As some of you know I had a pretty big pregnancy scare two nights ago. I shared a little bit of what happened on my Instagram stories last night and I was completely blown away at how many women left me comments or sent me DM’s saying that they had been through the same thing. Honestly, in a way it was reassuring because I almost felt like something must’ve been seriously wrong with me or the baby. The reason I want to go into more detail on my blog today is because it was so extremely terrifying and I had no idea what was happening to me, my body and my unborn baby. So I feel like it’s important to write this blog post today so that any other women out there who may experience something similar maybe won’t get panicked as much as I did. So here’s what happened.
At 1:30 AM I woke up to sharp pains in my uterus. At first, my immediate thought was that it was gas pain. I had never had gas pain that severe or even close to that. But I got up and started walking around my bedroom quietly trying not to wake my husband, but the pain just wouldn’t go away. In fact, it was getting worse. So at that point I drew a bath thinking that maybe warm water would help relax my muscles and relieve the gas bubbles. As I was in the tub the pain just kept getting sharper and worse. In fact, it started coming in waves just like contractions. And they were about seven minutes apart. And I KNOW contraction pain. I’ve had a baby before and the pain is intense, distinct, and unmistakable when it’s severe. I was without a doubt having contractions and I was absolutely terrified. So at that point I got out of the tub and woke Kevin up and told him what was happening. Of course he was super concerned for me and wanted more than anything to take away my pain.
So there we were at 2 AM having a conversation – in-between my cries of pain while the contractions were happening – about what we were going to do. I kept saying, let’s just wait a few more minutes before we go to the hospital, hoping that the pain would go away. I told him multiple times that I was going to drive myself to the hospital because we didn’t want to wake Molly, but he kept trying to convince me that he would drive me there because of course he was super concerned. But the last thing I wanted to do was wake Molly just in case it wasn’t labor. Was is stupid for me to insist on driving myself? Maybe. But I wasn’t thinking clearly and Kevin wasn’t going to challenge in at that point.
I REALLY felt that the situation was serious when I suddenly had the urge to go to the bathroom. As any woman who’s been through childbirth knows, when the baby comes it feels like you have to go number two. The pressure is very intense and I suddenly felt that intense pressure. (FYI – I never actually had to go to the bathroom which is why this pressure remains a mystery to me)
Once I felt that pressure, my whimpers turned into sobs. At that point I was absolutely convinced that I was going into labor and was going to have a baby at 26-weeks pregnant. In mere seconds I went through scenarios in my brain of spending months in the NICU, or even worse, not having a baby to sit with in the hospital at all. Could this really be happening? I’m in tears thinking about it even as I type this. Tear for what could have been. Tears for all the women who have lost babies this way.
At that point, I knew I had to go to the hospital. At 2:30 AM I got in my car and said I was going to sit there for 10 more minutes to try and compose myself before going to the hospital. Kevin begged to come with me but I really didn’t want to wake Molly since I knew it could potentially be a long, hard day for her. And my instinct was the get the the hospital safely, it was also to not put Molly through any unneeded stress. Again, maybe a dumb choice, but I wanted to protect my family and I thought I was in the moment.
But while sitting in my car, all of a sudden, my pain completely went away (I drank some water while I was in pain, so maybe that kicked in? Who knows!). It was the strangest thing ever. It was just gone. I waited a few more minutes and went back inside. I was kind of in shock yet again. How could it just be GONE?! But really, all I cared about was that for the first time in the longest 60 minutes of my life, I felt like everything was going ot be ok. After a talk with Kevin, we decided to get back in bed because I wasn’t in pain and the baby was kicking so I felt the baby was ok.
But I defintely dind’t fall asleep for a LONG time. I was in bed for probably an hour or teo just waiting for movements from the baby so I could feel more sure that everything was going to be all right. Thankfully, the baby moved a lot that night and made me feel better about everything. I barely slept. But I was totally ok with that.
I talked to my doctor first thing the next morning and she told me that the contractions were most likely from severe dehydration and possibly the pain was made a little worse from gas. It’s embarrassing for me to even say that because the pain I was experiencing was so awful that it seems insane to me that gas could cause something like that. But I think the majority of it came from dehydration.
After I posted about this to Instagram stories last night, so many of you commented saying you had been through something similar. I truly couldn’t believe it. Just because I had never heard of this before. When I was pregnant with Molly, I feel like I read every single thing you possibly could about pregnancy. And yes, I know hydration is super important so I always drink a lot of water, but I had no idea how severe dehydration could actually be just from one day of missing a few glasses of water. Some of you that commented or sent me a DM said that you actually did go into labor because you were dehydrated and had your baby early – and sadly some didn’t make it. That is so terrifying and so scary that I felt compelled to write this blog post today, not to get sympathy for my story (I luckily am OK and so is my baby), but more so to spread awareness about the importance of staying hydrated during pregnancy. I knew it was important but I guess I just never realized exactly how important it is.
So I’m opening up my blog today to all of you to share your stories and share tips for staying hydrated during pregnancy! I’m hoping that if any women are ever frantically searching the internet for answers at 2:30 in the morning one night in a similar situation, hopefully they’ll see this blog and get answers. Well, I actually hope that they go to the hospital but let’s face it, we don’t always go straight to the hospital when we’re in pain. And maybe I should have in retrospect. But instead I was hunched over in pain trying to frantically Google what could possibly be going on with me. I also hope this serves as a reminder to drink LOTS of water to help prevent this from happening to anyone else.
The floor is open to all of you below. Every woman that’s ever been through something like this knows how scary it is, so I ask everyone to please refrain from any judgment in today’s blog post and let’s keep this a place of positivity, love and support for one another. Luv you guys!
So happy you and your baby are ok..I never experienced anything like that, but it sounds scary.
It was! I’m just so grateful that we are ok. Not everyone is so lucky.
I was hospitalized 7 times with my 1st child because of dehydration. I had severe hyperemesis and couldn’t even keep water down. So I know exactly how scary it is
So glad you are ok. During my 1st pregnancy I went through something similar and was also high risk from day 1..but unfortunately lost the baby. Next time around I know whst warning signs to look for and what to expect.
I’m nowhere near to getting pregnant (not the right time/age for me yet) but thank you for sharing your story. I’m sorry you had to go through the scary experience, Ali! I’m glad that you and the baby are okay, though. I hope this post will help anyone who’s in the same boat! ❤️❤️
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you for always being so supportive Charmaine! xoxo
Awww
I’m really glad you & the baby are well.
You’re included in my prayers.
Thanks Dixie! I think we will be just fine. I’m one of the lucky ones.
Thank God you and the baby are well.
Yes. I’m soooo thankful
Thanks for letting us know youre story i been with pain about two days ago now i know i need to drink lots of water for me and my baby thanks.
My husband and I have started discussing trying for a baby in the fall, and I happened to stumble across this through your stories this morning. While I’m not at this stage in life, knowledge is power and I’m glad to realize the importance of this before our time in pregnancy. It’s crazy how our minds sometimes don’t recognize when our bodies are dehydrated. Last year prepping for our wedding, I did a workout like any other I’ve done. I was thirsty but wanted to get it over with and then would chug water afterwards per usual. The next morning I woke up and couldn’t walk. The soreness was indescribable. Shortly afterwards my calves knotted up so badly and I knew something was wrong as my workout wasn’t harder than any others I was used to doing. I went to the doctor and after blood work found out I had the beginning stages of rhabomyolysis which can be fatal if not treated properly. It messes with your kidneys, liver, and can hurt your heart as well. Insane part was, after I had a few large glasses of water after the workout I felt totally hydrated. But my body told me otherwise. Doctors orders were to drink tons and tons of water and he gave me painkillers if I needed them because I legit couldn’t walk. After drinking a ton of water that day, I was miraculously better. So pregnant women, this is obviously no joke!! Your body can be super dehydrated without you even recognize it. It’s so hard to stay hydrated properly on any regular day as we need much more than we realize, but adding an unborn baby to the mix… I can’t even imagine! So glad you’re ok, Ali!! And your precious baby.
Oh my gosh. I can’t believe that happened to you. You are so right, dehydration is very serious! Whether you are pregnant or not!
I had this happen at 35 weeks! I know how scary it is – so glad you’re okay and baby is okay!
It is blowing my mind how many women have experienced this. I had never read about it or heard about it before! That’s why I wanted to write this blog post.
Ali this happened to me when I was pregnant with my second child at 27 weeks. I never experienced anything like this with my first child. I also experienced the pressure, and even had a small rush of fluid (still unsure of that). I did go to the hospital, and I was told I was dehydrated. You’re very right you do not forget the pain of contractions, and going through labor a second time reassured me that they were definitely contractions I was feeling at 27 weeks, but once I was hydrated the pain went away quickly. I had to comment because we were almost exactly at the same point in our pregnancies when this happened, and I too have a one year old I hauled around. I am a medical professional and know better, but I missed maybe a few glasses of water and that’s all it took. I delivered a healthy baby boy full term six weeks ago but I understand your fear and unfortunately nothing like fear to teach us a lesson. Drink up!
The crazy thing is that soooo many women have written me saying that it happened to them right around his time in their pregnancies. I wonder if you are more like to get dehydrated around 26/27 weeks. I’m going to have to look into it.
And I learned a BIG lesson. I’m chugging whatever right now!!!!
I was just thinking the same thing! I’m 26 weeks and had the same thing happen, and so many other commenters (and you of course!) were 26ish weeks when it happened.
