Signs of preterm labor and what to do

Signs of Premature Labor
Call your practitioner if you have any of the following:

• Bright red blood from your vagina
• Swelling or puffiness of the face or hands, a sign of preeclampsia
• Pain during urination, possible urinary tract, bladder or kidney infection
• Sharp or prolonged pain in your stomach (preeclampsia signs)
• Acute or continuous vomiting (preeclampsia signs)
• Sudden gush of clear, watery fluid from your vagina
• Low, dull backache
• Intense pelvic pressure
• Contractions (your belly tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
• Pelvic pressure—the feeling that your baby is pushing down
• Cramps that feel like your period
• Belly cramps with or without diarrhea

What should you do if you think you're having preterm labor?
Call your health care provider or go to the hospital right away if you think you're having preterm labor, or if you have any of the warning signs. Call even if you have only one sign. There are a lot of variables to managing premature labor, both in medical options and in terms of what is going on with you and/or your baby. Here are some of the things that you may deal with when in premature labor.

 

Your health care provider may tell you to: 

• Come into the office or go to the hospital for a checkup.
• Stop what you're doing. Rest on your left side for one hour.
• Drink 2-3 glasses of water or juice (not coffee or soda).
• If the symptoms get worse or do not go away after one hour, call your provider again or go to the hospital. If the symptoms get better, relax for the rest of the day.
• Bedrest (Home or Hospital), usually left side lying
• Medications to stop labor (Magnesium sulfate, brethine, terbutaline, etc.)
• Medication to help prevent infection (More likely if your membranes have ruptured or if the contractions are caused by infection)
• Evaluation of your baby (Biophysical profile (BPP), non-stress (NST) or stress tests, amniotic fluid volume index (AFI), ultrasound, etc.)
• Medications to help your baby's lung develop more quickly (Usually if premature birth in inevitable)
• Preparation for premature birth
• The best outcomes are always prevention and early detection. Make sure to ask your practitioner to discuss the signs and symptoms of premature labor with you and your partner at your next visit.