What does contractions feel like?

[Kaileysmum]

Hi everyone,
Its getting closer and closer to my due date (Im 36wks) and I was wondering as this is my first child what contractions feel like??? I havent had Braxtion hicks yet i dont think. But I have had a weird pain below my ribs, I put that down to bub moving as its always moving when I get it. Anyone care to try to explain them? I just scared i wont know.... :eek:

[jamb]

Trust me you will know, it must be inbuilt knowledge given to us girls!

Mine felt like a moving cramp, like a wave of a cramp, if that makes any sense?? A tightening cramp, they are harder to explain than I thought. Sorry, but I am pretty sure you will know, if for nothing else you will notice that the cramp keeps on coming back again and again and again...... then hopefully not too long after that you get to meet your bub!

[TwoBlue]

I think its hard for any mum to explain them....
i am heading up to my second birth experience and i probably couldnt even explain them to myself !!

Basically they hurt....alot.... trust that you will know when the time has come and you will be ok too ;)

Good luck

[Jamily]

Hello

Like you I was worried I wouldn't know what contractions felt like - trust me, you will! After the first one you will just know it has started, even if you need a second one to confirm it!

I guess mine felt like a cross between a really painful period pain and trapped gas. My contractions started at 7 minutes apart and I managed to do 13 hours in labour without pain relief, so it can't have been that bad :)

Like you I didn't have BH, although I did get very mild period pain type cramps towards the end which I guess might have been them. My labour contractions felt very different.

Good luck

[wattle]

I was induced, so they came on strong right away. To me they felt like really bad period pain - quite different to braxton hicks which were up higher.

Each contraction is really strong but they don't last all that long. You can feel them come on, then they peak, then it eases off pretty quickly. I just concentrated on one at a time. That way you're not thinking of hours, just the next contraction coming.

It's funny how your body just knows what to do.

[Briannabear]

Hi! Mine started off really small and non-painful and built up over time. They felt like a really strong tightening.
Like someone said earlier - You'll know when its time!

[Kaileysmum]

Hey guy

Thanks for all your replies. I guess all I can do is wait and see. First babies are so hard cause you don't know what to expect and the thought of it all scares you to death. It doesnt help that thats all people want to talk about (Im sure everyone knows what I mean :p ).
Well I havent got to long to go and I can't wait till its all over so I can see this little bub Ive been lugging around for the last 9mths. :D

[bb]

I was induced too, so my contractions started at a specific time. It was funny actually, as the obstetrician gave me the gel stuff at about 8:30pm, with a nice sleeping tablet to get me through the night.

As the evening passed, I started to think ... mmm ... right ... this is an interesting feeling ... not too special actually ... but I am coping ... this is labour ... wow !! It was a bit ouchy, but I just counted each ouchy bit through, and then sort of drifted off into a magnificent drug induced sleep again !

Early in the morning (7:30am or 8:00am ... somewhere around there), the Obstetrician came in and started the REAL drugs ... with the line "now your contractions will start pretty soon". I looked at him, a little confused, and said "What do you mean ? Haven't they been going all night ??". He laughed ... and left ! How naive I was !!

As the morning got started, I began to realise that my night time "aches" were nothing more than something getting ready to get started ! It was a strange feeling ... it hurt ... I will not lie ... but it was ok-ish (I was not hysterical or mad ... just breathing, and coping). Mind you, a lot of my confidence with it came from the knowledge that I had ordered my epidural, and it was on the way !

By 10:30am, I think I had some idea of what labour was like. For me, it was like mild period pain, interrupted by really, really ... really ouchy bits of period pain. They came and went ... but to be honest, there was no time when I could say that I felt nothing ... that was until ... the magical epidural !

So, for what I know, and that is about 3 hours of labour ... it was mild ouch ... big ouch ... and so on !

Hope my experiences help in some way !

BB

[Supermum]

Nothing mild about mine ... three hours each - fast and bloody furious! I was 5cm the week before I actually had to go to the hospital so when it came on .. it came on! So for a week I felt a period pain ... and had a feeling things had started but it never progressed so I did nothing about it except for the occasional heat pack.

No time for pain relief with either of mine. Ummm - how can I put my two cents worth in without scaring the bejusus out of you.

