Prodromal Labor: How to Survive the Mental & Physical Exhaustion (From the Vault)

I first aired this one back in July 2023 and it became one of the most downloaded episodes I have ever put out. Prodromal labor is one of those topics almost nobody talks about, until you are the one lying awake at 2am wondering if THIS is finally it. So I pulled it out of the vault and dusted it off, because if you are anywhere near the end of your pregnancy, you are going to want this one in your back pocket. ❤️

Can we talk about the most emotionally confusing part of late pregnancy for a second? 😅

You start having contractions. Real ones... the kind that get longer and stronger and closer together. Your heart starts racing. THIS IS IT. You text everyone. You maybe even head in. And then it fizzles out. Nothing. False alarm. And a couple days later it happens all over again.

That is prodromal labor. And it is not in your head, it is not you doing something wrong, and you are absolutely not being dramatic. It is real, it is exhausting, and in this episode I am walking you through exactly what it is, why it happens, and how to survive it — mentally AND physically — without losing your mind in the process. I polled you guys a few weeks back on the topics you wanted to hear about, and this one came up over and over. So here it is. 💛

Here are some highlights from the episode:

• What prodromal labor actually is — and how it is different from real labor contractions and Braxton Hicks
• The different ways it can show up, and why it tends to start around 36 to 37 weeks
• The surprising role your baby's position plays — and what you can do to help
• The positional tricks, exercises, and chiropractic care that can calm things down
• The mindset shift that helps you see prodromal labor completely differently
• Why you are not to blame — and the everyday things like dehydration and heat that can trigger contractions
• The head-to-toe check I want every mama to do when prodromal labor shows up
• The good news nobody mentions — why every single one of these contractions is actually working for you
• How I personally reframed prodromal labor into the best practice run I could have asked for
• The very real mental and emotional exhaustion of it — and permission to feel all of it
• How common it actually is, and whether having it once means you will have it again
• The difference between prodromal labor and active labor (a listener question)
• How to truly take care of yourself while you are in the thick of it

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