Contractions questions

littleloves3

Everything I read on here re: contractions had me certain I didn't have any yet.  One post said that if you have to ask if you had one, you didn't, so I have been rolling with that philosophy.  However, this morning I had a non-stress test for our twins and they measured 2-3 contractions in the 30 minutes I was there. The nurse said it was fine and normal and to just take note if they become more rhythmic.  

I definitely felt the contractions they measured but honestly did not think that's what BH contractions would feel like.  It was uncomfortable crampiness (kind of like I had to go to the bathroom), but nothing close to enough to stop me in my tracks or cause alarm.  Now I am worried that I am not going to know when my body is going into labor.  It seems like the majority on this board are experiencing much more painful contractions than I obviously am.  Anyone have experience with more mild contractions?  Will actual labor contractions be so much stronger that I shouldn't worry about not identifying them?

Monilee1017

I was that way. Whenever I had NST they said I had them, but for me it was not uncomfortable. When I had DS1 and was in the hospital I hardly felt them, but I was having them nonstop. What I did have was back labor so I got the epidural for that . In the end I had a C-section because they were afraid my uterus would rupture.

holocene

Actual labour contractions will start as pressure in the centre of your lower back, wrap around your hips to your lower belly and then the tightening/pressure will start there. They will peak in pressure and then ebb away. Your last sensation after the tightening fades from your uterus "should" be a fading pressure in the centre of your lower back. Obviously, people experience things differently, but this seems to be the most commonly explained sensations of actual labour contractions. 

Even if you don't feel exactly that, I think most likely that you'll feel at least something more than what you felt at your NST. There are other symptoms that appear in early labour that you'll notice to help signify that this is it. (Plug, bloody show, rectal pressure, nausea, etc.)

UptownPearl

I have been noticing the same thing while looking at the December and January Bmb contraction threads. So many say that you can't miss it, but then I'll read that someone didn't realize they were in labor for a while or they will compare their contractions to cramps or strong BH and I definitely have those! I read yesterday some women comparing them to feeling like bad gas and needing to poop, so it really does feel all over the board. As a FTM I don't have any advice to offer, but I'm in the same boat. I guess what they should say is that once you're in active labor you can't miss it, but leading up to that you might not think twice about it. I just keep hoping that maybe when I realize I'm in labor I'll show up and already be 5 cm dilated or more.

Chelsey092

I've been getting braxton hicks for about 10 weeks on and off at random times and they are not painful at all. My belly gets very firm. But real contractions are definitely much stronger. With DS I had a spinal so I was numb from the waist down but could still feel all my contractions and they were unbearable. I was lucky to only have a 9 hour labor.

EvaD84

I had my 36 wk appt yesterday and dr could see i was having minor contractions/braxton hicks.

They aren't painful but i am aware when they are happening... I have my stomach completely tighten up and i think its baby moving but not always is the baby moving. I also have that lightning crotch feeling where it might be mild cramping at cervix area but not painful like during a period... I am just aware of when its happening...

Since yesterday my cramps are more intense for the braxton hicks but not painful... It can be hard to explain but my dr said you will know when you are in labour as pain will be different, more intense and consistent and just said when my contractions are 30 mins apart to make my way to hospital so he can monitor early...

Hope this helps u a bit

littleloves3

Thanks all for the insight!  Very helpful.  @Monilee1017 how did you know you were in labor with your son?

celebfash26

Lurker, also due in January.

For me, BH feels like my whole stomach is tightening, but it doesn't hurt.  It actually feels very similar to the baby moving or pushing out.  When I was in labor with my first, the early labor only felt a little more uncomfortable than BH, but when I was in active labor, the contractions were definitely a lot stronger.

The advice I get from my OB is that if you can time them and have more than 6 an hour for a couple hours, even if they don't hurt, to call just in case.

jeanbug12

When I went into labor with my daughter, my contractions felt like cramping like I had to use the bathroom. They were painful, but just like I was going to have diarrhea, I kept running to the bathroom for about 30 minutes thinking I just had to poop, then I realized the painful cramps were about 5 minutes apart. I labored without pain meds and would say the pain never really got worse until she was crowning, but that only lasts a minute or so.

