 42 weeks and sometimes a little beyond, with no harm or detriment to the baby or the mom. It's better and safer for both baby and mom if you wait for baby to come. Scheduling an induction can lead to significant labor risks which can lead to increased morbidity and mortality.

With the water breaking: There's no such thing as breaking in time for labor. With my first child, my water broke 40 hours into labor. With my second and third, my water broke as my children were being delivered. (Artificially rupturing membranes can lead to complications which can again cause problems for mother and baby.)

The last month of pregnancy, honestly, hurts a lot. Nothing like giving birth, but it's grossly uncomfortable, and it is what it is. My mother told me that the ninth month of pregnancy was god's way of making a woman want to go through labor. That always made me laugh, because it's totally true!

Be with her. Support her. Rub her back and her feet. Don't let her get over-exerted. Make sure she eats lots of high-protein foods, and drink PLENTY of water. Keep her in the air conditioning (August is a miserable month to be nine months pregnant in, been there, done that!)

Your baby will come soon enough :-)

Find yourself a midwife. She could recommend herbs or homeopathy to help labor move along and ease the pain. She could be a doula for you and your wife during labor at the hospital.

What a wonderfully attentive husband and supportive father-to-be you are! You're going to be a great dad!

In addition to the other advice you've been given (hang in there, the baby's in no danger, warm baths, relaxation, keep her mind off it, etc.) I will tell you that with my son my BHC were seemingly non-stop starting in my 5 month. One thing I noticed was that they decreased in severity and timing if I drank a lot of water and made sure to keep myself hydrated. I found that on days I was on my feet and didn't have time (or memory) to stay hydrated, they got alot worse.

Best of luck to you - you're in for the time of your life!

Get her some funny comedies. Show her this.

http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/inspired/laugh.html

Tell her not to worry. Give her massage. Remember that anxiety causes pain because it makes the muscles more tense.

Good luck. Try to have fun.

One more thing. When she gets them next, have her drink a large glass of water and lay on her left side. This usually helps them go away.

Warm bath for pain, but also slow deep breaths helped me. Positive thoughts regarding the pain can make it more manageable I found, it is the body getting ready for labor. Check with your Doctor but she could possibly take some over the counter pain med, like motrin.
Midwife had to artificially break water for one of my kids as I was about to give birth, so dont worry about that.

congrats. every delivery is different.. with my 1st i had BHC for 15 days.. sleeping on the green bouncy ball, stnading and walking almost 24 hours a day...very uncomfortable..finally, when i was in real labor (you can tell the difference), my practice finally said I could go in. my water did not break for this labor. As long as the baby is safe, it is healthy and better for both baby and mom to let nature take its turn.. a delivered vaginal baby is easy to recover from and helps the baby recover from "regular deliver items" better as well, ie meconium, ect..

T., I feel for you guys. With my first baby I didn't even know I was having them. I am due any time now and I have been having pretty heavy ones since my 5th month. I do get them a lot stronger if I bend down to pick anything up or do a bit of walking or even if I'm in a stressful situation. Sometimes I have to stop and just hold my stomach and breath until the worst passes because it's so uncomfortable. I've decided to stop working and just listen to my body and rest. I also have pretty good period cramps that I did not have with my first child. I was worried but my midwife tells me it's just my body preparing and it's good. I had a friend that kept going into the hospital because she kept having contractions. They were so off on her due date that she ended up going a month after they said. Knowing that you went to more than one Dr./Hospital has to be a little more comforting than just trusting one Dr.'s opinion. I would say to have her just lay in bed or the couch and RELAX, the stress of worrying about it is probably making it worse too. What about treating her to a prenatal massage? Make sure someone knows what they are doing though, they should be certified. That might help to relax her. I know it's hard to watch someone you love so uncomfortable but just think it will be all over very soon!

I had the same thing with my last son...I swear it felt like I was in labor from January till the day I delivered him and that was 2 months. What I discovered helped the most was to take a WARM bath for about 10 to 15 min and it seemed to stop the Braxton Hicks. I hope that she finds it helpful.

