Prodromal Labor: Definition, Causes, How To Cope-Up

You’re big? You’re tired? Feeling a lot of pain carrying yourself? Having difficulties while you are sleeping? AND a lot more.

But, you must be happy, as you are going to welcome your sweet little baby into this world, who have been staying in your tummy for so long!

With every pain, you feel, Is that a contraction? Well, let’s find out.

Prodromal Labor, also known as pre-labor, latent labor, also considered as false labor which makes pregnant women bewildered, restless and in a confused state but it is a misnomer.

It is a type of labor that happens before the full active labor but many women have described it as real contractions. The contractions caused by this labor may come and go in a short span.

It is a common occurrence mentioned by pregnant ladies in the last few weeks of their pregnancy. This pain comes at the same time, each day or at regular intervals and can be an irritating experience for some.

We have seen that many new mommies or even the experienced moms, end up calling their doctor thinking that their actual labor begins but in most cases find out as false labor, as prodromal labor can start a few weeks or even months before the actual delivery.

But, the good news is that it is now quite common and there is no such issue, and you don’t need to take stress about it, as it usually passes in a few minutes.

According to Dr. Ruiz, prodromal labor is not as intense or painful as real labor can be. For mom blogger Leah Outten who experienced prodromal labor with four out of six of her pregnancies, prodromal labor contractions were indeed different.

Outten found that her active, real labor contractions tended to get closer together and grow in intensity, while the prodromal contractions pretty much stayed the same, even if they happened over a long period of time.

Wondering how on earth you’ll know if it’s go-time when you start contracting? Here are a few signs to look for:

• Your water broke. If it’s real labor, your body might be giving you clues in other ways. For example, if your water is leaking or you’re having a bloody show, it’s probably the real deal.
• Drinking water does not end your labor symptoms. Dr. Ruiz explains that if your contractions are actually prodromal labor, guzzling a lot of water or taking a warm shower will stop them completely. That’s because water can relax smooth muscles in the body, such as — you guessed it — the muscles of the uterus. If your contractions are the real deal, however, no amount of chugging water or bathing is going to stop them.
• Your contractions are 5/10 minutes apart. Dr. Ruiz advises women pregnant with their first baby to wait to go to the hospital until they experience a pattern of contractions that are painful enough to take your breath away, last 45 seconds to one minute, and occur every five minutes for two hours. “You’re looking for a very regular pattern of painful contractions. You should really feel uncomfortable,” he explains.

Prodromal labor can be a frustrating experience for moms-to-be who go through it, but if you do encounter it, just keep in mind that it’s a natural process your body is going through to get ready for the main event. Your body is doing what it needs to do to prepare and just like with motherhood, we all do things a little differently, even when it comes to labor and contractions.

Trust your body and when in doubt, head to the hospital to get checked if you think you might be in labor.

There seem to be several potential causes of prodromal labor, but no official cause or consensus in the medical community. Most sources agree that prodromal labor is the body’s way of preparing for real labor, and some things that may contribute are:

• The baby’s position in the womb — Many sources think that prodromal labor may be the body’s way of trying to move the baby into the correct position for labor. Basically, the uterus tries to move the baby with contractions for several hours and eventually stops if it doesn’t work, only to start again after resting. This theory may make sense as moms with a baby in breech position are more likely to experience these early contractions (this was true in my case).
• Pelvic or uterine abnormality — It seems that some women are more prone to prodromal labor than others, leading some sources to think that it may relate to an uneven pelvis or uterine abnormality.
• Emotions or anxiety — Another theory is that prodromal labor is more likely in women who are anxious or concerned about their birth or who are experiencing a lot of stress.
• More than three pregnancies — There are definitely exceptions, but prodromal labor seems to be more common in moms who have had at least three children. Perhaps there is an element of the way the uterus changes or relaxes after several pregnancies.