I had this happen at 30 weeks! Crazy! So scary…. Glad you and baby are okay Ali!
Isn’t 26-29 weeks another growth spurt period for the baby? My hunch would be that has something to do with it.
After the birth of my oldest daughter I started having issues with gas pains- not actual gas but pains up in my ribs. It happens if I get dehydrated and/or if I drink too much soda. There have been times when it’s so excruciating that I’ve been in tears… once I was prepared to go get meds for the “gas” as 2 am- luckily my husband woke up and went for me. Keep in mind I had already taken a sleep aid to try to go to sleep and “sleep it off”. It didn’t help at all. Granted none of this was during a pregnancy but the first time it happened- luckily after deliver I thought something was terribly wrong. Not gas or dehydration related but I had a middle of the night scare with my youngest, it was already a very hard pregnancy with multiple hospital stays due to sickness etc but I got up in the middle of the night to pee and there was blood- quite a bit. I sobbed and my heart sank, I just knew it was over- went to the ER, eventually had an ultrasound and baby was a-ok. It was an issue with my placenta but due to placenta placement, there were no further issues with that but it was by far the most terrifying few hours of that pregnancy. A peppermint dissolving in hot tea has always been a HUGE help in easing gas pains. I always hated saying that bc there’s no real release of the gas, the bubbles were always really high in my ribs. Thanks for sharing your story!
Ugh I know that feeling of having tte bubble high in your ribs. It’s soooo uncomfortable and yes painful!
And that is soooo scary. I might have lost my mind if I saw blood. I luckily didn’t. So glad all turned out well for you!
So sorry you had such a terrifying experience. That sounds awful. I’m 25 weeks pregnant myself and admittedly terrible about drinking water, so this post serves as a wake up call to me to be better about it. I’m pouring myself a tall glass as we speak! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, make sure you drink water Gina!!!! I am so glad you read this. It makes me feel so happy that this blog post is potentially helping other women prevent the same thing from happening to them!
Yes, yes, and yes! I suffered through this around the same time. This is my second pregnancy as well. I had an appointment the next day and they did an extra ultrasound to check my cervix. They said everything looked fine and that I was likely severely dehydrated! With my first, I was able to leisurely drink water more often. Chasing after a toddler who loves to spill over my water = no bueno. I’ve since had these same episodes 3-4X since. I’m currently at 36w.
In case you experience this too.. because we both are having kiddos relatively close to our last (my LO will be 22-months old when baby is born)… I’ve had several other pre-labor symptoms that I never had with my first. They say it’s because my body knows what it’s doing. The baby’s head was already fully engaged at 34w. I feel like I’m dilated. But you could be these things for weeks with no action. This past weekend I had 2 hours of crazy Braxton Hicks. Two nights ago I had crazy nausea. Dr. Google says that nausea at 36w could be a pre-labor symptom. Ugh!! My husband has been dealing with my fear of Baby coming any day from about 25w because of these crazy symptoms. With my first, I never felt like he was coming early. I actually felt like he could stay in me until 41w! Now here I am at 36w.. up again for 2 hours last night with Braxton Hicks and convinced my water is going to break any day. So frustrating! I’ll update if she actually does end up coming up early ha ha!
That sounds so scary, but I’m glad you and the baby are OK!
I think it’s a great idea to share this story because I know I would find comfort in it if I were Googling this topic at 2 in the morning!
Did you go in and get fetal assessed anyway to make sure everything’s ok with babe? I would.
Right? Ali if you were as concerned as you made it seem in your blog post, you shouldn’t have waited. That’s what an ambulance is for. Seriously. Don’t be so silly next time. And stop using dr Google.
I did and all is good!
And Rachel – I hear you. But I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was SO scared but also fearful that I was just having gas and it was nothing. It hard to explain how you would react in the situation unless you’ve been in the situation.
I feel when these things happen, there’s almost a sense of denial. You feel it’s serious, but what if it’s nothing, there is so much going through your head. I totally understand what you mean, Ali! It is a hard feeling to describe. I am glad you and babe are both ok ❤️ You did what you felt was best for everyone in this situation.
I like that you addressed feeling baby move. I have seen too many women ignore the fact that baby was not moving as much until it was too late. Kick counts are so important! Glad everything turned out okay. Pregnancy is such an emotional journey!
How scary Ali! I’m glad to hear you and baby are ok!! I can only imagine how scary that was for you. Hopefully you can relax, rehydrate, and get some rest today!
This is totally un-related, but I was wondering what kind of cup Molly was using in your insta-story today. My daughter refuses to drink milk out of a cup and it looks like you had a winner there! Thanks in advance!!
It looks like a Zoli cup. My daughter uses them and it is the only cup I could get her to give up a bottle for!
Yes it’s the Zoli cup!
You and I are due around the same time so I’ve been checking in making sure everything is okay. This scared the heck out of me ! So happy you and baby are okay. I have a baby girl ( Evelyn Grey) due May 26th, my first. Get lots of rest and drank that h2o ❤️❤️
I struggle with staying hydrated during pregnancy. No matter how much water I drink, I will have poor blood work and ketones in my urine indicating dehydration. With my second I had to be admitted for it and my third I had a similar contraction experience like you. Hydration is so so so important and I will say that for me, I had to have something with electrolytes. It was truly the only way I stayed hydrated. Water alone did not cut it as crazy as that sounds! Staying hydrated while pregnancy is seriously a full time job and it can be really hard when you are busy.
I’m 23 weeks right now and have the same issue…. I drink probably close to a gallon a day and still am constantly told that I need to drink more. My body doesn’t seem to retain water at all. It’s so frustrating when you really do try to stay hydrated and still can’t seem to keep up.
Yes I had to alternate Gatorade or Powerade with water. Powerade after my first Bc I threw up so much Gatorade and couldn’t stand to drink it 😩 If I drank only water my numbers got me in trouble at the doctor 🙂 thinking of you…it can be so frustrating!
I have a friend who is a labor n delivery nurse. She says one bottle of Gatorade each day diluted in your water through the day.
If your b/p is ok she says do a 2nd bottle at night. Full of electrolytes!
Oh goodness Ali I am so sorry. How terrifying. This made me cry because like you said / this is how it happens for some women and they don’t get to have their baby. I’m so glad you’re okay and get yourself a gallon of water!
I would have done the same thing you did, and yes, I know other women who have driven themselves to the hospital, one of my good friends was actually in labor and all was fine but we all laughed about how she drove herself to have a baby! And I will say, no matter how many pregnancies you have, you still seem to get different things and/or different pains each time, at least that is how it was with me. I had a hard time drinking water with one of mine, but I drank tons of apple juice. Yes, I’ll hear criticism and others will say, oh but all that sugar! But my doc said, whatever fluid you can keep down! You might try setting a timer…..it goes off….time to drink some water (or juice or whatever you can tolerate). SO glad all was well.
How long to set timer for
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m almost 18 weeks pregnant (my first pregnancy) and struggle with drinking enough water daily. I didn’t know this could happen due to dehydration and will now be drinking more water ! I’m so glad you and your baby are okay. Thank you again for sharing your experience.
What a scary experience! I’m 32 weeks pregnant now, but about a month ago I ended up dehydrated in L&D triage. My 2 year old passed along to me a nasty GI bug that gave me vomiting and diarrhea for about 10 hours before I finally caved and went to the hospital. Just like you, I wanted to wait until the last minute because I didn’t want to get there and then them tell everything was fine. I also drove myself to the hospital because I didn’t want my husband to leave work early and then not be able to pick our kiddo up from daycare. Probably not the smartest idea driving myself or waiting that long but I’m glad I went in. Dehydration can happen a lot quicker when pregnant and be dangerous if not taken care of! When I got to L&D my urine showed I was really dehydrated and my heart rate was high which had the baby’s heart rate up too. Got some fluids and nausea medicine which helped me feel so much better! Never had any experience like this with my first, and definitely hope I never have to go through it again, but at least I know how serious dehydration can be. I constantly have water nearby!! Take care of yourself and hope you’re feeling well 😊
I had a similar experience at 16 weeks with a nasty GI bug and went downhill FAST. I was sent to the ER. My OB scolded me for waiting as long as I did to get fluids and stressed how important it was to be seen if you are pregnant and ever have the stomach flu. I too had a little one at home I was hesitant on leaving! I received so much fluid it was scary. That was a big wake up call for me!
Thank you for sharing this! I’m so sorry for your scary night, but so glad it turned out to be nothing serious. I’m currently 13 weeks pregnant with number 2 and as hydrated as I usually stay sometimes it’s so easy to just forget. I remember a few weeks into nursing my first born I felt my supply dwindle after having a bit of an over supply and I thought WHAT THE HECK! And then a friend asked if I was drinking water and I realized that those last two days I had barely had one or two glasses and that’s because I’m the type that drinks a gallon a day. Also, about not wanting to wake Molly, totally understandable! I don’t know if it’s just me, but after all those sleepless nights we went through and my daughter now finally sleeping through the night, subconsciously I’m all about NOT waking my daughter up or tweaking her schedule too much so that her sleep and following day are not impacted. Obviously if there’s an emergency, well we gotta do what we gotta do! Praying for you and your family and sending you lots of love.
Ayssa
I’m so glad you and the baby are ok. I can only imagine how scary it was. I was watching your story and I had something simailr but I had got so dehydrated while I was pregnant that I had a blackout and fell backwards. Its scary. Sometimes we forget how much a baby can take out away from our bodies.
