I was 22 weeks pregnant, and
one night I was sitting on my couch and all of a sudden I started with period
like cramps. Having come 22 weeks far, I was used to cramps now and then. But
the cramps did not stop even after 30 minutes and they kept increasing in
intensity. The pain was like menstrual like cramps in the lower abdomen. I did
not know if I was starting to have pre term labor or it was normal Braxton
Hicks Contractions. Luckily my husband was not travelling that week and he
wanted me to go to the doctor immediately. I was hesitant.
To the ER..
I waited for about 30
minutes, checked some blogs on the internet.
All of them suggested going the Labor and Delivery for a checkup. But
again, I was hesitant. I tried various techniques suggested on the internet to
ease my pain. I drank a lot of fluid and lied down on my left side. No, it was
still hurting. My husband was adamant and I decided to go the ER. I called my
hospital’s nurse line and they asked me to rush to ER as soon as possible. I got
the address of my nearest hospital. I could see the tension on my husband’s
face. We didn’t want to lose this baby at any cost. I sat in the car and I was
still hurting. Just 6 months ago, my closest friend had a 6 month miscarriage.
I was imagining that something like that was going to happen to me. We arrived
in the hospital and went straight into L & D. The nurse checked and said I
was having contractions. I panicked but luckily they were mild. Not like the
ones during actual labor. But the word contraction got me and my husband
tensed. The nurse said that my cervix
needed to be checked to see if I had dilated. And again I was safe. But I was
still hurting. The on call doctor advised for an injection dosage of Terbutaline
2.5 mg. The nurse waited for 20 minutes to check if my contractions were gone
and yes they were. I was in great relief. But she wanted me to check with my
gyn the next day. The whole night me and husband kept praying.
On complete bed rest…
I was bed ridden the whole
night but could not sleep because of tension. I met my gyn the next day and she
asked me to be on bed rest most of the times throughout the day. She also asked
me to drink plenty of water. I asked her what it was. She was not that clear. She
said it could be Braxon Hicks Contractions or Uterine Irritability. She
prescribed Terbutaline 2.5 mg every 6 hours if I started hurting again. I
cannot explain my feelings for the next couple of weeks. I tried by best to be
safe. And fortunately I never had to take medications or go to the doctor. But
what were those.
I read a lot of article and
Braxton Hicks contractions do not hurt. They only cause some mild discomfort.
This is caused by something called Uterine Irritability.
Uterine Irritability
Uterine Irritability is discomfort/contractions
in the uterus when your Uterus expands when the baby grows. Your uterus expands
and stretches as the baby grows to a bigger size. This causes menstrual like
cramps. But they do not cause the cervix to be dilated. It is hard to differentiate between pre-term
labor and Uterine Irritability. So if you are hurting and have any of the
following symptoms DO NOT WAIT. Head straight to your hospital or the nearest
one. Doctors can prescribe or inject Muscle relaxer like Terbutaline and keep
you on watch. Remember it is better to
be safe than sorry.
Precautions
Water the elixir of life !!
Drink drink plenty of water all the time throughout your pregnancy. Drink at
least 10 glasses of water. It can do wonders. And does wonders. Water eases the
Uterine when it expands. So no pain while your Uterus expands ! and no Urinary
Tract Infection (UTI)
