Braxton Hicks or Gas....or both??

BabyMinson11

Last night my belly got very tensed up and I was getting horrible all over belly pain and pain under my rib cage.  It became very hard for me to breathe. It felt like I was beyond bloated with gas but combined with a lot of tension all over. It's totally TMI but last night I did end up passing a lot of gas once all the tension went away.  This has never happened before and it seems so random. I didn't do or eat anything differently than I normally do. I honestly thought it was solely a horrible gas experience but after ready about BH, I'm wondering if it was that and the gas was a side effect or maybe it was a combo of both.  Any other soon to be moms experience something like this?

LisaFrank2011

I'm going with bad gas on this one.  BH contrax are pretty noticeable, and last only a few moments and then they go away (usually.)

jeffrae

probably a combination of both.  you can get BH with slow moving bowels...which sometimes causes gas.  And with my BH - sometimes they can last for 5 minutes.  The only cause for concern is when there is a pattern to them and you have more then 4 in one hour that do not go away with drinking water and laying on your left side.

babypants11

I had the exact same thing happen to me last night! It really freaked me out for a bit, too.

Sorry I do not have any words of wisdom, but please know you're not alone!

BabyMinson11

Thanks everyone 

nickelbabi

I couldn't tell if I had been having BH or not so I talked to my midwife about it. My stomach often gets rock hard, but I coudn't figure out how to count how long it was lasting or how many I had in an hour if it was BH. She said BH should only last a few to 30 seconds and that what I was describing sounded more like it was caused by my digestive system or the baby changing positions. I was associating my stomach getting hard to being active/walking a lot, but I think it was partly because everytime I stand up I really have to pee and it would stop after I went to the bathroom and relaxed. Now I can tell the difference between this and real BH by timing them.

kacelle

Braxton Hicks shouldn't be painful this early in pregnancy, but like a PP said, it could be a combination of both that you're feeling.  And I don't feel BH in the same area that I feel gas pains; with BH contractions, I can see and feel my uterus tightening, but it doesn't cause discomfort anywhere else.