What's the feeling of contractions? (FTM)

talia770 · July 2015

How do they feel? Just like cramps? Stabbing? What was it like for you? How will I know??? I feel like I keep having false alarms and I'm so annoyed already

Ckorines · July 2015

It's a pain you'be never felt before. And when you feel them you won't have to wonder if they are contractions. They will stop you in your tracks.

kelly422 · July 2015

You will know

smccall3838 · July 2015

They're quite indescribable. They're like waves of severe back ache and full abdominal cramp...x100. I'm a pretty chill lady, with a high tolerance for pain (and STM) and was having a hard time walking, talking, and just breathing through them.

smcomer · July 2015

Mine were like my worst period cramps. But harsher and painful enough that the only way I could get through them was sitting up, hunched over, like I was on the toilit. They had me in tears, and I have a VERY high pain tolerance.... Mine were never spaced apart either. I got induced with cervial, and soon after my water broke(was two cms by then) they were comming a minute apart and lasting 35-40 seconds..

mmock83 · July 2015

I am a FTM and just had my baby last Sunday. I would describe them as period cramps on steroids. They started in my lower abdomen and then wrapped around my back. When I got to the point where I couldn't talk, that's when I went to the hospital. I would say, in hindsight, they were not as bad as I envisioned - however, I did get the best epidural once I got to the hospital, so that made my experience a little better.

mnj05 · July 2015

Definitely period cramps at a whole new level. If you can walk and talk through the pain, they aren't quite the real thing.

jonsmom06 · July 2015

Mine weren't painful until we were already at the hospital. DS was 3 weeks early so I thought they were fake also. Felt like a mildly uncomfortable cramp. Weren't painful weren't consistent from 6am to 11-11:30am. Went to the hospital at noon just to make sure and I was already at 6cm. DS was born an hour later. Didn't have time to get my epidural. During the "worst" part it felt like having 3 Charlie horses at the same time in your lower stomach that you can't do anything about. And just FYI the most painful part of going naturally was the Charlie horse contractions, him coming through wasn't that bad. He was only 5lbs though.

maybebaby84 · July 2015

Well, my labor started off with my water breaking. Then mild cramping and a dull backache started. They were extremely manageable for hours. Then the cramping intensified greatly. I had major back labor. It is so hard to describe it but once it gets into full swing you definitely cannot mistake those contractions for anything else. They are a pain like no other!

egerere8 · July 2015

I'm a STM and have to ask this too sometimes.... I do have to say the first time around it took my breath away when they were "real" - BH just are uncomfortable. It is hard to tell early on. I had a whole day of BH that I totally thought were real... I had a few real ones on the monitor but it was just "normal" around 30 weeks!

ecloho · July 2015

Oh you will know!!!! I now know that after laboring & contracting all day on Monday...worse pain EVER!!!!

kallierayanne · July 2015

I didn't even know I was having contractions most of my labor. The most painful part just felt like period cramps with a small back ache. Not everyone's are really painful!

becksellence · August 2015

They can be different for everyone. For me they started as mild menstrual cramp feelings that were difficult for me to really tell exactly when they started and stopped. They more faded in and out. This continued for about 3 days, each day they got more intense and way easier to tell when they start/stopped. I also had the back labor during the contractions and could feel my stomach get extremely hard during them. During those 3 days I went from 3" to 6" dilated and gave birth very early the fourth day.

One thing that threw me off was that they would become irregular overnight but then kick right back up in the morning. And no, these were not BH contractions. Once they were monitoring me in the hospital, mine never got completely regular. They had to give me a little pitocin to regulate them. I was always told they'd be very regular so as you can see, it can be very different for each woman.

Either way, when in doubt (or not) call the doctor and get their opinion.

Good luck!

jesicabrennan · August 2015

I agree they're different for everyone, for me the change from BH to contractions happened when the sensation became more of a crampy sensation rather than a tightening and of course coming in waves. It slowly increases in intensity, mine were not painful for hours but did require me to sort of stop what I was doing and breathe through them. They're unlike anything you've felt before, I'm sure you'll know when it's time

wheresilenceismusic · August 2015

They feel like your hip bones are splitting in two.

What's the feeling of contractions? (FTM)

Re: What's the feeling of contractions? (FTM)

Choose Another Board

Search Boards