That is very scary! Especially in the middle of the night. I reacted the same way when I went into labor a month early and barely made it to the hospital before #2 was born last May. I thought it was a false alarm and wanted to drive myself as to not wake the 1 yr old. My husband wouldn’t let me and we called a friend to come over quickly. The baby came 45 min after I got to the hospital. In retrospect you definitely do want someone with you in case the baby doesn’t want to wait until you make it to the hospital. Also I was wondering if your OB has after hours nurse/doctor line you can call in those kind of emergencies? Best wishes as you continue your pregnancy journey. My toddler was born on July 6 too. 🙂
I can not even begin to tell you how much I needed this post! I am so sorry this happened to you, but in writing this, you are saving me from going through the same thing. Before pregnancy, I never drank much. I just physically can not hold much liquid, no matter what I drink. Now that I am pregnant, I know I will need more water and honestly I’m stressing about it daily because even when I feel like I drink a lot (three bottles is a lot for me sadly) I can still feel at night that I am dehydrated. Seeing this post just reminds me how much more I need to drink. It’s a struggle but I know it is necessary. Your blogs are my favorite! I really look forward to them! Thank you for what you do and being so transparent and real!
I’m so glad you and baby are ok! Thank you so much for posting this. Like you, I had no idea this was a thing. I’m 16 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and will definitely be drinking plenty of water everyday going forward. 🙂 I’m sorry you had to go through this to spread awareness, but again thank you so much for sharing.
That is so scary!! I would have tried to take myself to the hospital too. So glad everything is okay.
On another note. My oldest son is Owen and my second is Molly! Now if you need names I have two more to go with owen and molly. I also have an Emily and Joseph. Best of luck!!
My midwives were in me about my water in take (we live in Florida and I was pregnant through the summer). One thing that helped me have peace of mind was a fetal Doppler they are pretty reasonably priced amazon. As a first time mom I was very nervous. Glad you are feeling better!
Thank you so much for this! I’m pregnant with my second baby as well (23 weeks) and while I was very on top of drinking water with my first, I know I’m not as good about it this time around. This was a great reminder of how important it is! I’m so glad you and baby are okay!
Keep coconut water in the fridge and just drink an entire bottle when you feel like you haven’t drank enough throughout the day. Some people hate the taste, but trust me-it’s a great go to for hydration and quick remedy.
I 100% would have wanted to drive myself in that situation. I don’t think you were being stupid :). Not only would you have had to wake her in the middle of the night, but you would have been trying to hide your fear and reassure her and comfort her instead of just focusing on what was happening w baby. I’m so glad all is well !
Happened to me at 31 weeks. Now I’m 35 weeks. Very scary. Glad you and babe are ok. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ali, glad you and your baby are ok! I had my baby at 35 weeks I was so scared she was so tiny but health!! I started having pains and had discharge I did go to the hospital they said all was well and exactly a week later I went into labor! I also saw my doctor the day before it all happened and baby I checked out fine. I ended having a healthy premie baby girl! She is now 2 months old and has definitely put on her weight I only breast feed. My recommendation is yes drink water but I would start taking it easy something close to bed rest. That’s what I wish I did I feel I would have been able to keep her in longer. Also listen to your body you know your body. Sorry I’m rambling this is so close to my heart being I just went through it.
As a momma who gave birth to my babe at 30 weeks (not from dehydration but other complications) I know how terrifying those moments are. NICU and preterm awareness is so important and every story we can share to help other women is incredibly important.
Happy to hear you and the baby are doing well!
Just want to say I have only one son who is now 13 ys old. I had him at the beginning of 27 weeks (yes he was 10 weeks esrly). I had never had a child before so i never knew what contractions felt like. I had morning sickness my whole pregnancy so I didnt feel like eating (had no craving) but i did drink water etc since i wasnt eating. I woke up one morning with severe pain, it was a continous pain, hurt if i sat, hurt if i laid dosn, hurt if walked just terrible pain. I was at home alone so i called my mom (she lives out of state partically in tears because i was in a lot of pain) she said to call dr. I called my dr, dr asked me some questions and told me different things to try…so i did ( i saw my dr 1 week before and everything was fine). Yes, i felt like i had to go number 2 and i kept ferling like i had to go so then dr said that it might ne a uti (urinary tract infection) and to drink cranberry juice anf she was going to prescribe some medicine. My friend was on her way over to check on me so i asked her if she could pick up my medicine on her way. In the meantime hubby came home to ck on me and my friend called and said she couldnt get meds due to insurance. So hubby went to the store where friend was . In the meantime i felt number 2 coming really bad so i sat on the toilet….and then i noticed …sorry i know kinda gross..that i was bleeding. I got super scaredand called my dr. She said, ” i think u are in labor go to the hospital”. I was scared to death i still had 10 weeks left. So i called hubby he saidI’m on my way with the medicine. I said, “forget the medicine dr thinks i am in labor”. He said to meet him downstairs (our apt was upstairs) i grabbed my keys, purse and phone. And we went to the hospital. Thank god i had pre registered at the hospital a few weeks earlier and hodpital was very vlose to apt. They took me in right away and hooked me up to the machines to monitor the pain and ck babys heart beat. Then dr came in to examin me and could already feel the babys head! They said i was dialated to a 6 already. They rushed me to the delivery room, and were waiting for the nicu drs. I kept yelling “i have to go to the bathroom” and drs kept saying, “no don’t push yet”. Well since i never had a baby before i didnt know what it felt like, so after a few min of going back and forth i yelled “i dont need to push i need to go to the bathroom!” Lol i didnt know. Then they said ok push..5 pushes later i had a baby boy 3 lbs 3 oz almost 18 1/2inches long. NO EPIDURAL OR ANYTHING for me I had him allNatural! They took him to the nicu right away . He spent 2 long months there. Because i had pre registered at hospital ehen i went to the er they took me right away without fillingnout paperwork…i did the papereork after delivery.
The first time i saw my son wss in the NICU. He was in this big open box type thing (not a incubator) with so many wires and tubes attached. He didnt look like a newborn yet but a toothpick with skin. I was scared to touch him becsuse i thought he would break. Dr said it’s ok touch him. I cried. Those were the longest and hardest 2 months for me but i thank god and the AMAZING Drs and NICU Nurses for taking vare of my son for 2 months. Because of them i now have a handsome, healthy, smart, perfect 13 yr old. Dr doent know why i had him early but apparently god thought i could handle it.
Please make sure u pre register at the hodpital it will save you time.
Hi Fellow NICU Mom! My son was 10 weeks early as well! 2 lbs 3 oz. I wanted to ask did you have cognitive concerns when he was around one? I think I am just being paranoid because he was early but I just wanted to see if you had worries about his development at any point while he was catching up?
I can’t stay hydrated during my third trimester, regardless of how much water I drink (and I was drinking a TON). With both babies, dehydration would kick me into labor every week or so starting at 32 weeks. The only way to keep me hydrated was to head into the hospital for IV fluids and I would have to do this approximate once a week. I made it to 38 weeks with both babies, but all those trips to the hospital were not fun. I’m sorry you had to go through that! It was terrifying at 32 weeks, so I can only imagine how you felt at 26!
So thankful that you and baby are ok.. I can only imagine how scary it was.. but thank you for sharing your story and possibly helping someone else.. God bless
I am so glad you shared your story. I am currently almost 5 months pregnant and went through a similar experience to yours recently (twice). I started getting contractions and the pain was so unbearable. My doctor treated me for the possibility of a urine infection although my urine test was okay. She also suggested that the pain could be the stretching of the arms of the uterus but she was also concerned about how sharp my pains were. After reading this post it finally makes sense to me now that I could have been possibly dehydrated all along. Since the pains, I have been making the extra effort to meet my daily minimum of 2 litres of water. So sorry I didn’t find post sooner but I am glad I did anyways 🙂 Hope you have a safe delivery and healthy bouncy baby.
I’m glad you and baby are doing fine. How scary that must have been. I remember being in the hospital right after giving birth to my son and I had the worst gas pains they totally felt like contractions!
Wow! Thank you for sharing your story! I am currently 7 weeks pregnant with our first child and I will for SURE drink more water. I drink a lot of water anyway, but now I want to make sure this doesn’t happen. That must have been so scary for you, I can’t even imagine it.
