Fear of pre-term labor: am I the only one obsessed with this????

[Anonymous]

I'm 33 weeks and with every little twinge I get nervous that it's the first sign of pre-term labor. For those of you that are also approaching your due date, but still have several weeks to go - are you experiencing this fear? I can't help but think that maybe it's intuition and that I'm really going to deliver very early - but maybe everyone else experiences this same nagging fear and it's just normal?

[Anonymous]

I was hospitalized at 29 weeks due to preterm labor. Trust me, it takes more than a twinge for you to know what's going on...twinges are normal; whereas bleeding/spotting, back pain, and rhythmic contractions are not. You will know the difference instinctively if you're having preterm labor.

Also, at 33 weeks you can rest assured that your baby will very likely be A-OK. The major milestone for lung development is 33-34 weeks, so you're right in there. DH and I celebrated when we hit the 33 week mark!

Even if you went into labor tomorrow, your baby would have a 95% chance of being fine. Take a deep breath and be happy you made it so far...the end is in sight! If you are really REALLY worried and experience some of the symptoms I described, then see your doctor...they can reassure you everything is fine. If not, they will treat you VERY well and do the best thing for you. My doctors helped me get to term...I'm now at 38 weeks and going strong!