Firstly, I fell pregnant with number 2 when number 1 was just six months old so labour wasn't enough to put me off another so soon.

Secondly, labour felt to me like a little person on the inside stretching every muscle to get out and basically that's what it is. Some people get back pain, mine was in the front - very low and felt like an intense burning, stretching, ache. It was nasty, but not screamworthy. Although the Greek woman in the birthing suite next to mine was making some serious noise ... cultural thing? No disrespect intended to anyone of Greek origin and if I'm wrong please feel free to set me straight. She was in labour when I arrived so I wasn't feeling too good about the prospect of giving birth :p )

But the minute you give birth to your baby the pain is gone ... just like that.

It's divine, it's miraculous, I'm so glad my body allowed me to do it and if I had the money for another, I'd do it all over again ... naturally.

[RuthK]

I found mine were exactly like that feeling you get when you have dreadful diahorrea about to come on, you can't stand up straight, you think you're going to die with the pain. At least with contractions they only last for up to 2 minutes, whereas diahorrea pains last for a lot longer.

[talon]

i was in the same boat as wattle with being induced.

i would describe the contractions as period pain also with very distinct peaks - very painful for me (hence the epidural - best invention ever!). I would describe the peak like when you kick your toe really hard or hit your funny bone on something and you feel that really intense pain for a bit and then it eases off. Except it doesn't stop after one!

[poshBecks]

My hubby asked me while i was in labour to describe the pain to him. This is what i said...
"It's like someone giving your insides a chinese burn, but pulling REALLY hard at the same time!!!!! :eek: "
I hope i don't scare you, but you asked ;)
You'll be fine, it only lasts for 1 day! That's what i keep telling myself!

Becky
Mum of...
Connor 17mths
Bump due 19/12/05

[Hannah6]

I was also induced and my contractions started very quickly. I was induced at around 4:30pm and at around 7pm the pain was starting to get bad, like very very painful cramps, so I called the midwife in to ask for some pain relief, she examined me and said that it was too late for that and time to push.
Had my daugher about 15 minutes later.
Throughout the whole pregnancy I was set on getting an epidural, didn't think I could cope without it and in the end I made it through without any pain relief!

[belinda]

i was also induced and they did start quickly and that was at 7pm and then by 9pm really painful for about 2 hours and then nothing for me they went away but what i did feel it was like a really really bad period cramp....

belinda

[mum2rhys]

Unfortunately I was getting contractions for about five days after my 'show' but as it was my first child I didn't really know if that was the real thing but after ringing the hospital every day and them saying if they become reguar then come in- I finally went in and the monitor said my contractions were really strong but irregular so they broke my waters and then 12hours later my little boy arrived. I didn't think it was that bad - yes it was very uncomfortable but it didn't think it was dreadfully excruciting. It really did feel like a huge cramp which rendered me unable to move but I just went with it and if I didn't feel I could move then I wouldn't try. Inbetween contractions it doesn't hurt at all but obviously when they get closer together it doesn't leave much time to think about whether it hurts or not! Your body will do all the work for you with a bit of help at the end with pushing but I found that I couldn't help but push - I just had to. T he human body is just amazing - I loved giving birth and I felt truly on topof the world afterwards. I went into it positivly and luckily everything went to plan - yes it's uncomfortable but a truly wonderful experience - Best of Luck :)

[jaydensmum]

To answer your question is pretty tricky. The only thing that I remember about the contractions was the beginging. At the beginging of labour the contractions feel like strong period pain and it just gets stronger over time.
I actually watched a documentary once called "in the womb" which was on TV not that long ago. They actually said that when we are giving birth there is a hormone that is released into the brain. The hormone is released into the part of the brain were our memory is and this hormone actually makes us forget about the pain! :eek: It puts a block on that bit of memory so we dont remember how it felt. I think the reason why our bodies does this is so we can continue to reproduce. If we remembered what the pain felt like, I pretty sure no one would go through it again! :D
I'm sorry I cant help you much more than that. Im pretty sure you'll be ok, just remember we have been giving birth for millions of years and not that long ago without any pain killers! :eek:
Like the others have said you'll definetly know when your in labour. Just remember labour pains doesnt go away even if you change position. Also if they are coming at regular intervals and getting stronger with each one.

jaydensmum. ;)