I am happy to hear you and your baby are fine. On 2/9 I went into the hospital for the same thing, unfortunately they were unable to stop my contractions and I delivered at 29+5. He’s currently in the NICU but doing great. I also have an ex 30 weeker who is now 2.5 years old and doing great. My advice is that if you ever feel that way again you go to the hospital. Even if it’s a hassle – the whole process – it’s better to be safe! Again I’m happy you and baby are fine 🙂
I literally ask “Alexa” to set timers every 30 minutes when I get home for the day and I chug water when it goes off. Also, using a bubble tea straw to drink water helps me be able to drink a lot really quickly it’s amazing how much you can get in by using a big straw. Being unable to work out this pregnancy due to several reasons makes me not as thirsty so I have to work on it for sure
Ali, you’re not alone! I’m currently 32 weeks pregnant and this happened to me on New Year’s Eve (so I was about 25 weeks along). About an hour after I had woken up that morning, I started getting terrible cramps in my uterus area as well. I thought, just as you did, that it was probably gas or that I had to go to the bathroom. I tried, and I just couldn’t. I started to get scared because the pains just kept getting worse. Being that this is my first baby, I didn’t know if what I was experiencing was normal or not! I of course hopped on Google and researched my symptoms. People were saying on message boards that it could be Braxton Hicks, but I didn’t know what those were supposed to feel like so I didn’t want to assume. The pain gradually kept getting worse until I was on my side, laying in bed, doubled over in pain with tears streaming down my face begging my husband to HELP MEEEEE. I also called my mom (because who doesn’t want their mom when they’re sick or in pain – I STILL do LOL). She told me to call the after hours line at my gyno. I ended up getting in touch with the on-call doctor who recommended I go to the ER after I described to her my pain. It was strange because as soon as I got into the car with my husband driving, the pain was GONE like nothing had even happened. I wanted to make sure all was OK with the baby, so we still went to the ER. After hooking me up to the monitor in the Labor & Delivery ward (imagine my horror when that was where they took me to, ‘omg am I going to have this baby today?!?!?!’) they found absolutely nothing was wrong with me. Ghost pains was what they called it! Nobody even mentioned that it could be from severe dehydration, but it makes total sense now because once I started drinking water, the pains went away. I don’t regret coming away with a $530 hospital bill because I got piece of mind and made sure my baby was OK. It really truly is a scary feeling when you don’t know what’s happening, but I’m glad I’m not alone in this. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us, Ali. I am currently finishing my 2nd huge bottle of water as I end this message 🙂
I’m so sorry you went through that but so so happy it passed! 🙂 when I was pregnant I would get severe cramps when I didn’t drink enough water. Although it wasn’t a full blown contraction the cramps were so bad that I knew I had to drink water right away! Dehydration is super scary when your pregnant. Wishing you the best with the rest of your pregnancy! 💜
I had a similar experience at 26 weeks pregnant and after 2 hours of the pain that I could only imagine was contractions I went to the hospital. It turned out it was dehydration and a kidney infection. Thankfully I’m sitting here with a healthy and happy almost 3 week old baby boy but that night was the scariest night. Also, the pain I had that night was actually worse than contractions during labor! So keep drinking and do not ignore any possible signs of a uti (funny the symptoms are the same pregnancy). Glad you and baby are ok!
I’m only in my first trimester, so I’m glad that I saw this! I’ll be very careful as my pregnancy progresses to get enough water. Thanks for telling us your story!!! I’m sure you’ve saved at least one mother (probably more!) the pain of going through something similar. Glad it all worked out!
Thank you so much for posting this! I am newly pregnant with my first and I have no clue what to expect. I don’t think I have ever heard the effects of dehydration and would have definitely thought labor like you! Thank you for being so open about your situation! I’m sure this blog post will help many! 🙂
That is so scary! After having a full term baby (1 week late), I delivered my second baby at 31 weeks. 31 is a lot different than 26 of course even though it’s only 5 weeks it makes a huge difference. But she was totally fine, had a short stay in NICU and now 2.5 years later you’d never know she was ever a preemie! Hope all is well and your pregnancy is a smooth one going forward!
I was 5 months pregnant with my first baby and went into preterm labour. She was stillborn. Broke my heart into a million pieces…amniotic fluid was low…
I am so sorry for your loss, Nats. I hope you have a loving support group of family and friends to comfort you and help your broken heart heal. I send you the hope of peace and joy returning to your life in some way.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m currently 21 weeks pregnant with my first and had no idea that that could happen! I try to make sure I drink close to 3 liters a day, but reading this will definitely make me watch my water intake even closer! Prayers your way for your little one ❤️
It’s been a long time since I had a baby my kids are 23 and 21. However, with our 2nd we had a plan in place to call my sister-in-law no matter what time of the day or night and she would come and stay with our daughter if we needed to go to the hospital. So this would be my suggestion. Find a friend if you don’t have family so when the time comes that won’t be a worry of yours. There is never a time that’s its silly or unnecessary to go to the hospital if you are concerned and if needed you need to have your hubby there with you. Good luck and keep drinking that water!!!
Wow first off Ali so glad you and baby are ok! Sooo scary sounding, I’d be freaking out! Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m currently 20.5 weeks with my second and have been thinking lately that I haven’t been doing the best job at drinking water and certainly have never heard this or how serious things could be as a result! You are right crazy how many people have had this happen, yikes!! Thanks for the wake up to drink up!!!! Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy, love your posts!! Thanks so much again for sharing!
Holly
I had a similar experience around 21 weeks. It was so scary! We were living in NYC at the time. Luckily it wasn’t the middle of the night, but I was supposed to fly to see my parents that night. Needless to say, I didn’t get on the plane. We went to the hospital and decided to take the subway. I was crying the whole way and some super nice woman asked if she could pray for me. I’ll never forget her. It was so sweet! It was dehydration for me too and my baby girl was just fine. But I started drinking more water than I could ever imagine possible! I never had the issue again after that.
Thank you for posting this, my niece is due in June and I will definitely pass this along to my sister in law. I have to make her drink !! So glad you and the baby are okay!
I’m so happy things are ok with you. I went through the same exact thing in my second pregnancy and they released me from the hospital once they gave me fluids. I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy.
I’ve had two children, thankfully didn’t experience anything so scary. Glad you and baby are doing well. This is awesome that you are sharing your story.
“ Lessons learned
Let’s all keep learning from each other.
I’m so happy to hear all is well with you and baby. I’m almost at 26 weeks as well and I try to drink as much water as possible, some days more than others. Thank you for sharing your story and for making us aware of it. All the best to you!
Thank you so much for talking about this. I am 30 weeks pregnant right now and get a lot more Braxton hicks with this pregnancy then with my first and my OB told me to drink more water. I thought I was drinking enough but hearing your story now I will be way more diligent and drink WAY more! Definitely don’t want them to turn into real contractions
This happened to me in the middle of the night at 26 weeks & I ended up passing out and hitting my head on the bathroom sink! My poor husband heard me fall and found me unresponsive on the floor. Needless to say, he was petrified! Luckily, baby was fine, but I had a severe concussion & spent 3 days in the hospital. It was so, so scary!!
Hi Ali, my husband and I are looking to conceive later this year and I have to say that your honest feedback about your pregnancy is extremely helpful and a huge eye opener. I never would have ever thought that dehydration could do something that like to someone when pregnant. I do my best to stay hydrated throughout the day and even bought a Hydro Flask last year to try and force me to drink more water at work. Now I’m even more convinced I need to keep up on my hydration especially once I do get pregnant. Thank you so much for your honesty! I love reading all your blogs!
I’m 25w3d pregnant and it’s 11:15am and I have only drank one glass of water today. We have an audit going on at work so I was extremely busy this morning, but filling up my water bottle now and will be more cautious with staying hydrated no matter how busy I am. Thanks for sharing your story and I’m so glad you and baby are safe.
What a scary experience for you- I’m so glad you are ok! I delivered at 26 weeks and, though she is a healthy 11 year old now, she fought hard to be here. Praying you stay hydrated and healthy and that sweet baby keeps cookin’! You look absolutely stunning!
Gas is the worst pain ever pregnant or not, when it hits me sometimes I become paralyzed and literally cannot move without crying from pain until it goes away.
I am currently 28 weeks pregnant and have been extra crampy lately if I do not drink enough water. I can completely tell the difference in the way my body and mind feel if I have nor has enough water for the day. This is my first pregnancy so trying to do s whiting right. Dehydration is no fun but even more so when pregnant!! So glad you and baby are ok !!
Same thing happened to me 3 weeks ago when I was also 26 weeks. After an IV and lots of fluids it stopped. It was particularly scary for me as I had triplets at just 24weeks. We lost our son at 4 months old and our two survivors also spent 4 1/2 months in the NICU and have had a lot of medical issies so I know what can happen and have experienced it first hand. I wouldn’t wish a premature birth on anyone and people dont realize how lucky they are to have full term healthy babies. It brought back so much pain when I was in the hospital again terrified what may happen again. So glad you and the baby are okay and thank you for bringing some awareness to the dehydration issue. As moms who have other children we thinj to take care of thek first, but qe have to take care of ourselves too especially when pregnant. What I will say is never hesitate to call your Dr in the middle of the night or go to the hospital. Always better safe than sorry.
I am going to sign my niece up for your newsletter. I want her to read this. She is 30 years old and 20 weeks pregnant with her first baby. She has been so sick and not able to drink a lot without throwing up. She had bad pains the other night and was so scared. She is an ICU nurse and knows what dehydration can do but was very scared none the less. Her urine is also cloudy. So she is trying to drink more and is giving popsicles a try. I’m sorry that you had to go through this but glad to know all is well 🙂
Terrifying! I had no idea this was a something that could happen during pregnancy. I just learned a ton from reading your post. Thank you and so glad everything is OK!
That exact thing happened to me last night. I woke up and was in so much pain. Trying not to wake my husband I left the bedroom and sat in pain for over an hour, contractions began (now I know we’re Braxton-Hicks) and I kept putting off waking him up as he had to work today. I tried a few things and decided I needed a glass of water. Within 1/2hr the pain slowly went away. I’m 35weeks so I thought for sure I was in early labour. I wish I would have watched your Instagram story before I went to bed and it would have saved me from stressing out.
So glad your feeling better!
I had no idea this was even a thing!! I appreciate the comments to make people like myself aware. I am 22 weeks with my 3rd child and clearly still learning new pregnancy tips and musts. Thank you and glad that you and baby girl are safe and healthy!!
