Will I know ? (updated question)

VinaHoney · September 2012

I think I had one, but I'm not sure. It felt like pressure and lasted for 30 seconds. It was absolutely not comfortable.

Is this something I'm supposed to just automatically know? (first time mom)

Update- I've been having more and more of these poop like cramps since the last few days. Is this something that's normal?

mest1215 · September 2012

you'll definitely know when they are the real deal contractions bc you'll notice what you just felt, then notice it again in a bit, then again, then again a little stronger...but chances are you wont notice all the 'pre labor' contractions. This is my 3rd and sometimes i go 'what the heck was that' and then i go 'ohhh yeah'. They are easy to miss, or mistake.

MSUMands · September 2012

I keep hearing "You'll just know"... not very helpful for us FTMs!

nanabanana06 · September 2012

You will know when you had a real contraction. The sensation you described sounds more like BH. I have been getting those since about 17 weeks.

VinaHoney · September 2012

Well I guess this is something to expect more often later, I am barely 27 weeks.

Not fun. I really did feel like I had to use the restroom. Thanks ladies.

6fsn · September 2012

This is my 3rd and I've never felt a contraction. With my second I was hooked up for an NST and the nurse kept asking if I felt ok. The doc came in and informed me I was having real deal contractions and they almost didn't let me go home. (They didn't want my to go into labor on my own)

Anyway, the nurse said one way to tell if it's a contraction is to push against the top of your belly. If it's the same hardness as your forehead it's a contraction. I'm surprised I didn't have a bruise on my forehead when the weekend was over.

ENI36 · September 2012

Yes

baby olsey · September 2012

MSUMands:
I keep hearing "You'll just know"... not very helpful for us FTMs!

i agree, "You'll just know," isn't helpful. When it's real, it'll be painful- at least that's what my doc told me.

SummerOH · September 2012

Sounds like BH. Real contractions that signal labor are painful for most moms. BH ones can definitely be uncomfortable, but real ones are usually very painful. If you have them closer than 10-12 minutes apart, painful or not, call your doctor.

Chocodoxies · September 2012

I was in labor for a few days, meaning "real" contractions, but I had no idea until they really started to get strong. Honestly, though you may not know when you have a contraction right away, you will know when you are in active labor. Don't worry about it.

ilovezak · September 2012

Well I had to be induced with my first but to me contractions felt A LOT like period cramps!

ChristyML · September 2012

I was kind of lucky when I fell. I went into the hospital to make sure everything was okay (it was), and I was hooked up to the heart monitor and the contraction monitor. I had a lot of contractions, but the nurse said the monitor was picking up on them more easily since I am pretty thin with not a lot of extra "fluff" between my uterus and the outside of my belly. My placenta is also posterior (meaning it's closer to my back than my belly button) so I feel a lot more movement and contractions.

The contractions I've felt so far have been like tightening more than pressure. I thought they were contractions but I wasn't totally sure until I went into L and D to get checked on after I fell. Then I knew for sure.

KristaNbHam · September 2012

I'll try to describe what a contraction feels like:

A.) Your entire stomach goes tight. You could seriously knock on it and it would be solid. There is no shifting of skin, baby, etc. Nothing moves... it's that tight.

B.) Not only does the top of your stomach get tight, but also down in the area where your ute USED to be (close to the lady bits) begins to hurt like an insane period cramp. It's the kind of cramp that makes you want to stay home from work.

C.) It's not short and sharp. They build up like waves in the ocean, and then once it's reached it's peak, they drop off almost instantly. You might literally feel like you're drowning, but that's only if you forget to breathe.

D.) Sometimes they come so fast, you don't feel the drop off. If this is the case, you should demand silence while you either wait for drugs or for the baby to come.

HappyMama30 · September 2012

To be honest I didn't know I was having contractions with my first baby until after my water had broken and I was at the hospital. They put the band on my belly and she started talking about the contractions. I was like "Oh, really?" It felt like BIG, deep, slow stretching from the baby. Of course once labour really got going there was no mistaking it. But, I didn't recognize it at first.

VinaHoney · September 2012

Thank you ladies! You all are so helpful!

VinaHoney · September 2012

Thank you ladies! You all are so helpful!

starsinger17 · September 2012

MSUMands:
I keep hearing "You'll just know"... not very helpful for us FTMs!

I so agree. It is not helpful and very frustrating. Erg.

janecanadian · September 2012

I feel like after having gone through it, all there is to say is that You'll Just know! Lol! Which I know you guys aren't liking as a response. How I knew I was in labor is I was sleeping and the contractions would wake me up. I started watching the clock and noticed they were happening exactly 20 min apart, then 15, then 10, then they really picked up. At first I thought it was just gas pains but once I noticed their timing it was clear they were contractions.

firewife1982 · September 2012

KristaNbHam:
I'll try to describe what a contraction feels like:
A.) Your entire stomach goes tight. You could seriously knock on it and it would be solid. There is no shifting of skin, baby, etc. Nothing moves... it's that tight.
B.) Not only does the top of your stomach get tight, but also down in the area where your ute USED to be (close to the lady bits) begins to hurt like an insane period cramp. It's the kind of cramp that makes you want to stay home from work.
C.) It's not short and sharp. They build up like waves in the ocean, and then once it's reached it's peak, they drop off almost instantly. You might literally feel like you're drowning, but that's only if you forget to breathe.
D.) Sometimes they come so fast, you don't feel the drop off. If this is the case, you should demand silence while you either wait for drugs or for the baby to come.

FTM here: VERY HELPFUL, thank you for your post!

jennygirlmt · September 2012

MSUMands:
I keep hearing "You'll just know"... not very helpful for us FTMs!

I felt the same way, "really helpful, thanks." But it was true, I just knew, it felt completely different than anything else I felt earlier in the pregnancy.

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Will I know ? (updated question)

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