But what do they FEEL like???

CArden74 · September 2015

I am so frustrated by the lack of actual description provided of what a Braxton hicks contraction might feel like. Do you only feel them in the abdomen, do you feel them in the cervix, is it pinching, does it feel like pressure on your cervix? Nothing I've read has made me feel even remotely confident in identifying the sensation of what could be a BH contraction, what might be the baby kicking me in the crotch or what may be cause for concern. Can someone just be straight about what they feel like and drop the text book definition, please???

So frustrated.

ktc18 · September 2015

I'm with you on this. I have no clue either.

ammnam14 · September 2015

Period cramps. God awful period cramps. I had to go to the hospital a few weeks ago and they said it could have possibly been BH, but they're not sure. It was so painful!

Other people say they don't even notice them so it definitely varies by person.

chewie5990 · September 2015

I have no idea since I haven't experienced it...but my SIL described it like having a Charlie horse in your belly

AlejandraN2 · September 2015

Ok so for me it feels like someone took one of those medieval corsets and squeezed your entire abdomen in it for a few seconds. Belly gets as hard as a rock, and water/rest makes it feel better. Not necessarily pain, but definitely an uncomfortable tight feeling.

redfallon · September 2015

A tightening of your whole belly. It's like the whole thing locks up. It doesn't feel like pinching to me. Mine don't hurt; they are uncomfortable. They happen later in the evening for me. I may get one or two and that's it. They also don't happen every day or on any predictable schedule. Others may differ a bit.

CArden74 · September 2015

Hmmm. I'm so lost. Firstly I have an anterior placenta so most movement goes unnoticed by me. I'll think I feel movement but then I realize it's gas or its rhythmic, like a heartbeat but one that you can feel to the touch. I'll suddenly feel this pronounced kick like sensation and think it's the baby kicking but then it will happen a few more times in too rhythmic a pace to be the baby. Sometimes I feel like I'm being kicked in the uterus or cervix or it feels like a sharp pinch...almost like a reverse Pap smear. I'm so confused. I have no idea what is going on in there.

redfallon · September 2015

CArden74 said:

Hmmm. I'm so lost. Firstly I have an anterior placenta so most movement goes unnoticed by me. I'll think I feel movement but then I realize it's gas or its rhythmic, like a heartbeat but one that you can feel to the touch. I'll suddenly feel this pronounced kick like sensation and think it's the baby kicking but then it will happen a few more times in too rhythmic a pace to be the baby. Sometimes I feel like I'm being kicked in the uterus or cervix or it feels like a sharp pinch...almost like a reverse Pap smear. I'm so confused. I have no idea what is going on in there.

Braxton Hicks are not movement. They do not feel like kicks or jabs or isolated movements. It is like your whole stomach tightens up as a whole.

kristen2b · September 2015

It's not a pinch or a kick feeling. Your entire uterus contracts and tightens.

kristen2b · September 2015

CArden74 said:
Hmmm. I'm so lost. Firstly I have an anterior placenta so most movement goes unnoticed by me. I'll think I feel movement but then I realize it's gas or its rhythmic, like a heartbeat but one that you can feel to the touch. I'll suddenly feel this pronounced kick like sensation and think it's the baby kicking but then it will happen a few more times in too rhythmic a pace to be the baby. Sometimes I feel like I'm being kicked in the uterus or cervix or it feels like a sharp pinch...almost like a reverse Pap smear. I'm so confused. I have no idea what is going on in there.

You probably are getting kicked in the uterus or pinched. I would have sworn the baby was punching me in the urethra earlier. It was awful. But not a Braxton hicks. Just him stretching out and being a stinker.

Salemkitty13 · September 2015

Like pp, my entire belly tightens and holds. They are uncomfortable not super painful. My dr said to lay down and drink some fluid when I get them. (More than 6 in an hour I'm supposed to call ) The sharp stabbing pain (lovingly referred to as 'lightning crotch') and the bad menstrual cramps are different but also normal.

