Feel like an idiot: Contractions vs. tightness--STM
Spacebunny19
member
So on Monday I was having a buncha contractions, got in to see my OB and was given the all clear (yes I'm 1 cm dilated and she's fully dropped/head down rarin' to go). But, although she explained that since I'm a STM, and I'm also HUGE (or so I think) there is a lot of tightness I'm experiencing that is not contraction. I was even experiencing what I thought was a contraction during my exam and she said my abdomen was NOT tightening for a contraction at that point--but to me it felt like it was.
So, since then I have been really trying to pay attention to my body and figure out when I'm having a BH or contraction of any sort vs. just the tightness, and I am having the darnedest time doing it, and so I feel like an IDIOT.
Is anyone else experiencing this? Why would tightness of that extreme nature (where i could seriously bounce a quarter off my belly) which comes & goes--just like a contraction--but *isn't* a contraction?
Now I'm half afraid that I'll be in labor and dismiss it until it gets way intense because it's just *tightness* in my head. (FWIW when I was in labor with DD#1 my contractions were the right timed apart but not all that intense when it started, but so close together I did go in right away and had her that day, so the whole "if you can talk through it" rule didn't even apply then. The contractions didn't get crazy painful (thank you back labor sunny side up baby) until about 6 hours into labor.
Re: Feel like an idiot: Contractions vs. tightness--STM
It was my understanding that the tightness and pressure that were not painful were BH contractions. I've been having them off and on for the past couple of days.
It is hard sometimes when the baby moves since they are so big if it is a BH o
Natural M/c 12/13/08 at 8w5d
Don't worry...I'm right there with you. I'm also a STM but my water broke with DS so I have no clue what to expect. I didn't have any contractions or BH until I was on pitocin for almost an hour. Right now, I have been having contractions every 2-5 min
The NOT being able to talk through is important. I went into labor with DS2 with contractions 3 minutes apart to start and they were really painful, there was no doubt it was labor.
These tightness and pressure contractions even though they
Natural M/c 12/13/08 at 8w5d
It is hard to explain, but trust me, when you are having contractions you will know, first they every time you feel a contraction it will be more painful and last longer every time (use the contraction counter on thebump.com to keep track), second when
I hate the condescending doctor talk: "See, many second time moms experience these things called Braxton Hicks..." Ugh.
FWIW, I could talk through my contractions until I was 7cm the first time around.
Trust your gut. I w
Always Sunny's back b-tches!