Ali,
I am so happy you and the baby are doing well!❤️ Dehydration is so scary. I have Lupus and Addison’s Disease and dehydration is one thing I battle all the time because of the Addison’s and I drink at least a gallon of water a day. Before I was diagnosed with the Addison’s I was having problems with my heart and had had some tests run and was put on a blood pressure medication that had a diuretic in it (not good if you have Addison’s and can’t retain fluids anyhow). That night I had the worst pain of my life, worse than labor and I had 18 hours of back labor with my son and worse than a gallbladder attack. The pain lasted for 36 hours. I was in the hospital being given fluids and pain meds and potassium in huge doses because I was so severely dehydrated that i had no potassium. It had caused all my muscles to seize and cramp up and then caused temporary paralysis and kidney failure, all from dehydration, so I have no doubt that the pain you were feeling was awful and terrifying!!!! I’m so sorry you went through that. It’s amazing that you share everything on your blog so that others can learn and share their experiences as well. God bless you!!! You are such a sweetheart!❤️❤️❤️
Here’s to you having a healthy and relaxing rest of your pregnancy. ❤️🙏
Much love to you, Kevin and Molly
So glad I came across your article. I am 25 weeks pregnant and know that I am not drinking enough water most days. Not sure why but it’s so hard for me to remember to drink water. This will give me the extra kick I needed to get it in gear with my water intake!
Dear Sweet Ali,
I’m so glad that you and baby are ok! Contractions caused by dehydration are so common among pregnant mommies. I see it all the time (labor nurse here). One of the first things we do for our moms contracting is give them fluids. It’s amazing how fast it stops the contractions. I hope you bake that baby to a nice well done state❤️
Blessing for a happy healthy rest of your pregnancy and delivery!
Heather
This happened to me but 6 weeks after giving birth. I was diagnosed with severe dehydration after spending 5 hours in the ER with unexplainable and very intense stomach pain. After another episode almost a year later, with the most severe pain, almost worst than contractions, it turned out I had to have my gallbladder out.
I’m sure your doctor knows best but something to pay attention to as your pain sounds so similar to what I went through.
So scary and I’m glad you’re ok. This happened to me at 32 weeks, not as scary but still scary. The pain was awful and I was vomiting from it. I went to the hospital and spent 18 hours in L&D having contractions and 1 cm dilated until the dr told me that I had a kidney stone and was severely dehydrated. Dr sent me home on bed rest and told me to drink a lot of fluids. It took another almost 24 hours to stop having contractions. I know life can be so busy, but make sure you’re taking care of yourself!
I am so glad you and your baby are OK, Ali. I second what Tracie stated. Please find a friend who can come stay with Molly at a few minutes notice, should you think a trip to the hospital is necessary. I realize that the move to your new home may mean you don’t know any of your neighbors well enough to ask one of them for help, but I’m sure you have a close friend who would be happy to zoom to your house so you and Kevin could go to the hospital. Please don’t ever consider driving yourself! That line in your blog practically made my heart stop! You need Kevin to be with you! You two are such a sweet team and have such a wonderful marriage. ❤️
I’m so glad you and baby are okay! (And that baby is still comfortable on the inside and didn’t make an early debut!)
I had early contractions as well, starting around 24 weeks. My doctor always told me to make sure I was drinking enough water and to make sure I was taking breaks during the day, as I was a full time dayshift nurse at the time so I was constantly on my feet! I didn’t think pre-term labor could happen to me since I was young and healthy, but I had my son at 29 weeks. Thankfully, he is a perfectly healthy 20 month old now, but it was so incredibly terrifying going into early labor. Also… My husband had to basically force me to go to the hospital the night I was in labor- I kept asking just to wait a few more minutes, so I totally get why you didn’t go to the hospital right away;) It’s such a surreal experience but I am glad you are aware now so hopefully you don’t have to go through it again! I will be praying for a safe rest of your pregnancy! Best of luck!
I had this happen to me at 27 weeks. I called the doctor right away, they had me come in, hooked me up to the monitor while a nurse sat next to it and confirmed it was indeed contractions. They gave me a huge container of water and told me I needed to drink it until it was gone. After 2 hours of being there, the contractions stopped and I was sent home and told to drink more water so that when I peed I couldn’t tell I had peed. They wanted it clear. Definitely scariest thing ever. I remember looking up the chances of survival of a baby born at 27 weeks.
I did the same thing (googled survival chances). So scary.
This happened to me as well! I actually got an ocular migraine and it was so scary. I did go to the hospital in case it was preeclampsia, but in turn while sitting in the hospital bed realized I drank absolutely no water that day 😬 and after IV fluids felt back to myself again! I realized I really needed to be more careful considering I’m not one who likes water anyway!
So glad you and the babe are okay! Stay hydrated and think happy thoughts!!
Omg! I am 14 weeks today, and thankful I read this! It is a good reminder to all of us to get more water. Glad to hear both you and baby are ok!
So happy you and your baby are ok. I had something very similar happen at 24 weeks but I did go to hospital because the pain didn’t stop. And it was all because of dehydration, which I didn’t even know was possible! I will never forget the look on my husbands face when they said she is having contractions😮 Thankfully, all ended well for us. Something I didn’t know about either was how painful gas pain could be! It’s no joke and can be worse than contractions. All the best with the rest of your pregnancy, you are beautiful!
So thankful you are sharing and getting awareness out, for yourself and others! Dehydration will cause contractions and also high blood pressure, which can freak you out in pregnancy also! I just dealt with this a few weeks ago when I was having contractions and high bp (this is my fourth baby, so it happens to all of us!) and I was talking with my chiropractor about it. I told her I feel like I drink water all the time and can’t understand how I could be dehydrated still. She suggested that maybe I wasn’t getting the electrolytes I needed. I started a supplement (basically a natural form of gatorade that actually helps, not just sugary drink) and I have felt amazingly better!! I have regular bp, no contractions and have had so much more energy!
Hope this helps! We all can learn and grow…I know I can! So thankful all was ok with you and baby!
Ali I am so sorry this happened to you but I am SO grateful that you shared your story! I am 16 weeks and am TERRIBLE at drinking water. I’ve never been a big drinker my whole life but I realize now how critically important it really is! I’ve been having problems with gas pains my whole pregnancy so far so maybe that’s the problem! Aaahhh! I’ve been drinking more during pregnancy than I ever did pre-pregnancy but I know it’s still not enough! Drinking a big bottle right now as we speak and will 100% force it down going forward!
Honestly I am in tears reading everyones comments and seeing how much this blog post inspired others to stay hydrated. If I helped even just one person prevent this it means EVERYTHING!
I’m so glad the pain stopped for you, and that you and the baby are doing well! I know how scary that can be. I was having sever pain when I was 34 weeks pregnant, and I was so sure they were contractions. I actually ended up going to the hospital in the middle of the night and found out I had a bladder infection which was causing the contractions. I stayed to be monitored until medication kicked in and they stopped. I was released after a few hours, but man that’s scary stuff!! Praying for a healthy road for you and baby the remainder of your pregnancy! Xoxo
I was 34 weeks pregnant with my second when my husband was hospitalized and I didn’t eat, sleep or drink. I went into preterm labor and they put 2 IV bags on me before the contractions would stop. Scary stuff
I went through the same thing at 30 weeks and was terrified. We ended up going to hospital and I received fluids through an IV. Even with those it took a few hours for the contractions to stop. As we left the house I ridiculously panicked that none of my daughters newborn clothes were washed and ready. Of course in the grand scheme of things that was so not important, but when you are pregnant and scared your brain isn’t the most rational. I learned a huge lesson that night and have spread the importance of staying hydrated to any of my pregnant friends. I appreciate all of your Mommy blogs so much and am glad everything is okay!
I’m 15 weeks pregnant and my doctor told me I needed to drink more water. I’m on my feet all day at work, and am so busy sometimes it is hard to remember to take breaks to hydrate.
I had no idea how severe this could be!
Thank you so much for sharing, I have already today made sure I’m getting more than enough water! Would hate to have experienced this later on in pregnancy, you just might have saved me this experience!
SO happy that you read this and hopefully this never happens to you! Hope you have a smooth rest of your pregnancy luv!
Glad you are ok! It’s definitely scary! This happened to me with my son at around 32 weeks. I had gotten my maternity photos done outside in the freezing cold and didn’t drink water all day! 🙁 So stupid in hindsight. I didn’t have pain from the contractions but I had the most severe headache of my life and had to be hospitalized overnight for iv fluids, pain meds, and monitoring the contractions.
Cheers to drinking more water and a smooth rest of pregnancy for you!!! <3
I learned this lesson from my midwife in my first pregnancy. She said to drink a 2 liter of water (or about half your body weight in ounces) and lay on the left side when it happens. If after an hour, they have not stopped to go in. The other key thing she said that no one has mentioned yet is to take a bath or swim daily towards the end to help with water retention in the ankles, hands and feet. It sounded silly but she explained it as the weight of the water around you pushes the water into your bloodstream and filters through your kidneys. So if you’re drinking a lot, but not using the bathroom in proportion, a soak or a swim will help. The idea is to flush your system.
I’m chugging a bottle of water as I’m reading this!! I’m currently 28 weeks with my second and am so terrified of having another preemie (my daughter was born a month early). I’ve been having a lot of Braxton Hicks lately and I know those can be more common after your first pregnancy but also dehydration can flare those up. This is such a great reminder to keep drinking water!! Thank you for sharing your story and I’m happy things are ok with you and baby!
