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What do contractions actually feel like??

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  • Hi Cathy & Jinxy! How long do the uncomfy crampy pains go on for before REAL contractions start, in your experience? Ive been getting these pains every couple of hours since the middle of last night but theyre by no means unbearable just very uncomfortable like period cramps as u described. Im trying not to get my hopes up as I know people get this and it stops or goes on for days but im hoping it could be the start of labour, I was due yesterday.

    Amy x

    [Modified by: Smithya85 on August 29, 2007 02:33 PM]
  • hi im two days over due,have been getting pains really low down and in my front bottom! also down my thighs.had 6 in just over an hour does anybody think this could be labouir or just braxton hicks?
  • Hi, i have 3 weeks to go till my due date and its also my first, i have no idea what to expect but for the past few days my belly has dropped (alot!) and also keep getting period type pains every now and again also extreamly achy legs and thighs and the odd back ache could he be coming early? Or am i just wishing ??????
  • girls you will know when they are labour contractions, I had BH for days, and DS came a week overdue, the hospital told me on the phone when i called the labour ward (again lol) that I will know and so will they as they will hear that I can not speak through them and breath through them. I called them shaking violently as my body just knew that this was the real deal.



    Not going to lie, for me it hurt like f*$k! and I'm good with pain and it was awful .. BUT everyone is different!!!!!! people who think they can't cope do cope really well. Just go with the flow, it is so worth it and it will end image good luck girls x x x
  • Hmm yes this is one of those threads where, no matter how helpfull we all want to be, it might just not be possible to know what it will feel like for you as everyone experience them so differently.



    I'd read through all the post and keep in mind that either one of them could be what it will feel like for you. You could be the leg-type, the vag-type, the tightning bump-type, the feel like a poo-type, the backpain-type, the straight to strong contraction-type or the is this nagging feeling it-type... or you could be any combination of them :lol:



    I was the waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-screaming-no-mistaking-it-and-no warning-type. But hey that was just me. I've been told a gradual build up is more likely (unless you are being induced).



    The one thing all the ladies are saying, which is simply so true.... however it happens for you, just remember it'll all be worth it... so much so I am now expecting my second one.
  • Going back to the 'Just knowing' thing. I didn't know. Mine felt like period pain which started quite mild and obv got stronger. I had to go to the hospital for them to confirm I was in labour as I didn't think I was (mainly because it was 3 weeks before my due date too)...and boy was I shocked!!

    As Previous posts have said everyone's experience is different, but what I will say is don't worry too much beacuse contractions are manageable!Yes they are painful but the time between contractions you feel completely normal...it's weird!If it was that bad then women wouldn't continue to keep having children. It's all so worth it in the end

    x x x
  • my son is now 10 weeks old and i didnt believe i was in labour till my waters broke even though i was having contractions every 3-4min. why? because at that point they werent really that bad, just bad period pains with back ache low down. first twinges at 9.30pm but thought it was braxton hicks. got in the tub to see if they would go away around 11pm but didnt and since they were on and off i asked hubby to keep track. they got stronger and def more regular so at 1am we decided to get checked out at the hospital. got there at 1.30, waters went at 1.45am at which point i was 3cm and shocked that i was in lebour even though it was 2 days past my due date. from waters breaking things got VERY intense and painful though, like somebody flipped a switch from hey ho i can handle this to oh my god make this stop. contractions came quick and strong with hardly a break between them and i went from 3cm to pushing within 3 hours. and what they say is true: when you think youre going to die, youre nearly there. for me it wasnt so much the pain that was surprising (it was much more intense than i expected but oh well) but the pressure inside. when you get to the last few cm you kinda feel like your bum is going to explode. to me anyways. at that point i started begging for an epidural, which i got but it was totally useless because 15min after they put it in (which is NOT fun during transition i assure you as you have to sit still while contracting) i was ready to push. the epidural lady was even still in the room and if id known i was that far id not have gotten one as i ended up pushing for 2 whole hours and by the time i was crowning, the thing had worn off anyways. so i didnt actually save myself any pain at all. luckily i managed to push him out on my own though and didnt need any interventions.

    and after rambling on i just want to add that although it was more painful than i ever imagined, i said to my husband after 2 days that i want to do it again. its sooo worth it!
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