first timer-contractions?

[twinmommy2013]

This is my second pregnancy, had a mmc in march of this year. I am 21 weeks pregnant with twins and my doctor said to watch for preterm labor. Can anyone help me understand contractions? I have pains but I'm worried that I will mistake normal pains for contractions...

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Congratulations! I'm sure you will get lots of helpful comments!
If you were my patient, I would tell you that most contractions feel like tightening of the entire belly, and even pushing downward from there.
I would not be concerned if you had these occassionally--everybody does, but I would want to know if you had them more frequently than 6 times per hour.  I would also want to know if they were becoming painful, like menstrual or diarrhea cramps, and especially if there was any bleeding associated with them.
There are some things you can try to do to stop contractions if you do start to have them, so it is usually a good idea to call your doctor first before going in to the hospital.
Good luck!
Dr B

[EMCannon]

Contractions are not always painful - sometimes they just feel like an uncomfortable tightening.  If you think you may be having contractions and you count more than 4 in one hour, go to the labor and delivery department of your hospital. There they can check if it is contractions and give you medication to stop them and prevent you from going into pre-term labor.  It's always better to be safe with pregnancy!