I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant. I thought I was pretty consistent in drinking water and staying hydrated until I read your story. There are some days where my morning sickness (or all day sickness) is so bad bad that I skip drinking my water because I feel like when I’m that sick and I drink water it makes it worse, but hearing this I guess while getting sick is when I need the water the most and shouldn’t skip drinking it just because I don’t feel good. I had no idea this could happen and I’m so glad I came across this! So scary but I’m so happy you and baby are okay!
I’m so sorry to hear that you are so sick Jordan. But yes PLEASE drink water! It’s so important. Talk to your doctor about it.
How scary is this for you! When I was pregnant all I wanted to drink was water, with ice! It had to be ice cold or I wouldn’t drink it. I am so glad that you and Baby M are ok! Praying for you for an easy going rest of your pregnancy!
Wow glad you are okay!!!!!!! I always drank alot of water, but had my babies premature both times (2&3 year old) now preggo again 26 weeks now, tha is for letting me know though now I’m nmore aware, how do you know how much to drink during the day anyway, I have my old hospital cup they give u in hospital, but how many of those or how many oz a day should u drink
That is so scary! I’m 35 weeks with Baby #2 and I’m notoriously terrible at drinking enough water whether I’m pregnant or not. I’ve already been giving baby girl pep talks about staying put until at least 39 weeks so I can’t imagine how you must have felt thinking you were in labor at 26 weeks! Going to fill up my water bottle now!
I’ve driven myself to hospital so many times. Gall bladder and asthma attacks. What was I thinking? I think it’s a woman/Mom thing. We don’t want to wake and worry our loved ones. We would never let our loved ones do it though would we 🙂
Great that you are sharing this! I hear ya about not calling the dr or waking up the fam. My water broke at 35 weeks and I didn’t do anything for 2 hours! Just wondered and paced around. My lil angel is now 19 😍
Ali-
I’m so sorry to hear about your scare, but I am very glad that everything is okay. As a busy mom who is also pregnant (same due date as you, actually!), I know it can be really hard to stay hydrated; I feel like I can never drink enough water.
I saw on your instagram that you posted a tutorial on your foundation routine– would you mind sharing:
1. How you clean the brushes that you linked to
2. The products you use (moisturizer and foundation)
Your skin (and make up) always look so amazing– I have total mom envy.
Thank you!
I too was dehydrated… was having contractions but didn’t know it. I had a fever from a uti went to hospital the hooked me up to monitor the baby and the nurses were amazed that i felt nothing! Had to spend a few hours hooked up to an IV to get hydrated. Scary stuff! Everyone one always makes a big deal about drinking water during pregnancy… didn’t realize how important it was!
I am a labor and delivery nurse and we see this all the time! Especially in the summer months! It is so, so important to stay adequately hydrated when you’re pregnant, especially for you since you already have an irritable uterus. Thanks for spreading awareness on how important this is!
I always enjoy reading your blog posts 🙂
This is my first pregnancy and I find so much comfort in knowing that not everyone has each day be perfect. I have worried myself on many occasions already and I’m sure there will be many more to come. Thank you so much for sharing. I have found that the internet can be helpful but I have also found that it makes my mind go crazy worrying and thinking about all that could potentially be happening. Again thank you for sharing and keep them coming. It helps out more than you know
As a doctor – do not be afraid to go to the hospital when there is a serious concern. When there is no explanation for your symptoms, it is not safe to “wait and hope for the best.”
Call 911 if necessary, if you can’t drive and your husband has to watch Molly.
Another option (for symptoms that seem less alarming) is to call the doctor on call. S/he can help triage the situation, and determine whether a ER visit is necessary.
Ali, I can’t even imagine how scary that was for you and Kevin! Thank God you are all ok and doing better today!
I have Lupus however I had 2 healthy girls so I do understand the insecurities in the not knowing what is going on.
We all love you and support you! Thank you for sharing the good and the bad with us!!
Thank you so much for all the love and support Alicia!!!! xoxo
I am currently on my second pregnancy – this one with twins and I knew drinking water was super important. I had a really hard time remembering to drink water every day, or knowing how much I had actually had already. I got this water bottle – which I am sure you can easily make yourself instead of paying for it but it’s been great! It is nice having the hours on there so I can easily monitor where I should be throughout the day and catch up accordingly. Ever since I have gotten this water bottle I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t drank at least 64 oz. (if not more). https://www.drink64.com/
So glad you and baby are okay! This happened to me at 39 weeks with my first pregnancy in the middle of the night! I started having contractions and I called labor and delivery to see if I should go in. She asked that I drink a couple large glasses of water and see if the contractions persisted. When they didn’t I knew I could go back to sleep. My son ended up being 3 days late so I was definitely just dehydrated. Now I’m pregnant with my third and make sure to drink plenty of water! Great advice!
Ali, I hope you and the baby are OK! Take care of yourself!
Full of kisses everywhere you feel bad!
So glad you and baby are ok. I had a similar situation happen when pregnant with my second. I kept fainting and they said it was from dehydration. The last month of my pregnancy my heart rate and pulse would get SO high that it felt like I was having a heart attack on top of that it was causing me to pass out again. Two trips to LD and they still had no answer. As wonderful as pregnancy is, it’s so hard on us and our bodies. Hang in there. Get lots of rest. Drink lots of water. I’m guessing youre having a boy by your sour worms request. That was a weakness for me with both of my sons. 😉
Thanks so much for sharing!! I’m currently 20 weeks with my 3rd baby and sometimes I get so busy with life and my other 2, I need to remind myself to make sure I’m taking care of myself and the baby! This reminds me just how important it is. Thank you!
It means so much to me that this post is helping remind others to take care of themselves! Best of luck with the 2nd half of your 3rd pregnancy! Very exciting!
So how much water are we actually supposed to be drinking? I thought I was drinking enough but maybe not? Now I’m worried. If anyone knows, let me know!
I thought I was dehydrated, as this happened to me off and on during my last pregnancy. I didn’t know what contractions were, so I wasn’t aware that what I was actually experiencing was a gallbladder attack. I had no idea that it is very common to have your gallbladder fail during pregnancy. I consistently had attacks throughout my pregnancy and they were HORRIBLE. After I had my daughter I continued to have more and more before my midwife figured out what they were. Prior to that they had thought the same thing, dehydration and gas pains. I guess my advice would be to just have some blood work done to make sure your liver enzymes aren’t high. Its a good precaution! If you find you have a bad gallbladder you can alter your diet to alleviate some of the pain. I had to have surgery four weeks postpartum to have mine removed. The surgeon said he was working on three other postpartum moms that week for the same thing!
I had a scenario very similar to this happen to me with my first pregnancy. I started having horrible pains and because I had never experienced pregnancy before, I was terrified and convinced it was contractions and it was way too early, about 20 weeks. Long story short, I was in horrific pain and sat on the toilet, not able to go, thinking I was losing my baby and telling my husband to call an ambulance. Thanks God he didn’t right away, as it was really bad gas and dehydration and then I was totally fine. Ended up having a healthy baby boy delivered on his actual due date. Ugh!!!! I am so glad everything is ok for you!! Sending well wishes for a perfect, 40 week long pregnancy.
So glad you and the baby are ok. I learned the hard way how important it is to listen to your body. My first baby was born at 35 weeks but only lived 3 days. I’ll never know if going to the hospital immediately instead of waiting it out would have changed the outcome, but I l’ll live with that regret forever. With my next two babies I went to the hospital for everything! And when I didn’t want to wake my husband and daughter, I drove myself. Take care, rest up and listen to your body. You know it best.
Oh Ali, I’m so glad everything turned out ok. Dehydration is very serious. Thank you for sharing your story. I’m sure it will be a wake up call to many people. I just love you! God Bless.
Awww thanks Renee! Love you back!
I had a similar pregnancy scare at around 12 weeks and thought for sure I was miscarrying. I spent 12 hours in the ER only to find out the same thing you did. I was super sick with both of my babies and wasn’t eating or drinking enough. I started carrying ice water with me everywhere. I completely understand your fear and I am so sorry you had to go through that. Glad you and your sweet baby are ok. Praying for a smooth third trimester!
Thank you Erin! I think I went pee about 25 times today. I have been drinking SO much water!
I was 23 weeks pregnant with my first, my son. My now ex husband was out on deployment and I was home alone in Texas. No family close by. No close friends. I had what I thought was gas pains. Our upstairs neighbor happened to be a doctor and wife. Earlier that week she had given me her number in case I ever needed anything. Well my pains started coming every five minutes. I called her. She calmly called the doctor for me, got me in the car and took me into the doctor to the hospital. I was in preterm labor. Long story short- i ended up making it to 34 weeks. But always trust your instinct! My son is now 10 years old.
Second babies always seem to bring on whole new senarios! My first was a breeze…my second put me in the hospital with severe morning sickness for a week! Had a PICC line and everything! Then I was having similar pains that you described…went into the birth center and my uterus was irritated!
Hang in there and I wish you smooth sailing from here on out 😁
April
I’m so glad to hear you both are doing well now. It is a very scary thing to happen. When I was pregnant with my 2nd this happened I thought I was drinking enough water but didn’t take on to fact that being pregnant you need even more water. I went into labor and had my little boy 4.5 weeks early. He is happy and healthy little boy and we are so thankful that we were far enough along. But it is so important to take care of ourselves. Again so happy you both are ok and your bringing more awareness to this. Good luck 🙂
Hello Ali, your post couldn’t have come in a more timely manner. I’m also about 27/28 weeks pregnant and the past two days have been weird yet scary for me. I’ve been, and still, having mild contractions because I keep feeling so so queasy. Now that I’ve read your post, it has really helped me understand that I should be drinking a lot more water. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
My dehydration story comes from after delivery. We came home from the hospital and ended up back there again 2 days later because I was dehydrated and ended up with a bladder infection. The doctors told me to be sure to have a water bottle with me at all times and to fill a pitcher to kee in the fridge. It should be empty by the end of the day.
