Contractions?

dangott

I am sure some of you will find this a silly FTM question, but I'm not sure what the difference in feeling is between a Braxton hicks contraction and the real thing. What I'm finding online is vague and unhelpful. I never really had any BH earlier in my pregnancy and now at 38 weeks + I'm feeling a cramping/ "pain" low in my belly every 30 min or so. It started today after a long walk so I'm not sure if I'm just psyching myself out. Definitely watching to see if they get closer together and I'll TT my dr about it tomorrow, but in the meantime just looking for other mommas experiences! TIA!

emclaughlin613

My BH contractions are higher in the upper uterus and it is a tightening of my entire stomach across the top and front. They are not regular or timed in any way. I have also had a few zingers which I believe were the real deal contractions those started in the front and went around my back. When I went into labor with my son, it was the cramping you mentioned. Started at 4:30am and Eventually the cramps became crippling and my doctor confirmed I was in early stages of labor at my appt later that same morning. Good luck to you!

kjuryfl

For me Braxton hicks make my belly rock hard but never painful. Uncomfortable for sure. Round ligament pain sends shooting pains and/or cramps in my lower belly/vagina. I usually get RLP after walking a lot or overdoing it. While in labor with my first real contractions felt like someone was taking the inside of my vagina with both hands and pulling it apart. It was a dramatically different feeling than Braxton hicks and RLP. Real contractions took my breath away.

Lida1182

With BH it's a tight feeling across my belly. True contractions stopped me in my tracks, had to hold onto something and took my breath away. I was kind of lucky in that my water broke with the first two, so I called my OB and had to go to the hospital right then