Can't Rub Belly During Braxton Hicks?

greenbumbletea · December 2014

Hi All - I googled this topic and got no answer and I also tried to find if this topic was already discussed here and didn't see it anywhere, so here it is (if it has already been talked about, if someone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it

I just had my routine check up with my OB this past Thursday and the doctor (she is a newer doctor at our practice) told me that I should NOT rub my belly during a Braxton Hicks contraction. Has anyone heard about this from their doctor, fellow mothers, etc? The reason she gave me was that rubbing your belly during one could stimulate the contraction and make it last longer.

Thanks in advance!

misshart00 · December 2014

thedish0207 said:

Hi All - I googled this topic and got no answer and I also tried to find if this topic was already discussed here and didn't see it anywhere, so here it is (if it has already been talked about, if someone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it

I just had my routine check up with my OB this past Thursday and the doctor (she is a newer doctor at our practice) told me that I should NOT rub my belly during a Braxton Hicks contraction. Has anyone heard about this from their doctor, fellow mothers, etc? The reason she gave me was that rubbing your belly during one could stimulate the contraction and make it last longer.

Thanks in advance!
I haven't heard this, but, if it came from a doctor then I would trust that over both Google and Internet strangers.

This. Listen to your doctor. FWIW, it sounds like you'll just be uncomfortable longer, not that it's actually a problem (but I'm not a physician).

sunshine525 · December 2014

I've heard that somewhere.

ETA: maybe this is what I was thinking:
https://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/braxton-hicks/

greenbumbletea · December 2014

Thanks all and @sunshine525!

It was interesting to hear because I had never heard of it before nor saw this is any of my pregnancy books. Just wanted to pick people's brains to see if anyone else had heard about it.

PeaceofKia · December 2014

Somewhat.... Rubbing /touching your belly can actually trigger BH sometimes... So touching your belly during one could extend it a little. I noticed that while here in L&D being monitored, if I tried Rubbing to soothe, they felt a little tighter. It's best to just breathe through them.

anxiousmommy85 · December 2014

Good practice to breathe through them anyway. Helps to have the practice come the real deal.

chicagojackie · December 2014

anxiousmommy85 said:

Good practice to breathe through them anyway. Helps to have the practice come the real deal.

Not to be a negative STM but all that breathing didn't help me with labor contractions. When active labor set in all I wanted was my fucking epidural. Just saying.

It's like saying that having your period is "good practice" for postpartum bleeding. Nope. Different.

yesiknowwhatcausesthat · December 2014

Interesting. I asked my mom about her labor with me. She told me the doctor induced her because there was a snowstorm coming and he didn't want her to get stuck away from the hospital. This was the 70s so I was curious how it was done back then. Did they have pitocin? She said all he did was break her water, and rub her belly. And she had me within 2 hours!! It has never worked for me (I've had my membranes rupture without labor starting), but it did work for my mom apparently. Maybe there's something to it!

yesiknowwhatcausesthat · December 2014

chicagojackie said:

anxiousmommy85 said:

Good practice to breathe through them anyway. Helps to have the practice come the real deal.

Not to be a negative STM but all that breathing didn't help me with labor contractions. When active labor set in all I wanted was my fucking epidural. Just saying.

It's like saying that having your period is "good practice" for postpartum bleeding. Nope. Different.

Actually for me it has been good practice. Leg cramps also are. My BH contrax can be painful at times so I have had to use relaxation breathing in order to cope. I love the epidural, don't get me wrong, but I did an entire labor with breathing like the Bradley method teaches and it was perfect until I hit 9.5 cm. So perfect that the nurses didn't believe I was really in labor.

sunshine525 · December 2014

chicagojackie said:

anxiousmommy85 said:

Good practice to breathe through them anyway. Helps to have the practice come the real deal.

Not to be a negative STM but all that breathing didn't help me with labor contractions. When active labor set in all I wanted was my fucking epidural. Just saying.

It's like saying that having your period is "good practice" for postpartum bleeding. Nope. Different.

Third time mom here, I didn't have an epidural with the first two; I just used breathing and extreme concentration.

chicagojackie · December 2014

@yesiknowwhatcausesthat‌ and @sunshine525‌ I'm glad that worked for you, a gold star for you both.

Anyone who gets Pitocin augmentation or has any kind of issue may not be able to "concentrate" and "breathe" through it.

Ceefome · December 2014

chicagojackie said:

anxiousmommy85 said:

Good practice to breathe through them anyway. Helps to have the practice come the real deal.

Not to be a negative STM but all that breathing didn't help me with labor contractions. When active labor set in all I wanted was my fucking epidural. Just saying.

It's like saying that having your period is "good practice" for postpartum bleeding. Nope. Different.

Yeah, at best, the breathing is just a distraction. It doesn't make it hurt any less, it's just to keep you from tensing up and fighting the contractions, and therefore not dilate. I don't know why they don't say that in childbirth classes. ETA - my second 2 were delivered fairly intervention free. Yes, I focused on my breathing, but they still hurt like crazy.