Hi T. - Braxton Hicks contractions can be pretty strong and can go on for some time without being "true" labor. It differs for every pregnancy, even with the same woman. I had them with my second for the last eight weeks or so, and some were pretty strong and somewhat painful, but every non-stress test I had that monitored the baby and the contractions showed just that - contractions, but not enough to be called labor. The doctors say those types of contractions, while getting the body ready and the baby ready to come out, are still not productive enough to be true labor and push the baby into the birth canal. As far as the water breaking, you are right, your wife can be in labor without breaking her water, so just monitor the situation (it sounds like you are, especially because it's your first and you are nervous!), and if the contractions become regularly spaced and stay painful, call the dr.! In fact, don't be afraid to call the dr. no matter what! It's your first and it's so hard to know what is normal, what is a big deal and what is no cause for alarm. No question is stupid or silly. I know it's hard to watch someone in pain and not be able to fix it or do anything to help it, but by being supportive you are doing the best thing you can for her. Even if the due date is off at this point, the baby is pretty well cooked and ready to come out, so don't worry about that! Good luck and try to keep us posted if you can!! Hang in there, soon this will be a memory and part of your personal "birth story"! :)

Hi T.,

My last pregnancy I had lots of painful contractions all the time it seemed in the 3rd trimester. 2 things I discovered was I needed to drink LOTS more water than I was, I thought I was drinking enough, but being even more hydrated helped a lot AND I was mineral deficient which was causing a lot of the painful contractions. This is not usually medically recognized, that a mineral deficiency causes cramping/contractions. I don't know why. I would recommend getting a mineral supplement from a reputable health food store, preferably one with a nutritionist or other professional there to guide you in your decision. But stay away from GNC brand, or other pharmacy store brands, as those are poor quality and usually not absorbed well or at all by the body. Even if your wife has been on prenatals, this still could be a very viable possibilty and will not have any adverse affects to try. Almost all minerals are water soluable and will be flushed away if the body cannot absorb them or has sufficient levels. Give this a try. It could take a few days of taking them for her to see a dramatic improvement.

For me Braxton Hicks contractions really hurt and lingered. It was a constant pain/contraction. I would get several of them in a row also and wonder if it was the start of labor. However, when real contractions began they were much more like a bell curve, where the pain would intensify and then subside....until the next one. Plus they felt different than Braxton Hicks did.

So hang in, Braxton Hicks is a good sign!

If the hospital put the baby on a monitor to check the heart rate and both hospitals agree there is no problem then I wouldn't be too worried. If no one has listened to the heart beat and maybe done an ultra sound then I would suggest you advocate a little harder at the OBgyn office.

Sounds like labor could be coming, but it is up to the two of you to basically demand help. No one is watching out for the baby is well as you are.

That said - BH can be painful, but given that is potentially past her due date I would keep showing up at the doc's office....

Good Luck and CONGRATS on the baby!

T.,
I remember I started getting contractions midway through my third trimester. Coupled with back pain it felt like I had a tight belt wrapped around my lower body. It's frustrating because it's not real labor but bear in mind it is your wife's body's way of warming up for the real thing. She might even dilate a couple of centimeters gradually as this goes on, and that's ok! Sometimes the water breaks and then labor doesn't start for another several hours, sometimes labor begins without water breaking, and believe it or not some babies are born in an intact amniotic sac, meaning water doesn't break until the baby is born.
Labor contractions are VERY regular (make sure you've been instructed on how to properly time contractions). They increase in intensity as time goes on. In addition most women become more and more withdrawn/quiet as the first stage of labor progresses. These are things you can look for- again- precise regularity, increasing intensity and change in demeanor.
One thing that concerned me about your post was that you mentioned you're not sure about her due date. Do you think she is past due? By how many days? The next time you talk to the doc ask how long past her due date they will let her go before inducing labor.

My braxton-hicks came more frequently when I was at work on my feet, or just stressed. Encourage her to take breaks, rest and help her relax the best way you know how. best of luck!

Well, unfortunately, they are pretty normal, so you shouldn't worry so much. Make sure she is plenty hydrated (this can cause contractions). They may be uncomfortable, but there isn't much else you guys can do except pray she goes into labor. If she is in her 39th week or later, you could try some natural remedies to try to induce labor - such as sex, acupuncture or herbal remedies (best to see a professional before trying these).

Hang in there.

It must be tough to watch her all the time... but if you have seen 2 doctors and received the same response, I would think that they know what is going on.
That said, I agree with drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated. I also had a lot of cramps (and BHC) during my second pregnancy and I got a liquid magnesium supplement from my chiropractor. The liquid version is so much more easily absorbed by the body.
I got it from the Newton Chiropractor and Wellness Center, in case you can't find it anywhere: http://www.welladjusted.com/

Good luck!