Labor or am I overreacting?

Question

Last night I had contractions with BAD lower back pain about 45 minutes apart for 5 hours. I becamse tired, fell asleep, woke up a few times duriong the night with contractions, wentback to bed, woke up this morning with a dull contraction pain with no back pain. Now 2 hours later I'm perfectly fine.

A small amount of clear liquid is coming out of me. I assume it may be amniotic fluid. It's like a teaspoon every few hours.

Should I call my doctor, just go in, or wait until my next appointment this Wednesday? My doctor said that it's normal for me to lose mucus and leak fluid and to go in when/if I am bleeding or I go into labor.

Additional Details

Sorry my due date is 8 days away! I'm about 39 weeks!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

It sounds to me like your body is working hard trying to get set up for labor. if you don't have the braxton hicks contractions you don't dilate, so they are a necessary evil. The other evil thing is that you can have these contractions on and off for weeks before actually going into labor, which is not what you wanted to hear, but it is true. Try drinking a lot of water if you are really sick of them, but keep in mind they do serve a purpose.

As for the clear liquid, it is very normal to see an increase in discharge at around 37 weeks, so for you to be at week 39 is normal. My midwife said I would know if it was the amniotic fluid because i would have to change my underwear 3-4 times per hour, because no matter how small the hole a bunch of water would come out, not just drips and drabs.

I would just document what you are seeing and wait for your appointment. There is a very easy test to see if you are leaking amniotic fluid, if you are convinced you are then call your doc it takes about 2 seconds for them to see.

Good Luck!

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks for the helpful info!

Answer 2

I'm sorry but your doctor should not tell you it is normal to leak amniotic fluid and to go in if you are bleeding....if you are leaking fluid and the baby isn't delivered within 24 hours it could cause infection for your baby. You need to go to labor and deliver now to get checked out. there is a test they can do to check and see if that is in fact amniotic fluid. Go now. Good Luck! and COngrats on baby

Answer 3

You didn't say how far along you are? If you're full term, I would ride it out and keep track of the contractions (contractionmaster.com is a great tool!) If you're earlier than 37 weeks though, you should get seen by the doctor/nurses at labor&Delivery to be safe.

Answer 4

First you will lose your mucus plug which is nothing more than a bloody show. If your water breaks it will be a lot more than a teaspoon every few hours. When your contractions are closer together and the pain becomes stronger- then call your doctor