What's the difference??

cdominique11 · March 2014

Am I the only one that don't understand the difference between Braxton Hicks and real contractions?? I've been having tightness in my belly for the past 2 days (their not close or really intense). When my son, I didn't get to experience contractions. The only thing my doctor is telling me is to make sure I'm not having 5 contractions within an hour. Can anyone help me??

pdilly2b · March 2014

I don't count anything as a real contraction unless it is painful and grows in intensity then subsides in intensity like going up a mountain and then back down.

maelic · March 2014

For me Braxton-hicks are tightness in the uterus (which can range from uncomfortable to annoying to moderately painful).

I've never been in labor, but I had contractions last week and boy were they not like Braxton-Hicks. They started in my lower back and wrapped around to the bottom of my pelvis and abdomen and they hurt like period cramps on super-steroids. It wasn't tightness, it was actual pain, sharp on the upswing of the contraction and throbbing on the downswing.

kristin720 · March 2014

Braxton Hicks might be uncomfortable but real contractions get to be painful. With my son I had timeable Braxton Hicks every 8-10 minutes for a day or two but they never progressed to be painful. I thought it might be the start of real labor but then they stopped. When real labor started a week or two later I thought it might just be Braxton Hicks at first but as they got stronger and I got in a warm bath tub and began feeling the need to moan during contractions I realized this was the real thing. If they don't get stronger and don't progress from being uncomfortable to really being painful then you'll know you aren't in labor.

MamaFantastic · March 2014

contractions hurt. you'll know when you have one because it will make you groan and stop what you're doing to bend over something. you'll have to breathe through them. there will be a natural "it's coming" feeling, an intense apex, and a gradual release pattern to them. BH are just tight and potentially a bit uncomfortable due to the tightness, but they don't hurt.

with my real contractions, i was always leaning over something, moaning in pain, and usually rocking back and forth with my eyes closed.

*sparky* · March 2014

Ditto the PPs. BH are just uncomfortable and make you belly feel like a hard, tight ball. Real contractions are more like really, really bad menstrual cramps. For me, with my DS, I knew when it was the real thing vs. BH.

LittleLady77 · March 2014

BH are you body practicing for the real thing so they do feel very similar. My nurses told me that if I empty my bladder, drink a full glass of water, lay on my side and I'm still getting timeable uterine tightness with slight pain for an hour then it may be the real thing and to call.

cdominique11 · March 2014

@littlelady77 that's what I'm feeling.

amhah09 · March 2014

BH CAN be timeable, peak, and be uncomfortable/borderline painful like early labor might feel like but for me they hit a different area. With BH I can feel the tightness in my abdomen. With contractions I feel more crampy and more lower ute/wrap around back/more inclusive pain and THEN the tightening of the uterus. It's just a totally different targeted area, but I didn't know the difference until I felt them (when I was pregnant/in labor with DS). Real contractions to me are more like timeable food poisoning poop cramps.

abbeylanecb · March 2014

These ladies described it well. All I will add is when you are having real labor contractions you will know. It's a totally different pain than BH

Teresa1896 · March 2014

amhah09 said:
Real contractions to me are more like timeable food poisoning poop cramps.

Disgustingly accurate. Ha!

amhah09 · March 2014

Teresa1896 said:

amhah09 said:
Real contractions to me are more like timeable food poisoning poop cramps.
Disgustingly accurate. Ha!

It's the only way I can describe it accurately enough to my DH! I was in labor with DS for two hours before I realized they were contractions! I kept running to the bathroom thinking I had a stomach bug and after a couple of hours of realizing the feeling passed after a couple minutes I started timing them...then my water broke! So now I know (3rd pregnancy) any time I have that feeling I need to make sure they're not contractions. When I labored in the hospital with DD on pitocin and knowing they were contractions I still felt the need to sit on the toilet every time.

What's the difference??

Re: What's the difference??

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