I’m so glad you and the baby are doing well now. Just remember hydration is important post baby as well, especially if you plan to breast feed.
Drink up 🙂
It happened to me! In 2009 I was pregnant with my second child, our son. At around 34 weeks I too started having contractions one night. They became strong enough and frequently enough that we knew we needed to go to the hospital (I was already high risk because of being 39 at the time and an unrelated disease so we were worried.) Like you, I was concerned about dragging our daughter to the hospital so we waited for a friend to come over and stay. Once we got to the hospital I was really scared I was going to have a premature baby born in the next day or so. The brought me in and hooked me up and sure enough I was having strong contractions. First thing they did??? Gave me one of those hospital water pitchers full of ice water and told me to drink it all down quickly. I did and then they gave me a second. They also gave me a dose of medicine to stop the contractions. They continued to have me drink tons of water, explaining that dehydration can trigger contractions. They ended up having to do a second dose of the medicine to try to stop contractions. Between that and the water, the contractions finally stopped! After being there overnight I was ok to go home. They said because I had gone into preterm labor and was high risk already that they suggested I go on bed rest because if I went into labor again and I was almost 35 weeks, they would let it go and not stop contractions. When discharging me they explained I must continue to drink water, especially anytime I feel any contraction. So that’s what I did, I had modified bedrest and drank tons of water and he continued to bake in my belly until I was able to deliver my sweet boy at 39 weeks (already scheduled based on my disease and need for magement of medicine.)
So the take-away? Please, drink tons of water every day and at the first sign of contractions, seek medical advice!
Thanks!
OH and soooo happy you and the baby are alright!!
And my son is a happy, healthy 8 year old!!!
So happy to hear you are OK. And definitely glad you wrote about this. My daughter is 22 months (born in 2016 like Molly 😊) and I’m currently pregnant (due in Sept). You get so busy with life and taking care of your active little one, that you sometimes forget to take care of yourself. This is a great reminder for me to stop and just take a couple min to make sure I’m taking care of myself…which would equal, taking care of the baby in my tummy.
It was so easy to do during my first pregnancy, but I seriously sometimes forget I’m pregnant cause I’m just trying to keep up with my daughter lol. Thank you for sharing your story!
So glad you and the baby are okay! My boys are all grownup now so no pregnancy story to tell. I tend to not drink enough and just read an article about signs of dehydration…. one of the signs was craving sweets & candy. An excellent way to hydrate is to drink coconut water, it’s supposed to be better than plain water and/or Gatorade.
Interesting. I crave sooooo much candy and sweets! But I’m definitely drinking lots of water now so maybe my cravings will lessen.
I’m 12 weeks pregnant with #2 and just chugged a bottle of water. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Ali, I am so glad both you and the baby are doing ok. Dehydration is a big deal anytime, even more so if you’re pregnant!! Even tho I have not experienced anything like that while I was pregnant (I am like a camel when it comes to drinking ha!) I remember very well the anxious feeling of waiting for baby kicks to be sure the little one was doing good in there (and occasionally eating sugary snacks to give him a sugar boost and make him move). Take care and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, mine is a May baby too, will turn 1 this year 😍
Hi Ali,
First off I just want to say how happy I am your feeling better and all is well with you and your baby.
I had my first son at 32 weeks pregnant due to a placenta accessory lobe abruption at week 28. I had an irritable uterus most of my first pregnancy which was pretty awful and caused contractions from week 28 on. It’s definitely a scary thing to go through for any mom to be. I definitely didn’t drink enough water my first pregnancy and made it a point to do so with my second and he even came at 35 weeks. It’s crazy how the body works! I’m so happy for you and Kevin and little Molly.
Thank you for sharing your story! I am almost 8 weeks pregnant with my first child and horrible about drinking water. I will definitely be more diligent about it now.
Glad you and baby are okay!
Congrats on your first pregnancy!!! xoxo
Had my first baby at 25 weeks…..Second baby on bed rest from 19 weeks on due to preterm labor…she was still born…Third baby…bed rest from 19 weeks on…had him at 32 weeks…Fourth baby…bed rest from 19 weeks on…had him at 36 weeks. The 3 of them are healthy and amazing….but the most important thing while on bed rest was drink TONS of water!!!
I’m so glad you and baby are ok! This happened to me in conjunction with a kidney stone at 28 weeks and the pain was absolutely indescribable! I spent 4 days in the hospital with IV fluids and pain meds. Baby and mommy were ok after that but it was such a scary experience. Thank you for sharing your story, I love your blog!
So glad you wrote about this! I had “irritable uterus” too! At first I didn’t know what was happening but then I started to notice trends…like the contractions were always after 2pm and they were worse if I didn’t eat or drink well that day. They also were worse when I had a really active day at work. At first I think my husband thought I was being lazy -haha but I know what labour feels like – I have a 2 year old! At 35weeks I went to hospital thinking it must be labour – and I was having legit contractions 2min apart – but with rest they stopped. After that, my doctor put me off work. I’m a nurse so busy on my feet and forgetting to drink, eat, etc. Happily, once I was on modified bed rest at home, my “uterus” calmed down and I went to 39 weeks with a very healthy pregnancy. All the best to you from Canada!!
Hi! I had my second son Brandon 4 months ago. My oldest Jimmie is currently 23 months. My pregnancy with Brandon was a bit more eventful because I had to keep up with a toddler. It is extremely hard. I was in pain like you were and could barely move it hurt so bad. My doctor said I was dehydrated as well. I layed on my left side for a few hours and drank a glass of lemonade and chugged water. I only got up to pee. The pains did go away. What I ended up doing is buying a liter and a half bottled water and carried it around with me all day. Knowing I had to drink at least two of them. Something about having that bottle in front of me reminded me to chug away. Visited the bathroom a lot but so worth it. That was your body telling you to slow down. It is so hard when you are bending so frequently, on the floor trying to keep up with a toddler. I also got very bad pains when I had gas. Laying down on my left side and taking care of things helped 😉 lol
Just know you are not alone. Drink drink drink! You can never drink too much
Hang in there! It’s so worth it! Best of luck
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I am 24 weeks pregnant with my first!
I had my son because of this at 25 weeks. He weighed 1 pound 12 oz . It’s so scary! (He’s happy, healthy 5 year old today)
Hi!! I saw your story this morning about finding a drink that is high in electrolytes, and coconut water is a good option! It is also safe to drink while pregnant. I’m so glad that baby is doing well. Best wishes💕
You are so awesome for sharing not only this story but all your stories. Not all things are found on the internet so I bet it was so nice to hear other similar stories from others. Take care Mamma! P.S are you planning to do a gender reveal to your fans? I keep checking your blog to see if I’ve missed it cause I’m so darn excited and curious lol My apologies for being nosy lol
Hi Ali,
I am so sorry you went through that and am so happy you and baby are safe. I wonder if this could happen early on like 6-8weeks as well. I found out I was pregnant In January and we went to the Dr for 6week apt and baby was fine with a heartbeat. We went back 2weeks later and Dr told us she couldn’t find a heart beat! We lost our baby. I still don’t know what caused it but it’s called a missed miscarriage and it’s very devastating and I’m going through it now. People don’t like to talk about it but you need to so you can support each other. Pregnancy is a miracle and having a healthy baby at the end is a blessing! Praying for you dear! Hopefully next one for me will be a blessing 🙏🏻
I read this paragraph fully about the comparison of most recent and earlier technologies, it’s awesome article.
Cheryl ONeal says, thanks for the article post.Really thank you! Great.
Wow Ali what an icky experience! So glad you and baby are doing well. I am currently 35 weeks pregnant. When I was 31 weeks I experienced kidney stones for the first time! It was so painful to pass and I was having contractions every 3-4 minutes. They super common in pregnancy and drinking water helps reduce your risk. I love that you shared your story and hoping it helps show Mama’s how important it is to slow down and take care of themselves and drink that water!! ❤️
My reply is going to be talking in circles too 😂 oh well.
First off, I do believe it is possible to love more than one person at once. However, with that being said, I don’t think you can be IN love with 2 people at once.
I feel like he shouldn’t have said it to both because at the end it’s just going to hurt worse for the one who leaves. While it may comfort Becca and Lauren and probably Arie too it is going to hurt the girl who he says goodbye to so much more, and whoever he ends up with, seeing him say he loves someone else right before the proposal, I feel like is going to be an issue.
I love the way Becca handled her bed. I’ve been in those toxic long relationships and it’s rough, while I don’t know details of her relationship it clearly wasn’t well. He had an entire year to call her and tell her those feelings he said he’s been feeling for the entire time. She was able to stand up for herself but also in a classy way and address what he said but still ending it and sending him in his way. I feel for her.
BTW Ali
I love your blog! And you! So happy you found your love even though the bachelorette worked out!
