So you're having contractions around your due date, but you haven't actually produced a baby! Sound familiar? I'll bet some of you are already dilated (and/or effaced), but confused as to why this baby isn't sitting on the outside of your tummy yet!
Prodromal labor can be very confusing! Heck, it's not easy to remember the spelling either!
Prodromal labor is also known as "False Labor". Most women will say, "There's nothing false about what I'm feeling!" - and they are right!
Prodromal labor isn't all in vain. These annoying contractions condition the uterus, and prepare the cervix for dilation and effacement. In fact, sometimes the cervix may even dilate and efface as a result. It’s all about your body preparing for the big day. Let’s talk about the differences between Prodromal labor and the real thing.
1. Prodromal ‘labor’ may begin hours or days (and do I dare say weeks?) before active labor. (If you experience more than 4-6 contractions in an hour and you are not in your 36th week yet, consider the prospect of it actually being preterm labor).
2. They may feel like Braxton Hicks contractions but sometimes they can be much stronger.
3. Unlike true labor, where contractions usually become longer, stronger and closer together, prodromal contractions are irregular in duration, length and intensity.
4. They may have a pattern and show up about the same time every day (or night).
5. They will stop after a few hours.. (Okay, maybe longer than that for some of you!)
6. They may or may not be affected by your activity. Sometimes a warm bath will make them go away, and on other days, it may run it’s usual course - leaving you to wonder if *this time* it’s truly the real thing!
7. Your cervix may begin to dilate, and efface and you may lose your mucous plug. Nothing false about that!
Many women head to the hospital only to find out after a few hours that it was 'false labor'. In other words, the contractions stopped. You may have dilated, or effaced but everything came to a screeching halt. Being sent home can be emotionally confusing. You are left to wonder how you will know when it *is* the real thing. You might be embarrassed to head back up to the hospital the next time, and then you wonder about giving birth on the side of the road! (For those of you birthing at home, the scenario might be different of course...but for sake of time and length, I'll let you fill in your own scenario blanks).
Most women figure it out. It may take more than one trip to the hospital (or call to the midwife), but don't worry.. eventually you'll end up in true labor that will produce a real baby. Most care providers are used to this type of labor, and would rather you be seen if you feel the need, then miss your birth all together. Typically in true labor, the contractions will become stronger, longer (in length), and closer together. With Prodromal labor, contractions might be 30 seconds one time, and a minute long the next, followed by another one that is 45 seconds. You might have one at 7:00, another at 7:10, one at 7:12, and then another at 7:20. The pattern is usually inconsistent.
Can you make them go away? Can you stop the contraction by changing your position? Will they slow down with a warm bath or shower? What about if you eat or drink? Now with Braxton Hix Contractions, these things will usually make them go away. The problem with Prodromal labor is that sometimes these things can make them go away, but there's a good chance they will keep coming. However, you should always have an idea in an hour or two. Most women do not have labors that fast, and if they do, they almost always figure it out in time! Real labor will feel slightly different when it finally kicks in.
Why does it happen? Although I don't have an evidence based answer for this question, I will tell you what I've learned from personal observations. There might be an emotional reason (perhaps a fear the mother hasn't quite worked through). Sometimes it seems like the body tries to do it's job, but our heads get in the way and talk us out of it. (The mind is a powerful thing ya know!). Once the mother faces her fears, or the fear is resolved, she goes into labor. Perhaps the fear connection is coincidental. It may also be that our bodies are just revving up for the big day, and needs a few practice sessions first. I've got a feeling that more often than not, its caused by the baby's position. It's like the body needs to use those contractions to align the baby's head just right. A positioning tool! I'm not talking about a breech baby, I'm thinking more along the lines of a posterior baby, or an acynclitic head. Once your baby has moved into a decent position to put proper pressure on that cervix, off you'll go!
Here's a tip: Spend some time on your hands and knees. At the very least, try forward leaning positions while sitting or standing. If your baby is truly posterior, you may be able to let gravity turn that head the way it should be for an easier birth. If baby is already in a good anterior position, he'll just stay that way, so it won't hurt anything to try anyway.
Finally, relax - and let your body do its work. You may find your labor easier, and perhaps a bit faster if you were blessed with prodromal labor. Take advantage of these contractions and practice your relaxation, breathing or whatever you plan to use to cope with labor. EVEN if you plan on an Epidural - because planning an Epidural does not always guarantee you will get one in time, or that it will work like you expect it to. It's always good to have a back up plan :-)
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11 comments:
Never had prodromal labor but I've dealt with precipitous births! As nice as those sound, they aren't fun, either!
