Question about contraction monitoring machine…?
Ok so I am 34 weeks with my first baby and yesterday I went to my doctor's office to get checked out because I was having mild back cramping that I had not experienced before during my pregnancy. (Turns out, baby is doing spectacular, but *I* have a bladder infection. Thank goodness it wasn't preterm labor!) Anywho, they hooked me up to one of those machines that monitors the baby's heart-rate and also measures my contractions. I noticed that part gaged all the way up to 100…I only had 1 solid BH contraction while I was hooked up, it was borderline uncomfortable, but not painful and it only registered like a 30. My "uterine activity" when not contracting at all stayed at around 8. So what do real labor contractions register as?! I know they are much more intense/painful usually so do they go all the way into the nineties, since the machine can measure them up to 100? Because as I said, mine was about a 30 and it did not feel so good, I can't even imagine how an 80-100 one would feel!
OMG, I'm sorry I can't give anyone a TU, I usually do to everyone who answers my questions but not since a stupid TROLL reported me for being "offensive" to them and I got my other account suspended. So I lost all my contacts, over 10,000 points, my Top Contributor badge AND apparently the ability to rate answers. =( This sucks.
6 Responses so far ↓
Daughter, Sister, Wife & Mother on Jan 29, 2010 at 8:38 am
I am being monitered 2x a week because I had preterm labor at 32 weeks. When I went to the hospital, my contractions were registering in the 50's for some and 70's for some of the really painful ones. My hubby said he remembers when I was in labor with our last daughter, they were in the 80's, which if I remember, were pretty intense. I don't think mine ever made it near 100. (But I was out of it due to meds twards the end lol)
It just feels like really bad menstrual cramps, and it depends on your tolerance for pain. I have a fairly high pain tolerance because I used to get horribly bad cramps in my teens during my period.
Good luck to you!
Oh, and your guy will be watching the machine like a hawk when the time comes and when he says, "oh, that one wasn't so bad, it was only a __" Just try to smile behind those clenched teeth! hehe
darkange... on Jan 30, 2010 at 8:38 am
You know what the same thing happened to me at 35 weeks pregnant and they said that if you have a bladder infection some time that can make you go into pre labor which is not good cause it makes your uterus go all wacky s they gave me so med and i have not had really bad BH since then good luck
Lynh on Jan 31, 2010 at 8:38 am
My strongest contraction (as far as I remember) during labor was mid to high 70's. It was painful, but there were a lot of mild contractions before that that prepared me in a way. A piece of advice: during labor do NOT look at the machine and anticipate the contraction. Makes them MUCH, MUCH worse!
wendiest... on Feb 1, 2010 at 8:38 am
I cannot sugar coat this answer for you because double peak 80-100s make me almost pass out. Sorry, I wish I had better news.
swan101- Chloe came 09/19/09 on Feb 2, 2010 at 8:38 am
From what I have been told, a real contraction will look like the same line that baby's increased heart rate looks like on the sheet. I believe that a real contraction is 55-60 and above. I also don't think they will go all the way up to 100, but if they do then I am now completely terrified of them!
Good to know that you were not in preterm labour, but a bladder infection sucks!
Ashley K on Feb 3, 2010 at 8:38 am
I was also hooked up to one of those monitoring machines this week. I didn't know it but I was having contractions and still am, I just can't feel them. I watched 4 or 5 of them get up to the 70's and those were the only ones i felt. the rest of them were in the 30's, 40's and some 50's. Considering I was stuck in triage for 6 hours. I guess it depends on how well you handle pain. In the birthing class that I took they explained that a contraction can reach up to 150's…but like you said those don't register on the paper.
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