QuestionI'm 36 weeks and I started feeling little pains.I didn't know if I was really in labor so I went to the doctor and they said I was dilated 4 cm and 100% effaced. They tried to stop my labor with 3 breathine shots and sent me home the next day. My labor didn't stop it just slowed down. I'm still having pretty hard contractions, do you think I'll go back into full blown labor again soon or do you think it will be a while?
AnswerThere's really no way to tell when you'll go into labor. Even some women with a very strong history of preterm labor can then inexplicably stay pregnant for weeks, sometimes even going overdue! Dilation and effacement mean nothing here, and neither do the number of your contractions. Your doctors were being cautious, of course, since you were only 36 weeks, but I doubt they will make much more effort to stop it if you should go back into labor. There is only one test available for predicting preterm birth, the FFN (fetal fibronectin test). It's fairly reliable, but it predicts over a 2-week timespan. Again, since you're already 36 weeks, you're close to term. What you're experiencing now may just be your body "revving up" for the big event, what other moms might feel closer to 38 or 39 weeks.
As you'll come to find out over the next year, your baby is running the show for now, so sit back and enjoy the ride!
