Lets talk about contractions!

Soleil3

Lets talk about contractions! Alright mostly early labor stuff, how they felt, if they were consistent, how long you had them, how you knew they weren't braxton hicks etc. Anything you've got from a recent labor or priors Feel free to revive this thread with questions as often as you want!

MommyKristin88

I can promise you there will be a "are these contractions" post before the day is over!

My contribution: contractions felt like really strong period cramps. Back labor felt like something was pressing and grinding against my lower back.

lydsyjane

My question: I have a tilted uterus (towards the back) and posterior placenta. Does that mean I'll be more likely to have back labor?

LokiLahve

Google it OP!

Just kidding. I have nothing to say here since I'm apparently never having this baby...but I look forward to the insight from others.

MommyKristin88

lydsyjane said:

My question: I have a tilted uterus (towards the back) and posterior placenta. Does that mean I'll be more likely to have back labor?

I have a tilted uterus. My back labor was attributed to baby's position (facing forward) not my uterus. Is yours still tilted? It usually corrects itself during pregnancy.

Soleil3

Ok so for my first, it basically felt like menstrual cramps, it was uncomfortable and lasted all day long, but it wasn't really consistent or time able. I finally went in and did the "Ok shes at a 3, keep walking and see if you progress" and then" ok shes at a 4, keep walking and see if you are in active labor". They never got consistent. 

My second skipped early labor all together, the first contraction hit me like a sack of bricks to the gut and I was either dying or in labor.

 My third, well I guess I'll edit this when I find out eh?

catskitch

I thought I wouldn't know the signs of labor until I started feeling the contractions. BH was just the tightening, but real contractions were like menstrual cramps x100, or similar to the bad ache you get when you really need to poop.

It starts of gradually from the lower abdomen, then radiates to the back, then gradually tapers off. Some of mine were 2-3 minutes apart and I couldn't tell when they ended, they sorta merged together and felt like one big contraction that lasted like 5 minutes.

PackersFan315

Just when I get excited thinking that it could be the real thing, I do the drink water and lay down thing to test my theory. And sure enough, it's just cramps or BH. Son of a bitch!! Tomorrow is my due date and I just am so ready! LO is way too comfy and not coming out, I guess!

lydsyjane

MommyKristin88 said:

lydsyjane said:

My question: I have a tilted uterus (towards the back) and posterior placenta. Does that mean I'll be more likely to have back labor?

I have a tilted uterus. My back labor was attributed to baby's position (facing forward) not my uterus. Is yours still tilted? It usually corrects itself during pregnancy.

Not sure, I guess! I did go to the chiropractor and he said I'm very balanced in the hips so maybe it corrected itself. Baby's spine is facing outward so maybe I won't have such bad back labor? I have no clue, haha.

Soleil3

@lydsyjane check out spinning babies, it's extremely informative.

MinnesotaMomma91

It felt like those really bad need to poop now cramps. Literally the first two hours of labor i thought i just had diherea. But they started getting stronger. Like i was walking to the bathroom and they took me to my knees and i had to stop and focus on getting through.

Anyways at that point i decided to start keeping trwck of them. My advice. Keep a written record. Write down when it started and when it ended.

Oh and once things started really progressing it felt like i could feel my vag ripping apart but that could just be me.

mommabmb

Thank you for starting this. I guess my UO wasn't as unpopular as I thought!

BlueJewelM

My first was born "sunny side up". So I had back labor. I never felt anything in the front. It was all back pain that came in waves.

This baby was not sunny side up at my last ultrasound a few days ago, so I'm scared I won't "know" even as a STM since ill probably feel "normal" contractions. Cute thread idea Soleil.

kkay1982

Soleil thank you for this thread. I am two days overdue and have no idea what is going on with what I am feeling so it is great to hear from others. Even if it ends up not being the same for me it's nice to get an idea and see what is similar.