I found this very helpful. I had contractions several hours yesterday that never stopped and never helped to really move my body beyond 1 centimeter or 60% effaced. I did end up spending the night in the hospital. They hurt at times they went away at times they intensified. I guess I get to take this one as it comes and learn from it. Thanks for teaching me this it was interesting to learn. Hey I also did lose some of my plug due to the exams last night. So I am not due till April 14th but hey I am getting close!
Hi Amy,
I know you will be 'term' soon, but you still have a month to go! Sorry you are experiencing the joys of prodromal labor, but it's probably a good thing they didn't kick into real labor yet. Your body is working perfectly - so hang in there :-)
It might be interesting to know that with some women who labor prodromally, "real" labor contractions resemble false ones in that they are not necessarily regular. (And conversely, some "false" labor contractions can be very regular and consistently long and strong and last much more than a few hours). This can add to the confusion of prodromal labor considerably.
I have a blog on Prodromal Birth to help women not feel alone and make good choices when they find themselves in this pattern of labor. It is www.nmfrogblog.blogspot.com.
Good to see a birth teacher acknowledge the existence of prodromal labor. Some "professionals" (including birth instructors) don't believe it is a valid experience.
This has been very helpful! I've been in "early labor" for 2 weeks now. Contractions come and go--rarely regular, sometimes intense. But they have always gone away within an hour or two. I've been dilated, but not very much effaced, and passed my mucus plug 2 weeks ago.
I had this happen with all three of my births so far and it is good to put a name to the condition (besides "false" labor... that just sounds depressing).
With the third birth I had so much prodromal labor that I still wasn't completely convinced I was in labor when I had my routine scheduled midwife appointment. She checked me and it turned out I was at a 6!!!- even though my contractions had paused (again). Don't worry-45 min later they picked back up again and I hit a seven shortly after that.
So glad I found this. I knew there had to be a name to what I've been experiencing. For the past week or so, about every other night, I've had long bouts of contractions every 3-15 minutes lasting about a minute each for anywhere from 5 hours to FIFTEEN hours. The first few times it was very frustrating when they finally came to a halt (generally between 4am-6am); now I'm just kind of ignoring it. These are not Braxton-Hicks -- usually they're pretty intense & painful and I have to pay attention do some conscious breathing to work through them.
At this point, I think when I actually DO go into labor I'll just be in denial until the head starts popping out!
This happened to me yesterday! Started at 10 AM at the grocery store and lasted all dat until about 8 PM. I went to the doc around 4 and I was told that although I was having contractions they were not intense enough to cause me to dilate more. I have been sitting at about an inch dilation and 50% effaced for 3 weeks, so frustrating. Although the contractions did not "hurt" they were uncomfortable and very consistent. Craziness!!! and very annoying! Glad it hnas a better name than false labor, although the doc did not call them that thank god, I felt crazy enough. Glad to read that it is more than Braxton Hicks as I have had those since about 6 months or so. Also very cool that it may make my true labor easier!! I am all for that!!!
I had prodromal labor with my (posterior) first daughter from 35-39 weeks. I still never went into labor... I went to the hospital to be checked and was at 6cms, they kept me and broke my water the next day. I had my daughter that night.
I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my second daughter. She's anterior, but I've still been having contractions for a week. I have semi regular contrax from 6-10pm every day. I have them when I'm on my feet. I just got back from the hospital tonight after having contractions every 4 minutes (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) for 3 hours. And my contractions started at 1 today instead of 6. My cervix hadn't changed from almost a week ago (although I am at 2-3 cms, 50% effaced, -1 station), so my midwife sent me home. The nurse said I didn't have prodromal labor, but just an irritable uterus... But after reading about both, I definitely fit in the prodromal category! While i'm fine with my little girl staying in another month, I'm already quite sick of this prodromal stuff! Plus I live 2 hours from the hospital, so I'm nervous I'll have the baby on the side of the road. I thought my labor the first time was simply because she was posterior... This time my kiddo is anterior! So frustrating! Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone!
This post is a great description of what I've been dealing with for a couple weeks. Passing it along to my husband - he's getting frustrated at all the 'false alarms' ... we haven't gone to the hospital yet, but we've been ready to go a couple times.
Thank you so much for this information! Great article. And I love reading all the other mamas' comments too so I know I'm not alone. My first daughter was posterior and born at 38 weeks after 2 full weeks of prodromal labor. I've already been having more intense prodromal labor with #2 - ctx 4 mins apart and lasting 1 min each. I hope it helps my husband understand I can't help the "false alarms" calling him home from work! But I do hate laboring this much alone.
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