I Am Due in 8 Weeks and I Am Having Contractions...

I agree that it sounds more like Sciatica than pre-term labor. Have you checked with your OB/GYN to see what they recommend?

I did go into labor with our son (first child), and I never had it in my leg. With our daughter, like you, my water broke before labor started, so I never felt contractions. The pressure may be due to the baby shifting and perhaps you beginning to efface/dilate. You can dilate early and stay in one spot for a LONG time.

My best recommendation is to call your OB/GYN - hopefully, you already have over the past few days since you posted.

If you have any questions about being in labor, please, please call your ob. That is why you have one and go to him. It's what you pay him/her for, to answer your questions, especially in the middle of the night. If you are reading this and still feeling the pains, get to the hospital!
When in doubt, don't ask us, call your ob, or get to a hospital. You won't be the first woman they have seen who thought they were in labor and they weren't, if that is the case. I work in a NICU, and believe me, the longer you can keep that little on in the better.

HI K.,

It does sound like a contraction, but don't get worried yet. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and both of my pregnancy I had contractions for a few weeks before the BIG day. Actually with my first child, I was 4 centimeters dialated & would have random contractions for 4 weeks before he was born. I had a LOT of pressure during that month.

Then with my second child, she would kick my psychiatic nerve in my back frequently. This would send shooting pains down my butt and the backs of my legs.

I kept a journal of the frequency of the contractions or pains and then would keep my doctor updated. In the end, my son came on his due date with my water breaking during the middle of the night. My daughter was born only a few days before her due date and that was because I was induced.

Good luck.

P.S. My contractions were different than most experience I guess. Mine never got closer together in frequency, but they would last for a long time. It was if instead of having the pains come and go on a regular basis. It would feel like someone would put a belt around my belly and just squeeze it has hard as they could for 5-8 minutes and then it would stop for 15-20 minutes and then start again. The contractions never became 3-5 minutes apart which I have heard from other people. This really threw the hospital staff and my doctor for a loop when I went into labor with my son. My water broke at 5 am. I went to the hospital at 11 am. The hospital wanted to send me home because they said my contractions were not close enough to be in active labor. I told them my water broke and they said I was wrong that I must have peed the bed because it wasn't leaking now. I told them that it happened at 5 and now it was 11 so no kidding there wasn't any fluid left. They finally called my doctor in. She had the hospital run some sort of test on a fluid sob that they took from the area and it was confirmed that it was amniotic fluid and the mucus plug was deteriorating. I KNEW ALL OF THIS. I had soaked through 10 towels at my house before I went to the hospital. I just didn't want to sit in the hospital all day. I was much more comfortable in my own home and took a shower. Sorry I turned this into such a long answer. I just wanted to share my experience since it was a little different than most people have and you mentioned you were induced during your first pregnancy. Like I mentioned earlier keep an eye on them. Time the contractions and call the doctor with any questions. Hopefully they have a very friendly nursing staff who can walk you through anything.

I went through something similar when I was pregnant. I had ciatica. When in doubt always call your ob. They were able to give my some pt. I couldn't do much muscle strengthening due to the pregnancy, but the massages and heat therapy were heaven and they were able to teach me ways to move, get in and out of bed, provide adaptive pillows and such so talk to your ob. Mine wrote the script for therapy and my insurance paid for it. Good Luck

Any time you get contractions in pregnancy, even if you're full-term, do this:
Get in a warm bath (relaxing and warmth help lessen strength and pain)
Drink a FULL glass of water (dehydration can cause contractions)
Sip on a small glass of red wine (a small amount of wine is safe and the alcohol will relax you, red wine has lots of good stuff in it)

If contractions don't stop or are more frequent than 3-4 per hour, call your doctor. Otherwise, it's just Braxton Hicks and nothing to worry about. If it goes away, it's not real.

Good Luck!!

Doesn't sound like contractions for me (3 kids), it sounds more like the sciatic nerve paint that I would get now and then at the end of my pgs. Do what the previous post said (although, I personally would skip the wine) and see if they stop. I have sometimes just tried napping. Sleep will help relax the muscles, if nothing else does. If not, time them from the beginning of the pain to the beginning of the next pain. Is it regular? Or sporadic? Sometimes Braxton Hicks can be regular, too. However, if they are irregular, then they are not real contractions. The other thing is that contractions, especially early on, will not last for several minutes per contraction. Also, Braxton Hicks are different for every pg and also get more intense and frequent with successive pg (in general).

IMO: I think there is either pressure on the nerve that goes down to your legs or stretching of ligaments (if the baby has dropped). However, if ever unsure, check with your ob!