BelhurstBride

With DD it started with just mild cramping. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on and figured even if it was early labor I could make it to work and at least get through a half day. (Students had a half day and I was okay with missing all the faculty stuff in the PM!) But about an hour later it wrapped into my back and knocked me to my knees. I called in to work and started timing them. Even with the back labor they had clear start and stop times and were timeable.

BrideMay2005

lydsyjane said:

My question: I have a tilted uterus (towards the back) and posterior placenta. Does that mean I'll be more likely to have back labor?

I have a tilted uterus and was told that as it expands it straightens out. I'm not sure how the placenta factors in. But I can at least say I didn't have back labor the first time around and have a tilted uterus.

lydsyjane

BrideMay2005 said:

lydsyjane said:

My question: I have a tilted uterus (towards the back) and posterior placenta. Does that mean I'll be more likely to have back labor?

I have a tilted uterus and was told that as it expands it straightens out. I'm not sure how the placenta factors in. But I can at least say I didn't have back labor the first time around and have a tilted uterus.

This makes me feel better, thank you! I keep hearing how back labor is a bitch so I'll be thankful if I don't have it exclusively in my back.

rosiecottonk

So I've been mostly lurking since November, but I finally feel like I have something to contributed:
LO was sunny side up and I had excruciating back pain, not much around the front. It felt like my tail bone was going to shatter, I was clinging to/climbing the side of the hospital bed before I agreed to the epidural. If you have back labor, you'll know. The only alternative I could think of was that my spine was actually breaking apart.

I also had an anterior placenta, which my OB said makes you much more likely to have a sunny side up baby.

Hope that might help someone, back to lurking...

magdalina.h

Last week I was getting them every 8 minutes for an hour then they stopped (thank god!). I have BH all the time now that it's hard for me to remember what my belly feels like not hard. I only get painful contractions every couple of hours.

nnikki10

My water broke so that really helped me know they were real. They felt like period cramps or like bad diarrhea pain. Later in labor they moved to my back and it was excruciating I couldn't find relief. Felt like my back was breaking.

sfeebs13

I didn't get to experience what contractions may have felt like on my own. My water broke and I had no contractions until about 3 or so hours of pitocin. They were then just kind of crampy and I knew what they were. A few hours after that I was in tears. I was having very intense ones about a minute apart.
I described these to FI as when a blacksmith heats up his iron tool over the fire and then it was as if he was stabbing the glowing hot iron into my stomach and twisting it around. Yeah, I definitely went with an epi at this point.

sfeebs13

@lydsyjane I was freaked out about back labor myself. I had a sunny side up baby and anterior placenta. I think she turned though as i hear most do when you go into labor. Although of course some dont.

kwrecks

I have a tilted uterus, an anterior placenta, and a posterior baby. I worry about back labor.  What I also worry about, is that I am so focused on waiting until I feel period cramps, and I am used to having back aches, that I won't know when/if I'm having back labor, because I'm going to assume it's normal back pains. 

On my last day of work, we had an extremely busy day and I was on my feet moving for about 8 hours straight.  I began having weird stomach pains, at the top of my bump that felt like I had done about a billion situps.  They were more muscle pains than anything.  About an hour after that, I felt what felt like period cramps, but it was a constant pain.  It never really stopped and started back up. It did go away after I sat down, but I am wondering if either of those pains are what labor pains will feel like. 

Alma Perdik

Happy for this thread thanks OP this is my first time I'm due in 4 days and I have yet to feel ANY contractions so I keep thinking about what will it feel like and how will I know? I know it's different for everyone but at least I have an idea now...

11dematosk

I have a question, will I be pregnant forever? JK but really it feels that way. I have tried everything (safe no jets or bungee jumping) like sex and walking and it does nothing. I'm just feeling discouraged

WildRumpus

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

Soleil3

@11dematosk for what its worth, for my second I went 10 days overdue and went from nothing to 10 in 3 hours, no signs or anything. So It will happen!!

BelhurstBride

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

I'd hardly call it a pinch. A stab, maybe? Right to my pelvic bone. Either way it started a week or two ago. Stops me in my tracks. 

kwrecks

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

Yes.  I feel like my vagina hurts more than anything else.  I will be sitting and I think what happens is baby moves, I get this crazy intense feeling that I have to pee, as well as a crazy pinch/pain in my crotch.

