I am 26 weeks pregnant with our second daughter and have been experiencing contractions. The contractions themselves haven't been painful (although I do feel as if I am having more and more of them), but I have been expiriencing constant pain accompainied with pressure in my lower abdomen and back for the last couple of days. I have also noticed an increase in discharge, but it doesn't seem to be much different in consistency, other than slightly stickier. The pain I have been feeling has been making it very difficult to walk and I have found that SOMETIMES resting will help (but not always). I have my next prenatal check up in five days. The symptoms I am having I didn't experience in my first pregnancy. My question is: should I be concerned and call the advice nurse now or relax and wait to see me Dr. in five days?

I'm sorry our pregnancy experts don't appear to be online right now. I would advise you call the nurse if one of our experts don't appear before you next look in. If you are in early labour they need to know and if it's nothing to worry about it will put your mind at rest - better safe than sorry. Sorry I can't give you more informed advice right now.

Thank you, I will call now then

I agree with the other posters, always wise to check in with your doctor when something new is going on that causes you concern. They would much rather be able to reassure you that it is likely a common pregnancy discomfort, then to have you wait and it be something they would have liked to address sooner.

Be sure you are having plenty to drink regularly as being a bit dehydrated can cause more uterine contractions.

Pregnancies can be different from one another and sometimes you will feel more discomfort with subsequent pregnancies. The body allows a bit more give having gone through a pregnancy before.

More pelvic pressure and back pain are not uncommon and they are often felt sooner.

Do you notice any more discomfort when you get in and out of bed or the car, or when walking up and down stairs?
Sometimes there is too much movement at the pubic bone (SPD) or, less commonly, some separation (DSP). If either symphysis pubis dysfunction or diastasis sumphysis pubis are thought to be possibilities, (and even if they aren't), you can sometimes find relief with the use of a pregnancy support band, trying to keep your legs together when getting in and out of bed or a car, and many women find help with a chiropractor or an osteopath who have experience in working with pregnant women. Try using a body pillow at night so that your top knee is resting comfortably over it. You would want to avoid too much spreading of your knees, but having a pillow between them will help to better align your back and take some of the pressure off.
Sitting on a birth ball in pregnancy and labour can sometimes be helpful (just be sure you hold onto something for support!)

Again, if you are diagnosed with either of those, be aware of positioning while in labour and giving birth to avoid pulling your legs too far back. A good option, if you have it, would be to give birth on your hands and knees.

Thank you for all the information! My husband ended up calling the Dr. last night and she told us to go straight to the hospital. They ended up giving me a shot to stop the contractions and said I will probably have to take a pill at home to keep the contractions under control. I was reading online a little about this shot and people's experience was that after taking this shot and pill they had to have a c-section because when they were full term they couldn't go into labor naturally. I hope this isn't really a common thing, but if it is I guess it's better that the baby is full term

Were you showing any cervical changes when they checked you? Did your doctor see you while you were there or are you having a follow-up tomorrow?
Were you prescribed the medication or was the need for it just a possibility?

Sorry, lots of questions... :)

Said my cervix was still closed:) my doctor did not see me. They told me I can wait to see her on my regular appointment which is in three days, but to go back if the contraction came back strong and frequent again. The shot never completely stopped the contractions, just spread them out enough that they said I could leave. The nurse never told me if it was a sure thing about the pill, just said that most likely I will be one of the pregnant women who will need to be watched a little closer

They were going to do the ffn (I think that's what it's called) test, but couldn't because my husband and I had intercourse. I think I may have felt better had we been able to take that

If your doctor feels it is necessary, she can follow-up with the ffn. It would probably give you some peace of mind to have it done.

How frequent were your contractions and how long were you monitored?
Your doctor may discuss the likelihood of an irritable uterus as well.

I counted three in this last hour, but before they gave me the shot, the contractions were a lot more frequent. I'm not sure exactly how frequent. I was on the monitor for about three hours. I would watch the screen and it looked at times like a continuous contraction which sounds weird I'm sure. I haven't heard of an irritable uterus, but I will for sure bring it up to her if she doesn't. I will also try to look it up.

I'm new at this kind of website, so not sure if I need to start a new question or not. I saw my dr today and she did an ultrasound and said that I had "funneling" and showed me what it looked like. I was really hoping someone could explain this a little more to me as I am now a little worried...

Your cervix has two "rims"... the external os, which is the bottom part of the cervix that is felt in the vagina, and the internal os, which is the top part of the cervix which opens to the midsection of the uterus.

Picture a funnel... you have a short stem that goes up to the wide part. The external os is like the very end of the stem and the internal os is like the top of the stem, just before it opens to the wide bit.

Funneling happens when the internal os starts to soften or thin. This can be seen on an ultrasound, where as normally the external os can be felt. This can sometimes be an indication that baby may be born before the due date... sometimes prematurely. Depending on how much occurs, this can increase the possibility of ruptured membranes being the first indication of labour instead of regular uterine contractions starting first, which would be the norm.

It doesn't mean it is definite, only that it is something your doctor will keep an eye on. Many women will experience some funneling, but the external os remains closed and pregnancy progresses as usual. Most people would never even know this has occurred if there wasn't a reason for an ultrasound to take a look.

Hope that helps!

Forgot to add... if what you are discussing pertains to the previous topic and information, best to keep the conversation going on the same thread... :)

Tickles help a lot!