What are true labor contractions?

palma44 · March 2012

I have been diagnosed with an "Irritable uterus" so I have been having braxton hicks contractions since around 20 weeks. I am 31 weeks tomorrow so they have gotten significantly worse the further along I am...these are the hardening and tightening or the stomach that isn't painful but and be a bit uncomfortable. I was admitted to L&D 2 weeks ago for 4 days due to preterm labor and told to come back when contractions are painful. So my questions is, what are the painful contractions like, where will I feel them, are they the same as the braxton hicks tightening that starts to hurt? or are they more in the lower stomach like the period cramps and just become unbearable? I am having pain in my lower stomach, nothing unbearable though. What is the pain I should be looking out for? I'm sure that I will know it when I have it but I just want to know what it is I need to look for!

gekeler6 · March 2012

For me, the real contractions feel like BH contractions but with bad menstrual cramps. As labor gets further along, the cramping gets more intense and I have had back labor as well, which feels like lower back cramping as well. I think everyone experiences labor differently. My labor always began with BH that became closer together and then they ended up getting more and more painful as time continued. I would say look out for BH that start to hurt and become timable.

kris_kelsey · March 2012

if they feel stronger or any pain at all I suggest you go in to get checked. For people who have true preterm labor issues, they don't always have VERY painful contractions. These people (and you may very well be one of them) may have more mild contractions and still have cervical change. Never hurts to check right? the worst thing that can happen is they say you are unchanged and you get to go home knowing that the contractions you are having are not strong enough to change your cervix.

kg_08 · March 2012

If you were already in the hospital for pre term labor, I wouldn't be messing around with it.

My real contractions had menstrual type cramps and lower back pain with the contractions (back labor) and while it definitely sucked, I could walk and talk until 7 cm.

hewinked · March 2012

I'm not too good at saying what to look out for cuz I never really felt intense labor. With DD, I felt menstrual-like cramping. It was a new symptom for me, and I was only 33.5 weeks along when it started. After a week of that, I finally got checked out. That was real labor for me. It wasn't timeable or really even painful. It was just there. With DS, I also didn't feel anything. My water was leaking, which is what prompted me to go in. I didn't feel intense labor until I was given pitocin. For me, it started as back pain, which then wrapped around to my belly, and eventually became very painful. I agree that everyone experiences labor so differently. Even the same person does in subsequent pregnancies. I never felt BH before and now have them all the time. I'm still confused as to what "true" labor will feel like. I just think you will know when your body is feeling something different than before. This is what always prompted me to get seen. Good luck!

beachbum28 · March 2012

They feel like BH but much much worse they take your breath away.....you can't speak!! I have been having BH for the past couple of weeks.

luckymom82 · March 2012

For me, it felt like each contraction began in my lower back, wrapped around my hips, and created intense menstrual cramping feelings in my lower abdomen. There was still tightening but it was not painless like B-H at all.

04TerpBride · March 2012

With all 3 of my previous pregnancies, and now this one, I've had BH that started pretty early on. Never heard of the term irritable uterus until the nurse mentioned it during a NST the other day, but I guess it makes sense. I seem to triger one of them just about anytime I do anything like bend over or pick up a kid or overexert myself. They tend to increase in frequency the closer I get to my due date. They start off as classic BH with the tightening all around. As I get closer, they increase in frequency and strength, often leading to a lot of back spasms because of the tightening all around. With previous pregnancies I almost went to L&D several times because they would be consistently every 5-7 minutes for an hour, but then would suddenly stop. Once I finally was in true labor though, they became much more like menstrual cramping with the tightening. I occasionally have one of those now, but not consistently. Pretty much I was in early labor for about 6 weeks leading up to the deliveries of each of my babies, who all ended up coming a week late anyways! But, all of that annoying early labor really helped because my labor and deliveries were super short and easy. All of this being said, if you were actually admitted for preterm labor for 4 days in the past, I would ere more on the safe side and head to L&D if there is any question. Clearly they noticed something in the past that alarmed them.

hey_little_bird · March 2012

luckymom82:
For me, it felt like each contraction began in my lower back, wrapped around my hips, and created intense menstrual cramping feelings in my lower abdomen. There was still tightening but it was not painless like B-H at all.

last week i had 2 or 3 contractions that felt exactly like you describe. (thankfully they went away! i'm not ready just yet, and neither is DD)

but yes, the sensation was very different from BH. most of the time i can't tell i'm having BH unless i touch my belly and it's hard as a rock.

JEK76 · March 2012

Some people like to say "oh you'll know when you are in labor" but from reading these posts and based on my experience with DS, this isn't always true. B/c I suffer from endo and had terribly painful periods, my "labor" felt like bad cramps which I was use to managing. It wasn't until I had these "cramps" for 2 hours that my water broke and I realized that I was having a baby. I wish I had picked up on it sooner so that maybe, just maybe we could have kept DS cooking a little longer but he had other plans.

I'd go get checked to be on the safe side.

BelleIsa · March 2012

I have an irritable uterus too - so annoying.

Real contractions feel like your BH, but with mentrual-like cramp pain also. They are also regular, and timeable.

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