Soleil3

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

I think its just intense lightning crotch. I had that last night for about an hour until I finally shifted the babe to make him stop. Some of the strikes were dropping me hah. Yowtch!

11dematosk

@Soleil3 thank you good to know that nature won't always let you down. I'm just sick of dealing with all the phone calls and descriptions of labor pains from female friends and relatives! Or silly advice like "if your water breaks call your doc" "thanks I had no idea" ::eye roll::

WildRumpus

kwrecks said:

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

Yes.  I feel like my vagina hurts more than anything else.  I will be sitting and I think what happens is baby moves, I get this crazy intense feeling that I have to pee, as well as a crazy pinch/pain in my crotch.


Yes! It's like a pinch/twist, like I would imagine he's grabbing my cervix or something. Yeowch!

Alma Perdik

Jill9288 said:

kwrecks said:

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

Yes.  I feel like my vagina hurts more than anything else.  I will be sitting and I think what happens is baby moves, I get this crazy intense feeling that I have to pee, as well as a crazy pinch/pain in my crotch.

Yes! It's like a pinch/twist, like I would imagine he's grabbing my cervix or something. Yeowch!


THIS I have experienced and it feels just like he is grabbing something and it hurtsss but it never lasts I can only imagine what he's doing in there to cause that pain.

Soleil3

I tell my husband that little dude is trying to reach out and wave

Cocolamo1

With all three of my labors, contractions have had a rhythm to them. At first it's questionable, but then it becomes clear. I don't think they feel like cramps, more centrally located for me. You can definitely feel the peak of each contraction as they become more intense and closer together.

thoughtfulmommy

Jill9288 said:

kwrecks said:

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

Yes.  I feel like my vagina hurts more than anything else.  I will be sitting and I think what happens is baby moves, I get this crazy intense feeling that I have to pee, as well as a crazy pinch/pain in my crotch.

Yes! It's like a pinch/twist, like I would imagine he's grabbing my cervix or something. Yeowch!


This. I get this sharp pain and am stopped in my tracks and DH always asks, are you in labour? No, no I am just getting kicked in my vagina, it's cool.

lydsyjane

Jill9288 said:

I don't know WHAT this is, if it's just more intense lightening crotch or what, but after walking last night, I was getting this really sharp "pinch" down low every few minutes. Anyone?

I've also experienced this a LOT in the last two weeks. Last night after walking I had it pretty intensely, I had to stand up and rock my hips to shift baby around. It helped a lot. She's definitely punching some nerves down there or something!

PrimRoseMama

Early labor: tight, light cramps like I had to poop. Loose stools and back ache. This was time-able for about 3 weeks.

Med Labor: small, time-able menstrual cramps with tightening. I felt the urge to walk and move.

Active OMFG-labor: couldn't sit through a contraction. Walking helped but still painful. Foul language, warm shower helped. Was convinced I might actually die. Wanted to murder the nurses and burn the facility down.

coraggiosa

Thank you for this thread, Soleil. Ever since I hit 38 weeks, I've been having menstrual cramps on and off, but nothing really timeable. Both my doctor and my doula just say it's prelabor, but it's pretty darn uncomfortable. 

lydsyjane

PrimRoseMama said:

Early labor: tight, light cramps like I had to poop. Loose stools and back ache. This was time-able for about 3 weeks. Med Labor: small, time-able menstrual cramps with tightening. I felt the urge to walk and move. Active OMFG-labor: couldn't sit through a contraction. Walking helped but still painful. Foul language, warm shower helped. Was convinced I might actually die. Wanted to murder the nurses and burn the facility down.

I'm sorry to laugh at your pain, but omg... )

kkay1982

@jill9288 I am getting a pinch right at my pelvic joint. I keep on trying to tell DH that it feels like someone is pulling my hair down there but it's deeper than that.