AlejandraN2 · September 2015

Agreed with PPs - a movement, kick, pinch is typically not a braxton hicks. It could also be hiccups from your baby. I had an anterior placenta during my last pregnancy and movement didn't get too intense till well into the 3rd trimester.

CArden74 · September 2015

Yes lightening crotcg is what it feels like sometimes. It hurts!

kristen2b · September 2015

CArden74 said:
Yes lightening crotcg is what it feels like sometimes. It hurts!

Not Bh. But a super fun pregnancy symptom. Especially when it comes out of nowhere while you're walking in target.

breezypip · September 2015

For me my stomach gets very tight, like a drum. Mine aren't always the entire stomach, but sometimes just the right side or top. It has never hurt, but is uncomfortable. The ones I feel low in my abdomen make me have to pee.

When I first started getting them weeks ago I barely noticed unless my hand was on my stomach, but now I'm able to detect them much easier. Sometimes I can see where my uterus is tensing into a ball.

breezypip · September 2015

Also, the cervix pain your talking about sounds like when the baby would kick my cervix. I highly suspected this was what I was feeling and then we caught her doing it on an ultrasound, so it was confirmed.

Daphneh28 · September 2015

Agreed with PPs. Feels like your whole stomach contracts. It sooooo weird. I also get the crampy kicks in the cervix lately. Babies are getting stronger so kicks and jabs are getting stronger. Just gotta deal with it till it's over. Almost there ladies!!!

Daphneh28 · September 2015

As for cause for concern (cause you did mention that) my OB said you know your body better than anyone else. If something doesn't feel right or it's way painful (she did warn I would feel some cramps in the 3rd and that's okay as long as I don't need serious meds to deal with it) call or go in. Better safe than sorry. So far with me I've had pains but nothing to dignify even a Tylenol so I'm guessing it's cool. But if you are ever in serious pain don't hesitate to go in. Safety first!

maiatene · September 2015

Try not to feel a ways about it. Even as a STM when something happens I'm like wtf is that because every pregnancy is different. Soon enough you'll get used to it and be able to identify your "normal" versus a real issue :-)

Braxton Hicks - you belly gets rock hard for a bit.... like if you could bend over now you can't because the muscle contractions are strong and makes everything stiff.

Cramping - most likely your uterus expanding to accommodate the growing baby. Every time I felt cramps I would "pop" a few days later. If it's more painful than uncomfortable (ie can't walk, spotting) call your doctor

Rhythmic sensations - baby movement. Could be kicking, hiccups, or turning to get more comfortable. Sometimes you get a shooting pain because they stepped on a nerve, but if it doesn't pass relatively quickly call your doctor

Gas (fart) - for me it's usually lower abdominal pain that once I rub the spot comes out lol

Gingermom15 · September 2015

BH for me aren't uncomfortable or painful. They feel like tightening and my stomach gets hard as a rock briefly.
I get occasional cramping, nothing major. As PP said, my belly usually grows within a couple days after so I assume it's stretching to accommodate. There is no textbook definition to what they should feel like because so many describe something different. If you are concerned definitely speak with your OB to see if you are within the realm of normal.

grkgdss00 · September 2015

It just feels like your skin tightens all around the baby and gets uncomfortable, for me anyways. I get them after hiking or walking a lot, and have to stop and relax for a minute. They aren't painful, but uncomfortable. Imagine all your skin sucking in around your uterus and you're like WTF- sorry, best way I can describe it.

LaceyH13 · September 2015

I don't know if what I sometimes have is BH, but a few weeks ago I noticed that sometimes I would just get really uncomfortable - like I had eaten a lot of food, but I hadn't eaten anything. And when I would feel my belly it would be hard as a rock. But then a little while later it would loosen back up again. I think those might be BH, but as PP have said they have never been painful per se. I just notice that I am quite uncomfortable sitting or even standing, and all I want to do is lie down.

bekaadams49 · September 2015

I feel cramping in my lower back only, like stop me in tracks kind of cramps. It is usually like spasms, and lasts about 3 minutes. Sometimes longer/shorter. I have been told they can last longer, but this is my third and mine never lasted over 30 minutes and were never regular, so I wasn't able to time them. I also have noticed that I have them after an active day. If we walk a lot or go out on the boat or just in general if I am real active I will have contractions periodically that evening and into the next day.

