December 2015 Moms

What My Contractions Felt Like/Our Birth Stories (LOOK HERE BEFORE ASKING ABOUT CONTRACTIONS)

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Re: What My Contractions Felt Like/Our Birth Stories (LOOK HERE BEFORE ASKING ABOUT CONTRACTIONS)

  • My contractions were like menstrual cramps but eventually added rectal pain/pressure as well - as if I really needed to poop. I made it to 7cm with nothing (except misoprostal since I was an induction), took a bath and it helped a bit but I think also they were slowing down. At 7cm though they got so bad I threw up from the pain. Demanded IV painkillers (and to be checked at that point since they hadn't checked me all day). Took my 7-8 pain down to a 4 but the rectal pressure was still there for each contraction and cramps still there. Pain back to a 7 within an hour and I was only up to 8cm. I decided on an epi at that point. Thank god I did. Completely stopped feeling the cramps. Still felt the rectal pressure but a little less intense. Was able to doze a bit while they gave me pitocin to speed the contractions back up. After 1.5 hours I really felt like I needed to push out a bowel movement. They checked and I was fully dilated but baby still at +1 - amniotic sac was still in the way and hadn't broken yet. They had me try to push it out while we waited for OB. After 15 mins pushing the sac halfway out (basically like trying to poop) the OB arrived and popped it - baby's head was right behind and another 15 minutes of pushing later, she arrived. 2nd degree tears along the perineum. Ah well.
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  • @Taylovesbrad
    Was your LO sunny side up? Could have been the baby pressing on some nerves as they passed through your pelvis.
  • @bombmom3 nerves surrounding pelvis supply lower body not upper. Everything moves down the kinetic chain. She might have just strained a muscle while pushing, especially if it was a pre-existing condition.
  • Bombmom3Bombmom3 member
    edited December 2015
    @kimia222
    Fair enough. I had neck pain when my LO dropped into my pelvis along with low back and pelvis pain and my OB said it was all from the baby's head compressing nerves. I thought it might be similar to if LO was sunny side up. Maybe my neck pain was due to how I had to move/walk based off my pelvic pain at that time and my OB meant it was all related because of that.
  • @bombmom3 ya, baby down in the pelvis can cause all that lower body pain for sure. Your neck pain could have been body mechanics changing while pregnant, especially during sleep. So many things could factor in... I'm a physical therapist so couldn't help but put my 2 cents in. I even had some neck pain while i was in labor with my first. I always had neck pain issues though since i was little. Anyway, pain sucks.
  • Did anyone feel nauseous before going in to labor? I feel "off" and pretty nauseous. I thought my blood sugar dropped too much, but still feeling the same way after eating. LO is moving like crazy, so I'm not worried he isn't doing well.
  • Not before labor. I puked my way through "transition" and most of pushing with baby #1. Didn't have that with the other two, thankfully.
  • I threw up the morning I went into labor, threw up at 4 cms (threw up so hard that my water broke!), and then at 5 cms at the hospital.

    The cramping, plus the nausea and diarrhea are what tipped me off to the fact I was in labor.
  • laura6006 said:

    Did anyone feel nauseous before going in to labor? I feel "off" and pretty nauseous. I thought my blood sugar dropped too much, but still feeling the same way after eating. LO is moving like crazy, so I'm not worried he isn't doing well.

    I had a horrible pukey feeling and diarrhea the morning I woke up with contractions. It was the morning I got induced, so I'm not sure if the symptoms I had would have decreased/increased any on their own.
  • Thank you. I most definitely will be letting them know, I have the director of this department info now
  • Question for you ladies:

    I was told to wait for the contractions to be 5 min apart before heading hospital bound. I've been having those pre-labor contractions for over 24 hours at this point (roughly between 10-20 min intervals) its not excruciating but its also not progressing or getting closer together.

