Monday, April 19, 2010

Update from the obstetrician

I called to find out if I should stop taking the benedryl and actually let the contractions just continue and maybe turn into something. I was afraid that I was constantly starting to go into labor and then stopping it before it got really going by taking the sedative... and he said it's not real labor if benedryl stops it. When you actually go into labor, your body stops absorbing anything from your intestine - so if it's actually labor, then the benedryl won't put me to sleep or have any impact on the contractions at all. He said that the more babies you have, the more prelabor contractions you get. While I don't think of three babies as excessive, apparently my body does and is going to just continue to contract for the sheer joy of contracting for a while. When she's actually ready to come, benedryl won't do a thing to stop her. So the plan is to just continue taking the benedryl whenever the contractions get strong, and sleep them off - until I can't. Until the contractions actually don't stop - and then it'll be full blown labor and I'll be so shocked. Because at this point, I'm so used to having contractions and having it turn out to be nothing that a part of me is truly convinced that I'm just going to continue doing this forever.

2 comments:

Beth@Not a Bow in Sight said...

Oh Melissa! I had contractions for two weeks with my third baby. I thought we were about to go to the hospital for the entire two weeks. But when my labor actually started it was fast- baby was born 3 hours later! And those pre-labor contractions are strong! I'm praying that you are able to get some rest in the mean time :)

Unknown said...

Must be something about the third baby :-). My other two labors - I had no contractions at all until I was having the baby.