Premature Labor

I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to my well-wishers on my birthday. Thank you so much for your thoughtful hearts. Your greetings and wishes made me happier.

Our Christian life is a life of blessing as the Lord is a real blessing to us. Happiness, joy, health, and even external environments and sufferings arranged by the Lord are still blessings. Without those environments the Lord has no way of displaying that He could be everything to us.

Why I say the above so? It was because I have experienced the Lord's saving hands during my own birthday. I have not been able to blog for many days past as I was having a premature labor. Literally, I suffered unbearable pain that made me impossible to walk and stand. It was a medical emergency. Premature Labor is labor that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy due to uterine contractions that cause the cervix (mouth of the uterus) to open earlier than normal. This can result in the birth of a premature baby.

I was really worried that caused me more to be stressed. I don't want to have my baby to be premature. My eldest son was premature at 7 mos when I gave birth to him due to pre-ecclampsia. It was so hard to have such early birthing. Aside from the expensive hospital costs, the risk of having a under-developed organ is possible. My son had his lungs collapsed after two weeks from birth. That made him almost a million pesos baby.

Those who are with me at home rushed me to the hospital. My Ob-gyne was really good and very attentive. He gave me the necessary procedure to prevent the cervix from opening more and prompt it to close back. The Lord is still good. It was still a blessing as if it was not, I could not have proved that there is a mighty hand that protects my baby. The baby is not even 7 months old yet and cannot survive if it could have been delivered. Praise the Lord. I was given medicine and was advised for complete bed rest for 7 days. I was on leave from work from Thursday and good thing that it was Holiday yesterday. I am feeling okay now, but I am now refrain from walking on distance and going up and down from stairs. I know the Lord takes care of me and I have experienced it totally.

Being pregnant for nine months is not really easy. We have to be prepared emotionally, physically and even materially in nurturing the life inside us. Being subject to stressful conditions may cause us to have the risk of premature labor and birthing.
Warning signs of premature labor

Below are signs and symptoms of premature labor. Call your health care provider if you suspect you are in premature labor. Waiting too long to call for help could result in your baby being born too early.

Premature Labor Signs and Symptoms

• A contraction every 10 minutes or more often within one hour (five or more uterine contractions in an hour)
• Watery fluid leaking from your vagina (could indicate that your water bag is broken)
• Menstrual-like cramps
• Low, dull backache
• Pelvic pressure that feels like the baby is pushing down
• Abdominal cramps that may occur with or without diarrhea
• Unusual or sudden increase of vaginal discharge
• Blood from your vagina

Pregnancy is normally a time of happiness and anticipation, but it can also be a time of unknowns. Many women have concerns about what is happening with their baby. Is everything okay? Some women wonder about going into labor early. Premature labor occurs in about 12% of all pregnancies. However, knowing the symptoms and avoiding particular risk factors can lower a woman's chance of premature labor. .