When i got married, i could not give birth, it has been 4 years now we are married no child, i was having marriage crisis as a result of this, my husband was thinking of divorcing me. i was tired and frustrated and i love my husband so much, what should i do was the question on my mind, i came across Fertility Cure Home , who i contacted and great healer prayed for me and help me with a herbal remedy which i apply. after which few months later i conceive my first baby, all my thanks to Fertility Cure Home, the great roots and herbs temple. If you out there need help to get pregnant, you should contact Fertility Cure Home through his email via fertilitycure@yahoo.com
This is crazy because I’m 26 weeks pregnant and there are times where I am feeling a bit of pain and I’ve been drinking tons of water no soda barely juice , and I felt real dyhdrated but I wouldn’t drink water , Because I would pee so much after ! But thank god the pain wasn’t ever big ! And the same day my husband told me when he was at work , out of know no where not knowing what was going on with me called me saying if I drank water that day & I have said yeah but not like usual and I started to get the pain very lightly and it got heavier after 30 mins & then something told me to just drink the water that’s when the pain went away . Now I know that no matter what I’m doing even if I use the bathroom a lot of times I have to drink water no matter what !! Thank you so much ! & I’m so glad your baby and yourself is very well
Thanks for sharing your story! I was discharged from the hospital last night because I was vomiting yesterday all day and was severely dehydrated. I am 25 weeks pregnant and feared that the baby could come early. They did a bunch of tests and realized that I just had a stomach bug. But I could not even keep water. They gave me IV and monitored the baby. I was happy to see the baby was oblivious to what was happening to me it seemed. I did get worried when they detected contractions. This is my first baby so other than pain I would not have known I was having contactions. After tons of IV once the vomiting stopped 24 hrs later and after checking the cervix was nice and “long”, the doctors discharged me. I still have some pain on the right side of my tummy but have started drinking tons of water since I woke up today. Your story rang true to what happened to me. I am so glad I went to the hospital. I would have never imagined dehydration could cause contractions!
I’m 34 weeks & just went through the same scenario. But I ended up chugging a massive glass of water & resting for a while & am now feeling muuuch better, thank goodness! Now I’m online googling & this is confirming my suspicions that I got dehydrated. That was definitely very contraction-like! Except it never fully “let up”. Oy! Gonna be majorly monitoring my water intake now.
I’m currently 21 wks and experiencing this for the past 3 hrs. I’m very pain tolerant but when I’m sitting and relaxing the pain is easy to handle, as soon as I stand up or move around it’s nice sharp lower pains. Constant pressure and need to go to the bathroom. But I can feel the baby kicking away. This is my second pregnancy but I don’t know really what contractions are, I needed to have early c-section with my first baby so I never really felt them. Already on 4 cups of water & pain is the same. Bathroom breaks r the worst. I’m guessing it’s just gas I gotta wait on …
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Hi. I’m 26wks pregnant and yesterday I went down for a nap about 1. I woke up at 2:30 with bubs moving and it didn’t feel right. Know I’ve had 4 kids already and I knew it didn’t feel right. So I sat up and went to the couch and as I did I started to feel tigtning and cramps and like U I thought it may of been wind, so I got up and went for a walk. The pains worsened and started to feel like contractions and I’m 100% sure I was going into labour. At 4 clock I went to hospital. They were completely unsure what was going on the contractions got worse. So they done an internal and it all came back negative my cervix was closed and I wasn’t in labour the contractions and pain lasted from 2:30 to bout 6, they gave me panadine 4 and an injection for bubs lungs just in case I was having bubs. I was petrified crying in tears. Thinking I was in labour and I was going to loose my baby girl. The pain went away for bout 2hrs. And suddenly as I was bout to go to sleep at the hospital the pains came bk. Tho not as painful the doctors redone the tests and still all negative. They ended up giving me something to move my bowls pain killers and a sleeping tablet. Bout half an hour later I fell asleep woke up in the morning and these pains and contractions were gone completely gone. And still know I or the doctors have no idea what it was. I went home the next morning and I’m completely fine like nothing happened. And less then 24hrs ago. I 100% thought I was in labour and was going to have a premature baby at 26wks.
I just experienced the same thing yesterday, and I am 22 weeks pregnant I was contracting out this world my back and stomach was in so much pain. Went to the hospital could barely walk to the 4th floor. I thought all the worse things possible. So they ran tests of my urine and also had me on the contracting monitor. Basically when your in your second third fourth pregnancy your ligaments and muscles contracts more than your first pregnancy. Turns out I needed to drink water because my uterus was irritated off severe dehydration. The crazy thing I was drinking water throughout the day but it just wasn’t enough. I am thankful I know this now, because soon as I start drinking the water in the hospital the contractions just started to diminish away. I am happy you and the baby are doing well.
I’m 26 weeks pregnant and been having braxton hicks from 11:30pm and it’s after 2am at first it was very close together and then getting bit tense and after an hour or so they were becoming more apart but still little bit tense before going away and I can’t sleep and I have my glucose test in the morning and tried going toilet, tried having some water, tried laying in different positions to sleep but it’s like a constant feeling there
So i had the exact same experience as you did Ali. I searched the internet for 2 days after and nothing was like what i had experienced so i began to think something was wrong with me, although i did not go to hospital during the contractions like i should have mine eventually just stopped, but it was the worst pain i have ever felt in my life. Nothing like it before. I had about 8 contractions within an hour but during the screaming and crying i was drinking water which is probably why it stopped when i was contemplating go to the hospital. The whole next day i felt sore from them and felt like it was going to happen again at any moment, i began to be scared that i would have them frequently and i knew i could barely handle that pain. That wasn’t the first time i had them i had them about 4-5 times separately and thought it was to be round ligament pain. Until this time they came in waves at about 5-7 minutes apart and that’s when i knew it was contractions.
Everyone always tells me drink more water drink more water but never did i think that could happen from not drinking enough. The past 2 days i have dranken a minimum or 8 glasses a day and i promise myself i will never drink less because i do not want to experience that again or have a fear that i will be having my baby at 30 weeks.
Thank you so much for sharing your story because it has finally gave me some piece of mind and i found someone who can relate to me because nothing on google does!
For anyone who reads this and it hasn’t happened to you yet…. drink that water it is so important!!!!
God bless
I’m so glad I came across this blog post. I’m currently dealing with this. I’m almost 35 weeks and I was having a hard time even keeping water down, but my contractions have stopped and I’m starting to bounce back. It’s definitely a scary feeling thinking your baby is coming when it’s just not time yet. Your post was very helpful and gave me hope. So thank you for your story and I’m glad you and baby are both okay!
I am 35 weeks and pretty sure this is what I just experienced!!! Thankfully I feel better after after lots of water and reading this.
I had this happen two times. Once at 20 weeks and once at 22 weeks. The first time I thought I was miscarrying the pain was so bad. But I noticed my calves were tight so I popped a magnesium and potassium tablet and chugged water and Gatorade. I spent the rest of the night with a heating pad on my belly. I thought it was some strange occurrence until it happened weeks later. I felt it coming on and sat in my shower with warm water on my belly. Drank as much water as I could and put the heating pad on that entire night and next day. My doctor lectured me about my activity levels and dehydration. Im 23 weeks now and I’m praying it doesn’t happen again until my baby boy is term. It was awful.
This story just made me feel so much better! Im laying in bed about to cry from the cramps I’ve had. The last couple days I haven’t drank much water and have been working in my garden in this heat! It makes sense now.. Thank you for sharing your story, I’m sipping ice water as I type 🙂
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Girl thank you for this. I’m 28 weeks and went through this yesterday afternoon! Again I woke up at 3:30 in excruciating pain and took a warm bath and…the amount of gas I passed was….just…. astonishing.
I texted my midwife and she agreed, dehydration and gas! But reading this really put my mind at ease 😂
This helped me so much. I am on baby # 3 and my other two I never had any Braxton Hicks at all. Not this time. I have been in so much pain the last week on and off and on and off and my doctor just said drink water. That’s it no explanation or anything. I’m sorry some people have had this experience end horribly, but reading this does help to know it isn’t just me that is experiencing this!
I’m so glad I found this.
I am only 18 weeks and went to the hospital last night due to bleeding, contracting and a shortening cervix (still closed!)
I’m still having some contractions today. They think the bleeding was a sub chorionic hemorrhage but aren’t sure. Probably won’t know until I see my midwife on Monday.
At this point my baby would NOT survive. Nobody even checked my fluids last night. I can’t even believe it. I have not been drinking near as much water as I should be – and I’ve been very busy at my work (server/bartender.)
I started progesterone today and was told by my doctor to take ibuprofen to stop contractions.
Nothing helped until I discovered I may be dehydrated and started chugging water.
Now I’m doing lots of research and seeing stuff like this! How did the doctors at the ER not think of this??
Thank you for writing this!
PS … baby is currently kicking me. She’s good. I just have to help my body keep her in there!!
star Ali Fedotowsky recently had a particularly confusing experience with pregnancy pain—and it was so bad that she thought she was going into pre-term labor.
I just had something similar happen to me a few days ago. Although mine wasn’t fixed so fast. I worked all day as a housekeeper at a hotel, thinking the cramps was just because I pulled a muscle or something in my stomach from getting use to my new job.. I struggled to work through it all day. In tears on and off from the waves of pain.. I made it to the end of the day and it still didn’t go away, I had no appetite and could barely stand up I was in so much pain. So I went to the ER and they ended up checking my cervix, which was still closed thankfully but continued to monitor me and pump me full of fluids and waited for the contractions to stop. Nice to know I’m not the only one who went through this