Krisdee123

Hey guys, we are trying to get a sticky for the following thread so we can all learn and share what's happening together.
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12651179/official-labor-watch-thread-l-d-questions-concerns-and-announcements#latest

Monilee1017

@happyandhopeful3 I was induced at 41 weeks

abodenmiller

I'm in the same boat!  I thought it was just the baby moving, but yesterday I realized it was happening in a pattern.  Then, I pulled my shirt up to look at my belly and it it looked bizarre (kind of like the top of an apple, split down the middle and hard as a rock on the sides.)  I realized that I've been having them for a few weeks but thought it was just the baby moving.  Throughout the rest of the evening I started being able to tell when I was having them because I felt an odd pressurizing sensation moving from my sides down the front of my belly.  The thing is, they didn't hurt a bit, but I just knew I was having a contraction.   I ended up drinking about a gallon of water and putting my feet up for the rest of the night and they subsided (I'm only 34 weeks - this baby needs to cook a little longer).  I do wonder, however, if maybe I'm one of those blessed people who won't feel terrible pain with contractions.  Of course, now that I said that out loud (or typed it), I will probably have horrific labor ;-)

cawalp

@abodenmiller
I had the exact same experience where I thought my contractions were just baby moving. It just feels like when he stretches really big and it feels tight but I had a NST today and had one really big BH with really low cramping. I thought it was weird cause I told my doctor at my appt yesterday that I was having cramping but I didn't know if it was contractions cause I've never had them before and she said it prolly wasn't and cramping was normal at this stage (almost 37 weeks).
Anyways, in relation to this post, I agree that some people feel contractions differently and the whole 'if you have to ask, you're not having them' definitely doesn't apply to everyone.

mamakculb

With my first, I was given cervadil to induce labor. I fell asleep and 2 hours later woke up with extreme discomfort and some weird pain. I had Hubby call in the nurse. They had monitors on me already and she came in and said I was having contractions two minutes apart. I seriously had no idea, I thought I was having a reaction to the cervadil.

I'm a little nervous if I go into labor this time instead of being induced that I won't know right away if they're actual contractions. I always feel dumb about it, but mine just didn't feel like I thought they would at the beginning. I agree with PP, that the whole "if you have to ask, they're not real" doesn't apply to everyone, because I had to ask and they were real!

anightintunisia

I went to L&D yesterday and was put on a monitor. They told me I was having contractions but I didn't feel them. I am a FTM and feel like I will mistake contractions for bad gas. I don't think I've ever felt the BH. But like everyone said I guess you'll know when the real ones come!

MeghaJake

So the monitors will pick up contractions that you don't feel and you have most likely been having contractions for several weeks now, but those are not the same as active labor contractions. Most people will know when true active labor starts especially if you are a first time mom. The contractions will get more intense as time goes on.

ashhsa

You actually allways have contractions- from the very beginning of pregnancy. It's your body preparing. You just don't feel them. I know because I was having them during my 8 week scan and the ultrasound tech had to wait till they were over to do measurements and he explained it to me.
So don't be alarmed if your not feeling them yet- I'm still not- you will MOST LIKELY know that somethings up when it's time- and. If you aren't sure call your doctor anyway- that's why they get payed the big bucks!

CBWifey

What Holocene said is exactly how my first labor went. And as soon as that pain started getting to 2-3 minutes a part I went to the hospital at 7 cm dilated! Before that for 6-10 hours I had period like cramping. But there was a clear distinction and change between Braxton hicks and actual contractions. Because of back labor I gave birth on all fours. Since my tail bone is already hurting, I am going to try a squatting position with a bar hopefully. I've noticed labor is so different for every woman, it's amazing, but a constant is that what you feel will be a totally different feeling from Braxton hicks.