Natural Way to Stop Contractions?

[waitbabysadie]

I am new to this forum and new to bed rest. I have a 7 year old and delivered her at 37 weeks after being induced due to pre-eclampsia.

Here's my situation:
I am 26 weeks tomorrow and started have contractions 3-4 minutes apart last Wed. I was admitted to the hospital on full bed rest since my cervix dilated to 1cm. Length wise, my cervix was 2.7-3.7--doctor says it's dynamic and the length is good. I was given Terb shots & Nifedepine. I cannot stand the shaky feeling and light headedness, knowing that if that is what I am feeling, the baby's heart is racing as well. Since the Fetal Fibrenectin test came out negative, giving me less than a 1% chance of delivering in the next 2 weeks, I was monitored overnight, and since my cervix had not changed by morning sent home on strict bed rest orders.

My question is this: the doctor said that if I start to contract again to take the Nifedepine and then, call him. I don't feel the Nifedepine worked and did not like how I was feeling on it. Is there a more natural way to stave off contractions? Bed rest is a given, but anything else? I'd really prefer to stay off meds. as long as I can.

Any advice is so appreciated.

[Mommaof3]

Well the only natural way I know it to take it easy and drink a lot of water! If you feel contraction lie on your left side... Other than that I have never heard of any other way to keep contractions and labor at bay! Good luck =D

[abby]

Did they give you the terbutaline with the nifedipine?  In my experience only the terbutaline caused the uncomfortable shakiness and racing heart, and I only got those shots in the hospital.  spent 12 weeks taking nifedipine almost daily and had no side effects from it.  It actually lowered my blood pressure. 

[Angela]

When I saw your post, I was thinking the same thing Abby said. I often hear women (myself included) mention the shakiness and heart racing due to the terbutaline. The nifedipine seems to make people more sleepy and zombie-like. I was on it from 24 weeks to 37 weeks, with increased dosages and/or frequency every two to three weeks to maintain the effectiveness.

Thanks for joining the group! Hope you're here for many many weeks!

[Taya]

Check out http://theleakyboob.com/  She may have some resources for you. Also if your on facebook you can find her and post a question.

[iza_bel_2000]

I have been on nifedipin for almost 14 weeks now ( bleeding previa) I am taking 2 pils 4 times a day every 6 h its the inly way to keep my contractions quiet. When my bleeds occure i have a wave for a few hours of regular and very painful ones for a few h. What they do is to overhydrate my with iv. It usually helps. When my contractions are bad at home my doctor told me to drink at least 4 lt of water a day. On top high dose of magnesium twice a day helps a lot.
Nifedipin sides effects tempt to go away after some time. I have been on monitor ling enough to know it does not affect baby or his hartbeat. Yes i felt a lor like my hart was beating in my throught I was getting hot flushes red cheaks and light headed... But this med is what made me carry so far and as far as i know its the one with least or non side effects on baby...
I take progesteron too to help cervix hold on and to have less contractions...
Listen to yr doc keep bedrest and good luck coping with medicine side effects but it is all worth it. I would never made it so far 36+ without...

[waitbabysadie]

Hi Everyone-
Thank you so much for sharing your stories. Update--it's been 11 days and only one of the days did I start contracting regularly again. I took the Nifedepine and felt little side effects. The drop in blood pressure I don't like since that does make me feel lightheaded, but it worked. I went back to the doctor and my cervix is unchanged (holding at 1cm) and my cervical length went up! The bed rest is working. I am also taking baths at night (with doc's permission) when I tend to feel most achy and cramp and it stops that feeling almost immediately...the pressure off my hips and back when I'm in the tub is so nice. I am also thankful to have my work that can easily be done in bed on my laptop for short periods of time.

I also recruited pretty much anyone and everyone who is in my life to help out and even though it was hard for my husband to swallow (he is a man with so much pride)--it made the week go by so much faster. Friends bring me lunch and hang for a bit and then someone else comes in the late afternoon to drop off dinner.

27 weeks on Monday, Doctor's appts on Wednesdays, and life goes on...I have to say that I am loving the evenings before my 7 year old goes to bed. She climbs in bed and cuddles and reads me books. Tells me how she's feeling and what's going on at school. It's nice to have that. She's seen me cry a bit more than I'd like, but seeing how sensitive and caring she is with all of this is just heart-warming.

Hang in there everyone!

[munchkinsmom]

My herbalist suggested red raspberry leaf tea, which helped me go from constant contractions and cramping to about one contraction an hour or even less. I checked with my OB though to make sure he was ok with it.

[wild+wee]

I would avoid Red Raspberry. Red raspberry leaf can actually bring on preterm labor for women with an irritable uterus, from what I've read + been advised. I was taking it with my first child & ended up having PPROM at 35 weeks.

I'm on nifedipine, but also take extra magnesium + calcium to help prevent contractions: 750mg of Magnesium, 1500mg of Calcium Citrate (most easily absorbed). Magnesium Sulfate is used in hospitals to stop preterm labor.

I also upped my protein intake on the recommendation from a midwife + a Chinese Medicine practitioner who specialized in women's issues. And I take extra vitamin C to prevent infection + 3 g of Alfalfa to prevent PROM.

And if you're allowed, they also recommended taking a bath with Epsom Salts (more magnesium sulfate). I'm not allowed to because I'm at risk for infection/PPROM, but if you don't have any restrictions you might want to try it.

I had a lot of contractions around 26 + 28 week, so would lie down on my left side, drink 60ml of water in an hour, plus 30 drops of Valerian Root to calm the contractions. Wild Yam is also supposed to help, but I haven't tried it. I also used the homeopathic Calms Forte to try & relax them + it seemed to work. Incidentally, you can also take it at night if you're having trouble sleeping.

Some midwives suggest that a small glass of white wine or vodka can help calm things down, too. Yes, I know it sounds crazy after avoiding alcohol for so long, but it did seem to help me. This is NOT an excuse to drink, and should just be used as an occasional emergency backup to prevent having to go to L&D with building contractions. Avoid red wine - it has tannins that can irritate women prone to preterm labor.

There's a great post at Mothering.com that gives a lot more info about ways to prevent preterm labor naturally: http://www.mothering.com/community/t/385821/signs-of-preterm-labor. Just scroll down a bit past the info on how to tell if it's braxton hicks or contractions.

I've also been proscribed a Chinese Herbal medicine called Shou Tai Wan, or Fetus Longevity Formula. It's expensive (~$130/month for capsules) + you'd need to have a prescription for it, but I swear it's a miracle formula. I started taking it a few weeks after going to L&D at 25w for contractions. Was already on nifedipine + still having contractions. Started taking this, and I stopped having contractions, my cervix stabilized, and I have so much more energy again. I'm now at 31w4d & holding strong.

Good luck! Hope this helps. 

[niana]

Spent 12 weeks taking nifedipine almost daily and had no side effects from it.  It actually lowered my blood pressure.