As you can see, it's different for everyone. if you need to, call your doctor and explain the pains. They should be able to tell you whether or not to worry.

If I walk a lot my cervix hurts, doctor looked and said baby is standing on it so he could be kicking me or when I walk he drops causing pain.

CArden74 · September 2015

Thanks, ladies! I feel better getting some input and I am thinking it is the baby moving around and kicking me in the crotch. Takes your breath away sometimes but is gone as quick as it came.

kmkaull2 · September 2015

I get BH all day long (I have a unicornuate, or half uterus, so it is irritable). BH are a tightening feeling all around the uterus. Can be uncomfortable, but do not hurt. You don't have to breathe through them, and they go away in a few seconds. Labor contractions for me were more of a dull pain that radiated from my back to front. I occasionally get a "real" contraction--more like a menustrual cramp low in the uterus.

SunnyD2015 · September 2015

I get very random BH. Usually in the evening for me but I get one or two during the day. The way people have described it already is perfect. Mine are very uncomfortable but not painful. It still freaks me out though that with my second baby, I was having contractions and dialating and I didn't even know it. Then my last baby, I was freaked out about going into labor and not knowing. Every pregnancy is different and it is okay to go get checked out if you are unsure. Many women go to the hospital only to be sent home and that is okay. It is better to be safe than sorry if you aren't sure.

rockinmathchic · September 2015

AlejandraN2 said:

Ok so for me it feels like someone took one of those medieval corsets and squeezed your entire abdomen in it for a few seconds. Belly gets as hard as a rock, and water/rest makes it feel better. Not necessarily pain, but definitely an uncomfortable tight feeling.

Definitely this. For me, it is like a band, almost like a thick belt across my belly. They don't last very long and it is random when they occur. Again as @AlejandraN2 said, not painful, just uncomfortable.

PreggyWithPCOS · September 2015

They feel uncomfortable but not painful. Almost as if the wind is being knocked out of you. I typically also have to really pee during them, and my belly becomes rock hard. It feels like an overall tightening feeling and almost like the air is being sucked from your lungs. At least to me!

blansaw · September 2015

It like period cramps or constipation cramps. And yes, they CAN be painful. I suffer from IBS so if I get BH contractions then I'm in a world of hurt and it makes me physically ill.

When wondering if it's the real deal, it's all about timing. At least that is what my Dr told me. Are they 4 min apart and has it been going on for at least an hour? Try putting your feet up and drinking water. If that doesn't help, call your Dr.

mac-n-cheesy · September 2015

Well I know what real contractions feel like now :-S
Went for an "extra" appointment with my OB yesterday due to an L&D visit 2 days prior where they only had me on the monitor a few minutes but I was there for over 6 hours with severe back pain and my doctor had me do an NST since he was upset the on call in L&D didn't even check my cervix or really monitor me.
Well what do you know??!...I was having contractions every 1-3 minutes lasting 30sec to over a minute on the NST and this continued from 10:30 to 2pm until they could finally get them to stop with meds.
These were definitely not Braxton Hicks and what was causing my back pain for three days. My doc was amazed my cervix didn't show more change but thanking my lucky stars since I'm only 30 weeks. Ffn was negative too. It felt like severe balling up of my entire uterus that was radiating from my back. It was difficult to breathe during each one and was really scary being by myself until DH rushed to the hospital from work. Now I'm at a much higher risk of going into PTL, am already high risk with a cord abn that may very well make it imperative I deliver early, and I'm super scared It'll happen again.

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