Lower Back & Abdominal Cramps in Pregnancy: What to Expect

Question
i am 35 weeks and 4/7 days  pregnant and i have been having cramps in my lower back off and on all day some of them are strong and intense and others are weak and not as painful also some of the pain has started out in my back nad moved into my lower abdomen. if you could give me any tipe of advice i would really appriciate it.

Answer
Hi Ronette,

This isnt uncommon at your stage of pregnancy. Infact, your body by now could be indeed starting to change in preparation for your upcoming delivery.

You should be seeing your doctor, about once a week at this stage, and I would definately bring it to his attention so he can see if indeed your cervix might be starting to thin, ect.

When to be concerned, is if your pains become about 45 seconds, to minute or so long and are intense. If they are anywhere between 4-6 minutes apart, on a consistant basis then its time to get medical attention. When I say consistant, I mean 4-6 minutes apart for atleast a couple of hours.

Hope this is of some help, and thanks for writing!

-Kristy