Why so many Braxton Hicks? =(

tstaggs2012 · March 2012

I bought a massive (I mean HUGE) water bottle and I drink on it all day.. Then I fill it up before I head to bed for the night and keep on drinking.. I usually can drink 1 1/2 of the bottles in a day.. And 1 bottle = the amount you're supposed to have in a day (Hallelujah Wal Mart for selling this) but Braxton Hicks have been kicking my butt the last few days.. I know I'm not dehydrated and I know Braxton Hicks is normal.. But should it be hitting me every day multiple times a day? I change positions, go to the restroom frequently.. etc.

I know someone else posted similarly earlier**

526SadieSadie · March 2012

BHC pick up in the 3rd tri, it's just your body preparing for the big show. You still have a while to go yet, it couldn't hurt mentioning it to your doctor but I'll bet that he/she will just tell you it's how your body does "pregnant".

My best friend started having BHC in her third month, I remember them being pretty strong all the way up until she gave birth - it just happens sometimes.

telyn · March 2012

Try rest more- like feet up resting. I think though BH is par for the course, but ask your doc.

Kristinmo · March 2012

Mention it at your next appointment and if you get more than 6 in an hour, call immediately.

Otherwise, they are just part of the 3rd tri "fun"

meeko1985 · March 2012

I get them multiple times a day too, and I also drink tons, empty my bladder, change activity. It sucks.

palma44 · March 2012

Everyone is different, I have had a ton of braxton hicks my whole pregnancy, I had 11 in an hour once, and then 15 in an hour this weekend and I went into labor and delivery. They checked my cervix and since the contractions had not changed my cervix they said to no worry about getting that many unless they become so painful I can't eat or talk, which seems drastic to me but I guess I'm not normal.

RnMom2Be · March 2012

I am having a lot more this pregnancy (this is my second.) A month ago, they were pretty painful and frequent. My OB recommended taking it easy (after confirming that I was not in preterm labor.) I have been taking better care of myself and have noticed a drastic decrease in the number....also, they are no longer painful.

imimahoney · March 2012

I get them a ton. Especially when I am on my feet teaching. My doctor said they are totally normal if they are not really painful. Right now mine are just annoying. I think some women just have them more than others.

BelleIsa · March 2012

RnMom2Be:
I am having a lot more this pregnancy (this is my second.) A month ago, they were pretty painful and frequent. My OB recommended taking it easy (after confirming that I was not in preterm labor.) I have been taking better care of myself and have noticed a drastic decrease in the number....also, they are no longer painful.

Same with me. With DD I got them pretty much only the last 2 weeks I was pregnant but this time I've have them for a while, and they were frequent and painful. My midwife said to stop picking up my DD (who's almost 2), and it was hard, but I noticed a decrease once I stopped picking her up and bending over so much to pick up her toys.

MommaMel94 · March 2012

oh sweetheart. i understand completely! ive had not just uncomfortable but often painful braxton hicks since i was about 28 or 29 weeks along. they tend to get longer and stronger as pregnancy progresses, which sucks but its the bodys way of working out. kind of like when an athlete trains their leg muscles to run for a marathon. our stomaches(or well uturine** muscles) are training for our big day. and while its very annoying some women in the last month end up dialating to a 2 or a 3 and not even knowing it because of the braxton hicks(not real labor.. pre-labor). while staying hydrated helps, if you take a benedril* and they dont stop or calm down then call the dr. but as far as the bright side goes- your body might just be getting all the extra practice it needs.. so cross your fingers and hope for a speedy delivery.

Angelfish82 · March 2012

I too know where you're coming from. And my BH contractions are rarely just plain tightening. The go from being reeeeeally uncomfortable to QUITE painful, and I have had days where it seemed like I was having them constantly for 24 hours straight. At 32 weeks I was in L&D with regular contractions about 6 minutes apart. I just went back to L&D because the contractions were extremely painful, but when I got there they still determined I wasn't in actual labor.

Have you heard the term "Irritable uterus"? I think it's kind of a funny term and you don't hear a lot of doctor's use it, but it is used to describe women who just have a lot of contractions, often throughout the third tri. That's what's going on with me, and it could be going on for you, too.

It's confusing because we get told that more than four BH contractions an hour is cause for alarm, so when you're having them every ten minutes or so, you begin to wonder why more of a fuss isn't being made by your doctor even after it's determined that you're not in labor.

Hang in there. It may sound weird, but in my experience, you actually get used to it.

Angelfish82 · March 2012

Oh, and as for the not being dehydrated thing:

I too drink tons of water to make sure dehydration is not the problem. I still don't totally think it's a problem, but last time I was in L&D I got a big lecture about how I could still be dehydrated and that there's no such thing as too much water. They didn't even give me an IV to determine whether dehydration was causing the contractions that time so it was kind of annoying, but hey, they could very well be right. I guess sometimes you can be dehydrated no matter how much you're drinking!

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