Well I'm 30 weeks and 2 days and I still haven't felt any Braxton/Hicks contractions. This is my first pregnancy and everything has been going good so far. I feel the baby moving alot but nothing that feels like tightening. Is it normal not to have them? Should I talk to the doctor? And info would help. Thank you all luv Jess
I thought I was feeling BH's but instead they were just pains coming from my fibroid. I'm 23w5d.
When I went to an ultrasound visit last week the tech was trying to measure my cervix through the transvaginal wand, but had to wait for a contraction to stop. She said "so, your having a contraction right now?" I replied that I couldn't really tell... it just felt like the baby was fluttering a little, similar to how it felt when I was very first starting to feel her move (not like the kicks and jabs I feel now... lol!). We waited a minute and then she was able to continue the exam. I couldn't really tell the difference either way.
If I'm really quiet and still I can still feel the fluttering sensation that indicates a BH contraction but I can't really tell otherwise. I guess as I get bigger it will get more noticeable...
So, I guess what I'm saying is that maybe you are having them and don't notice them. Most of the books I've read say that women have contractions in their uterus all the time and don't notice them, pregnant or not. Who knew?? ha!
Most women experience them through their entire pregnancy, but can't feel them until a certin point. I first felt "tightening" at the end of my second trimester. And at about 32/33 weeks I began having painful contractions in my back. As of late, at 37 weeks, I feel a crampy period feeling that seems to swell up from my cervix to my belly button with some tightening... and on occasion there's a back one thrown in there still too.
We're hoping for an induction in the next 10 days... so, hopefully all this activity will produce labor before then!
Oh, and if you never get them (some women don't ever really notice them), you're not missing out anything fun
mammajess~ i don't really know what to look for either. sometimes when i walk for too long my stomach kind of tightens and i think that maybe that's what it is, but i wouldn't know. it never happens when i'm relaxed and just sitting. btw, when is your EDD? sounds like we're pretty close!
to all the women who have bh contractions: do you get them at any point, or just under particular circumstances like stress or excercising?
I get them whenever. Stress can and has brought them on, but it's pretty random. I still don't know sometimes if what I'm feeling is a contraction, or just my mind, or something unrelated... but when I first felt them in my back... oh my, I knew what it was right away because it was rather painful. The other places aren't so bad.
I had no b/h until just about a week before I had my first and then very few. With my current pregnancy I have had a lot. Enough where I have to pay careful attention to make sure there are not too many and I have to worry about preterm labor. Every pregnancy is different so don't worry if you don't have any. Also, you do tend to feel them less in a first pregnancy according to my dr. I get them frequently but they tend to happen more if you are dehydrated, over exerting, stressed or if you have a full bladder. I was drinking ALOT to prevent them and didn't realize until talking to my dr. about the full bladder but now that I've been told I've realized that its very true, which is a pain w/ only a bathroom upstairs and a heavy 22 month old that climbs the stairs like a snail. Having to go to the bathroom so frequently is very inconvenient but it really makes a big difference. Also, you often won't feel a tightening unless you happen to have your hand on your stomach. If you think you might have them and just not notice keep your hand there a lot. They don't always hurt or are even noticable, but sometimes even the b/h really hurt so be prepared. Good luck all!
With my DD I didn't have a single contraction until 10 minutes before they hooked me up to the ptocin to induce me at 40 weeks & 2 days! It figures, lol, I have two natural contractions as they are prepping me for in IV of medication to give me contractions!
Thank you all very much for your wonderful replys. So I'm realizing that I probably am having them I'm just not noticing them. Which I guess is a good thing since they can be painful. So I have another question...
If I do start feeling them and they hurt, How do I tell the difference between real contractions and B/H contactions?
I am scheduled to have a C-Section on October 11th because I had a stroke as a child and pushing or labor could cause me to have another stroke. So if I do end up going into labor I'm supposed to go into the Hospital A.S.A.P. So I wanna make sure I know it's a real contraction and not a B/H contraction. Thank you for all your help again.
BH's are real contractions, but the difference in true labor and false labor is that true labor progresses. There are many sites out there for refernce use on this topic, way more than I can type right now. I like babycenter.com myself.
I didn't have any B/H with first 2, and started having them early with this pg. My doc said with each pg things are more noticable, so I may have had them all along with first 2 and just didn't feel it.
Hey mammajess, yep, we're pretty close in EDD's! mine is Oct 14th.
sorry to hear about your condidtion...but better safe than sorry! I understand your concerns about the BH contractions now. wouldn't want to wait too long myself.
I think I've actually had some BH's last night. i woke up feeling real uncomfortable with a pulling sensation in my abdomen but i was too tired to figure out how long each lasted. today I'm not feeling well at all and I'm not sure whether that has something to do with it? i just feel achy and i almost felt like i had to throw up but then didn't, luckily. She's just moving so much lately that it's hard to stomache sometimes. anyone else feeling that way?
anyway mamma, good luck to you and keep us posted.
I think the difference in braxton hicks and labor contractions is braxton hicks come at random times and dont follow any pattern but labor contractions start and dont stop until you have the baby. So if you start having contractions one after another even if it is like 10 minutes apart you should call your doc.
I am almost at 36 weeks and just stareted having them last week. My doctor said not to worry that they happen when they happen and some women don't get them at all. I wouldn't be too concerned especially if all other indications are pointing to a normal, healthy pregnancy.
Thankx again lady's for all the great advice. Everyone advice makes me feel alot better. Oh B. I do get that sick feeling while in bed sometimes. especially if I have just eaten. She moves so much I get motion sickness. I get motion sickness all the time pregnant or not. So you never know maybe that's what your feeling.
