What do contractions feel like?

[Estee_Marie]

It's probably a silly question, but this is my first pregnancy and I really have no idea what to expect!  Apparently I've been having BH for a while now and didn't know.  I thought it was the baby doing something weird in there!  Haha.  Now that I know they are BH, I am more aware of them.  I get them A LOT!  But they don't hurt or even bother me.  Yesterday, however, my belly became really hard and I had like a sharp pain coming from around my vagina and up my belly.  It happened 3 times.  My husband thinks it was a real contraction, but really, what does he know!  Haha.  Is he right?  It wasn't painful or anything like I would imagine a contraction would be.  But it was enough to stop me and make me grab my belly!
I'm really not freaking out about it.  I just want to know what I'm supposed to be looking out for!  
I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow.

[youngmum91]

i didnt know for sure if i was in labour but then again my contraction imediately started about 5 mins apart and continued like that!so i was in a bit of denial!lol!for me i had a very strong cramps that felt a bit like how i feel when i have a bad belly only stronger in the under part of my bump sometimes spreading over my bump!hope this helps!

[Estee_Marie]

Thank you for all the comments!  As this is my first, I just don't really know what to expect!  My midwife/lamaze instructor already told me to stay at home as long as possible.  I want it to be as natural as possible.  I knnow it will be painful, so I hope I can take it!  haha.

[Sarah61086]

For me it felt like trapped wind. If you need to do a bowel movement urgently but have to hold it in, you get stomach cramps, and for me thats how it felt.
Wasnt as bad as i thought it would be, just uncomfortable. Became frustrating after a while though because when an uncomfortable pain doesnt wear off, you just want 5 minutes of pain free lol. For me aslo when the DR broke my waters, the pain stopped and i just had a tingly feeling when delivering my son. It hurt though when the nurse had to put her hand under his shoulders to help ease him out.

If your in labour, you will start feeling crampy and gradually they will become stronger and closer together. If you go into natural labour, look out for your show. Thick bloody mucus plug that passes when your cervix had dilated about 8cm. Or maybe before for some women.

If your unsure about the pain, consult your GP, they can send you up to the hospital to get checked out to be on the safe side.

The best advice i can offer is:
It wont be what you expect as you havent experienced it before.
You will just deal with it
Keep calm and relaxed
Lots of deep breaths.
Enjoy the experience (if its not too painful)

Good luck to you

[Grandmatobe]

Contractions feel like major menstrual cramps, which usually start with aching in the back and moving around to the front of your stomach.  The pressure gets tighter and tighter and once it peaks, it starts to relax.  If you have back labor (which happened to me during my first labor), you might only feel cramping and pains in your back and they never come around to the front.  This is usually caused by the baby facing the wrong direction and putting pressure on your tailbone instead of your cervix.  As Mami mentioned, the cramping and pain will get increasingly harder and last longer.  There will come a point where you "just can't take it anymore" and then it will be time to go to the hospital.  I think it is natural for women rush to the doctor with pains, especially if they have never been in labor, but the longer you labor at home, the less time you have to spend in that uncomfortable hospital bed.  For many women, the first stages of labor can last a long time.

With my first, I started feeling "pains", which I didn't even know was labor, at 4:00 pm one afternoon and 15 hours later, I couldn't stand it anymore and went to the hospital.  I was 5 cm dialated.  It still took another 9 hours for her to come.  On the other hand, some women have quick deliveries.  What you are feeling right now are most likely BH contractions.  When the pains start happening at a consistent distance (10 minutes, 8 minutes, 5 minutes) apart and lasting for approximately 1 minute each, then you are probably in regular labor.

Good luck!

[mami1323]

Trust me, you will know when you have them.  It could've been a real contraction.  I had many before I actually went into active labor.  But when it's time to go to the hospital you will know because they will get stronger and closer together.  To the point where nothing you do will eleviate them.