Pre-term labor or Braxton Hicks Contractions or Uterine irritability

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)