Preterm Labor Risk With a Full Term Ending – One Mom’s Story

A Preterm Labor Scare with a Beautiful, Happy Ending

If you’re reading this (like I would have), chances are you’re experiencing a scare related to your pregnancy – preterm labor risk. While I was on pregnancy bed rest in 2015, I dreamt of the day when I could look back at this experience and bring hope to so many others, like they did for me. Gratefully I have a bouncy 4 year old now and it seems like that season was eons ago.

I’m not a doctor nor am I an expert on preterm labor. This is simply my experience. If you haven’t called already and are thinking about it – call your doctor! They are your expert. It’s my hope that my story simply gives hope to someone else out there, or at least takes your mind off your worries for a few minutes. I’m sending thoughts of blessings, hope and joy to each of you reading this today!

Our First Pregnancy – at Age 35

My husband and I got pregnant in February 2015, and I literally had a flawless start to pregnancy, expecting our first baby (girl).  At age 35 (advanced maternal age, or as my doc put it…”Barely old,”), I was pleased to see healthy reports during ultrasounds and labs.  From weeks 0 – 20, I experienced what seemed like a totally normal pregnancy: a healthy dose of morning sickness, appropriate weight gain and a healthy developing baby.

As an educator, I have the month of July off work so I “induced” nesting and worked on all things baby to prepare for her November arrival.  It is safe to say that I likely overdid it. On August 1st, I returned to work with a work-related trip to San Diego.

A Complication

The day after I arrived on my trip, at 26w5d pregnant, I noticed spotting for the first time.  It was mild, but I took note (who wouldn’t!?). I immediately went to the ER in San Diego–this was Monday. I thought perhaps it was from my travels (dehydration?) or because I’d had a labored bowel movement when I noticed the spotting.  Nonetheless, the ER in San Diego told me that I had indeed been spotting, that I was having constant uterus activity (contractions) and that my ultrasound and cervical check were normal. When I left the ER, they instructed me that I was being discharged with “preterm labor precautions.”

What!?!?

I flew home early – alone without my husband – scared – and was in total limbo!  You see, I had never heard the term “preterm labor precautions” before, so I didn’t know how serious (or not serious) they were. I made an appointment to see my OBGYN, who got me in right away. Thankfully she didn’t seem overly concerned considering that the ultrasounds were normal. I, however, was now freaked out–I had no idea that what I’d been experiencing for about 4 weeks were CONTRACTIONS! I thought it was just the baby moving…

Those Contractions!

Whenever I moved, I would contract.  Whenever I touched my belly or she would move, I would have a contraction.  My belly would go hard from top to bottom, and sometimes just on one side. This was my experience from 20 weeks until about 38 weeks pregnant.

Ladies – from what I hear from others, this is not the norm but I share it because I know there are others like me. I’ve had two pregnancies and during my first, I experienced nearly constant contractions from weeks 20 – delivery at 39w5d. My doctor never used the term “irritable uterus” but if there is such a thing, I had it! I have read more about Braxton Hicks than I care to admit here. Yes, they were all practice contractions. But this was beyond what anyone warned in a book.

By Friday, my contractions escalated to every 2-3 minutes (this was the most frequent I experienced during my entire pregnancy – well, until delivery!).  I believe this may have been somewhat self-induced…I was stressed and scared, and the nurse at the doctor’s office frustrated me by saying that I was fine and that I should be going to work. 

A Trip to the Hospital at 27 weeks

However, the contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and I didn’t feel as though they were as concerned as they should be. I was scared that this little life hung in the balance, with me in charge of deciding: Am I okay or not? As a first time mom, this was a lot of pressure. I got worked up and eventually my husband took me to Labor and Delivery (L&D) where they saw the 2-3 minute contractions. I was also hyperventilating because I was very scared.

Once again the baby appeared fine on all ultrasounds. I calmed down, got well hydrated and met with my doctor. I left that L&D 24-hour stay with a low dose (15 mg) of a medication called Procardia and prescribed modified bed rest. Due to increased contractions, the doctor increased my Procardia to 2 doses daily of 30mg around 30 weeks. Again, I’m no doctor but she informed me that Procardia was a “smooth muscle relaxer” and it often helped reduce the intensity of contractions. Her goal was that the contractions didn’t “do their job” – change my cervical length, cause funneling, and actually change my body.

Modified Bed Rest and Weekly Monitoring

From weeks 27-37, I was on modified bed rest for my preterm labor precautions; the doctor couldn’t explain the sudden spotting at 26 weeks, and those contractions though!  I was told to “take it easy,” so I’d would get up for 5 minutes per hour to pee, eat, and walk around for circulation.  Rather than showers I took mild baths (this was my idea, my doc didn’t advise one way or the other. I just was scared to be standing up for long).  During that span, one week I would have a fetal fibronectin test (ffn) and the next week I would have my cervical length checked. Week after week, tests came back normal.  My cervix remained closed up tight (Fort Knox!), measuring 3.5cm on average each time.

Going to work wasn’t an option – as school administrator, NOT walking around school was NOT an option, so I went out on pregnancy disability.  I didn’t get paid at this time (long story, I saved my short-term disability for after delivery for a better payout), but did work from home four hours daily. This helped me keep my mind distracted, stay positive, and kept me from totally blowing through my paid sick leave. Fortunately during this period, I gained weight at a reasonable pace. I had no real appetite and no ability to go buy junk out of the house! Bonus!

Focusing on Health

During this time, my OBGYN didn’t seem super concerned since all results kept coming back positive.  She didn’t diagnose me with anything–just that some women have lots of contractions. She was so kind and reassuring and encouraged me to “stay pregnant.” I was told that if Baby Girl was going to come, that my job was to get to the hospital to get “the steroids.” 

My doctor told me that the daily Procardia was really not doing anything to prevent preterm labor, except “treating myself” by reducing the intensity of the contractions. Procardia wasn’t a drug to stop preterm labor. If she was going to come, she was going to come.  All of these treatment (including modified bed rest) was to keep my stress down and give her a chance to keep cookin’.

Staying Sane on Pregnancy Bed Rest

To those of you on bed rest, I have a few tips to help you stay sane and positive (read more specifically about bed rest here):

Stay positive!  You never know what will happen, and negative thinking only causes more stress. I didn’t think this was healthy for either Baby or I.

Stay busy!  Get Amazon Prime (free for 30 days here) Video or Netflix.  Get Kindle Unlimited and read digital books. Download books from the library.  Fill out that cute baby book. Organize your photo albums. Work on that baby registry and read product reviews. Binge watch TV shows. Some of my favorites: How I Met Your Mother (205 episodes), Project Runway, Forensic Files.  Now (2020) I highly recommend The Crown! Whatever you can do to distract, do it! The days drag on but the weeks FLY!

Follow doctor’s orders. And if you don’t know about The Keep ‘Em Cooking Forum, it will change your life! Check the forum daily and stay connected!  Every day I would search the Forum for the day I was on (ex. 34w3d). Then I’d read every single post by anyone for that day.  It made me feel connected to other moms, and I learned a lot while passing the time.

What’s Your Story?

Share your story here! Leave a comment below for another mom or just for yourself. I read all comments and would love to encourage you on your journey.

My story is that preterm labor was a scary word that never manifested into any harm for my little one. Everyone’s story is different. My only advise is to stay close to your doctor and don’t be afraid to call. After all, that’s what they’re there for!

Best of luck to you!