    Should I go to the hospital in the am anyway? Or just chill out at home and hope for the best?
  • Question for you ladies:

    I was told to wait for the contractions to be 5 min apart before heading hospital bound. I've been having those pre-labor contractions for over 24 hours at this point (roughly between 10-20 min intervals) its not excruciating but its also not progressing or getting closer together.

    Should I go to the hospital in the am anyway? Or just chill out at home and hope for the best?

    As pp said, you should wait at home during ore labor unless you're unable to get sleep and are exhausted (you will need your strength for the real deal). Walking can help speed things along as well as sex with your SO, assuming your water hasn't broken yet (since you're having timable pre labor contractions those two things can actually tip the scales into active labor vs pre labor).

    Good luck to you!
  • @stephaniearthurs I agree! Even as a STM it's nice and reassuring to read everyone's stories.
  • amberx19 said:

    I have been having pre labor contractions since Tuesday, and it's now early Sunday morning. When I walk around I can get them to be 5 minutes apart or less, but I have to keep walking, otherwise they go to about 20-30 minutes apart. This has been non-stop 24 hours a day since Tuesday. Even though they aren't painful It's hard being in a state of limbo. I. Am. Miserable. My midwife said I am a ticking time bomb and I literally could go at any time, and that was Friday. Even though I can get my contractions 5 minutes apart I have avoided going to the hospital for the same reasons others said above. I don't really want intervention and I want to go naturally when I am ready. Lord knows I want it to be right now though!!!

    I'm in the exact same boat. During the day they pick up and then at night when I'm sleeping they go away. It's so frustrating!
  • i think things may be starting up again - getting a lot of discharge again. My stomach is feeling all over tight with pressure. Mild ebb and flow of pressure but it's hard to tell when it stops. Are the contractions really all that distinct early on? I'm going to wait until water breaks or I call tell them apart I guess. If need be I'll call Dr, but curious if anyone else had constant pressure first?
  • @Ccat1977 I'm curious too!
  • Ccat1977 said:

    i think things may be starting up again - getting a lot of discharge again. My stomach is feeling all over tight with pressure. Mild ebb and flow of pressure but it's hard to tell when it stops. Are the contractions really all that distinct early on? I'm going to wait until water breaks or I call tell them apart I guess. If need be I'll call Dr, but curious if anyone else had constant pressure first?

    My abdomen has been rock hard for weeks. I just think it is Braxton hicks, in my case. I get cramps that feel like period cramps, but I think that is my cervix dilating.

    I'm told over and over again that contractions are distinct waves. Since my pressure has been lasting for 4-5 minutes, and cramps last 5-10 minutes, I don't think it is labour in my case.

    Of course I don't really know exactly what you are feeling and each person is different. :)
  • Some very lucky women feel no pain with contractions. Most feel pain/cramping when true contractions hit and most of the time those contractions require your full attention to work through them. 5-1-1 is the golden standard for timing - you're care team may have a different set of guidelines, however.
  • Thanks everyone! They slowed down again just as I was starting to feel a pattern. grrrr! Sometimes the pressure takes my breath away. I had a pretty good bloody show too. Still hoping it's close.
  • So I'm like 99% sure this was not a contraction (an it only happened once) but I woke up to pee last night and when I got out of bed I had this intense pain in my side. Now I often have pain when I have to pee badly (which blows my mind at how badly I have to pee at 2:30 in the morning). This usually goes away as soon as I'm done. But it did not this time, it may have even gotten worse. I hobbled back to bed and was moaning, which woke up my hubby, who is on high alert! It finally went away after about 5 min. And i had to lie on my left side (which was th sore side.)

    I can't really describe the pain other then it felt like a pulled muscle/I got hit by a car! I'm pretty sure it wasn't a contraction because my belly was actually very soft and I only felt the pain on one side. It wrapped around a little to my belly and my back, but it was worse at my side.

    I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that it wasn't one.

