what does a contraction feel like?

bigislandhi

i'm due in 20 days and have been feeling the baby's body parts moving all over the place.  sometimes i get short pains but i'm not sure if it's a contraction. what does a contraction feel like?

blueLu25

It will feel like your belly is getting hard for about 30 sec. (all the muscles contracting) Have you had any Braxton Hicks? "Real" contractions will literally stop you in your tracks. does that help?

newbiewed

Yup - to me it felt like my belly occasinally got super duper hard for around  a minute.  It didn't take my breath away at all, but it felt odd.  I got really used to them during my second pregnancy (with twins) but I remember not knowing what one would feel like.

To me it wasn't a sharp pain, just a big tightening.  Nothing unusual "down there", just the belly. 

 

~Lynchie~

Mine felt like really bad mens. cramps and my tummy got really hard, they didnt stop me in my tracks however and I was actually able to talk through them.  My water broke first though so Im not sure if that makes a difference in the way they feel.  They were nothing like the BH contrax I had been having.

JRS72206

A hard tummy is definitely a sign. Everyone always says you can tell the difference and its true IMO.

AshleyKimberlyn

I never had a single contraction in my stomach....it was ALL in my back.  I had horrible back labor but you can definitely tell!!  It will buckle you over in pain.

sunmountain

I also had back labor - DS was face up. The only I felt before my water broke was a sharp pain in my back.

bigislandhi

thanks for the responses - i will look out for the signs.