Just curious

ashlea18

I am 37 weeks and was just wondering do contractions feel like period cramps or do you feel them more in your stomach ??

PrimRoseMama

To me they felt like a combination of menstrual cramps and stomach cramps that wrap around your back. If you have to ask if its real, odds are its not.

cMichelle0423

PrimRoseMama said:

To me they felt like a combination of menstrual cramps and stomach cramps that wrap around your back. If you have to ask if its real, odds are its not.

This... However I never felt the "period cramps" feeling. It was just a terrible sharp stabbing pain that wrapped around me.

Bigboobsmcgee

It's a gripping pain unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Even the contractions that were far apart and not as intense made me say "WHAT THE FUCK?!" It was nuts. I literally wanted to crawl out of my body.

I didn't have contractions with my first because I was induced so I was worried I wouldn't be able to recognize contractions but boy was I wrong. Not to scare you or anything

ashlea18

Thanks girls I'm not feeling anything yet I was just wondering☺️

ashhsa

Good question >-

sarahsnowball

For me early labour started out similar to menstrual cramps then got more and more intense. They began to wrap around my lower back too.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Elyse1384

OP - every woman/pregnancy is different in terms of how contractions feel, level of pain tolerance, duration of labor, etc.  I highly recommend chatting with your OB about how to monitor yourself and determine a good time to head into the hospital.  For me personally, contractions felt like a tightening of my belly that spread around to my back.  Think VERY intense menstrual cramps.  Technically, I could talk through them if I had to, but lets just say I wasn't comfortable and was happy when I received my epidural. 

DustyMelons

EstrogenFest said:

You won't always know though.  My friend said that you should wait to go to the hospital until you can't talk through them.  With #2, I woke up in the middle of the night when #1 woke up crying and when I stood up, my water broke.  I felt fine so I putzed around, we got #1 ready to take to my friend's and while I was at the friend's, the contractions were 2 min apart.  Since I was talking through them I assumed I was fine and wasted tons of time.  When I got to the hospital, I was ready to push.  

But I've also had contractions that were awful and there's no mistaking those.  

Here's hoping your labor is like the former!!!

Yeah, that sounds like pretty bad advice from your friend. I'm glad everything worked out for you in the end but that must have been pretty crazy to experience.

OP, timing your contractions is what's recommended. If they aren't coming in regular intervals that you can time, then it's a false alarm.

Usually your OB will advise you to follow the 5-1-1 rule. Head to the hospital if the contractions are 5 minutes apart, they last at least 1 minute, and they've been happening for one hour. There is also a 3-1-1 rule, basically if they are 3 minutes apart or less get your ass to the hospital ASAP. 

helsbels222

I actually never felt my contractions. When I got to the hospital after water broke, they told me I was having contractions. This time I feel tightening at the top of my stomach. I guess they are BH.