    The pain never returned and I don't even have any residual pain. It was so strange!! It hurt so bad, but I suspect that labor will be worse and that scares me!
  • I have that. I'm sure it's my ligaments and muscles stretching out. It's really painful.
  • I second the ligament pain. I have to get out of bed very slowly (not that one can get out of bed fast at 39 weeks) or else I have this pain and it can last all day if I really move faster than I should have.
  • I second the ligament pain. I have to get out of bed very slowly (not that one can get out of bed fast at 39 weeks) or else I have this pain and it can last all day if I really move faster than I should have.

    That's what I figure it was but normally I feel it more in my belly then my side, and it's never lasted that long. But I knew it couldn't be a contraction it just sucked. I'm still worried I won't know when I'm in real labour.
  • I would get crippling round ligament pain just like this off on my right side of I got up or out of bed wrong. It was horrible. Sounds like what you may have had, @stephaniearthurs
  • So I'm like 99% sure this was not a contraction (an it only happened once) but I woke up to pee last night and when I got out of bed I had this intense pain in my side. Now I often have pain when I have to pee badly (which blows my mind at how badly I have to pee at 2:30 in the morning). This usually goes away as soon as I'm done. But it did not this time, it may have even gotten worse. I hobbled back to bed and was moaning, which woke up my hubby, who is on high alert! It finally went away after about 5 min. And i had to lie on my left side (which was th sore side.)

    I can't really describe the pain other then it felt like a pulled muscle/I got hit by a car! I'm pretty sure it wasn't a contraction because my belly was actually very soft and I only felt the pain on one side. It wrapped around a little to my belly and my back, but it was worse at my side.

    I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that it wasn't one.

    The pain never returned and I don't even have any residual pain. It was so strange!! It hurt so bad, but I suspect that labor will be worse and that scares me!

    I had that last Sunday!! I got up from a chair and all the sudden my right side, wrapping to the front of my abdomen was screaming in pain. Mine lasted about 45 minutes because I was walking and doing everything I could to stop it. As soon as I relaxed in a chair, 5 minutes later it was gone. Oh but it was soooo painful I cried!
  • Two questions? 1) does your belly get hard with every contraction? And 2) do you feel the baby move during a contraction?
  • @stephaniearthurs
    Yes, my belly got hard with every contraction. In active labor I felt no movements during contractions but in the first stage of labor I felt all of my kiddos roll or shift during a few contractions. All of them would move in between contractions. Generally they are getting squeezed too hard to move much during one.
  • Bombmom3 said:

    @stephaniearthurs
    Yes, my belly got hard with every contraction. In active labor I felt no movements during contractions but in the first stage of labor I felt all of my kiddos roll or shift during a few contractions. All of them would move in between contractions. Generally they are getting squeezed too hard to move much during one.

    Thanks I have been having the weirdest feeling in my belly I guess I could compare it to cramping. But the baby is moving through it and my belly has been pretty soft for the most part. I'm so terrified of going into labor and not knowing it!
  • My doctor wanted to induce me bc I was positive for step b and had been 4 cm for 2 weeks. She didn't want me to miss the antibiotic time if I had a fast labor. Plus my DS was a successful induction (GD) and my body was more ready this time. I was hesitant bc group b is not usually a sole reason to induce but it really gave me piece of mind. This turned out to be a good decision because when I got to the hospital, I was 6/7 cm and did not feel any contractions at all.

    When I arrived (39 w 4 days) they gave me the penicillin. After 4 hours, they gave me Epi and broke my water. No pitocin needed!

    Started pushing about 2.5 hours later, and he was out in a half hour. No tearing.

    Overall it was a great experience. I am so lucky!!
  • Contractions made my belly really hard though I never really felt it at the top of my uterus - it was mostly at the bottom. The stronger they got the mor I felt them in my back. The strongest pain/pressure though was in my cervix area. Usually baby was still during the contraction but would start moving around right before it started.
  • Two questions? 1) does your belly get hard with every contraction? And 2) do you feel the baby move during a contraction?

    My uterus tightened at the top first and then down the sides and middle during a contraction. Baby moved like a maniac after one, though.
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