Do contractions feel like menstrual cramps?

Question

My entire pregnancy I totally though my braxton hicks contractions were just my baby balling up 😅😂 Needless to say they weren't painful or iriritating for me. So I'm unsure what real contractions will feel like. The last few nights I've had really intense cramps that feel like period cramps. Is this contractions beginning to start? I'm so scared I won't know when I'm going into labor 😅 I'm 39 weeks and was already almost fully effaced last week and dilated to a 4

Answer

The 'oh, you will know' drives me nut. It makes me question every damn movement or tightness that I feel. From my experience so far it starts out as menstrual cramps and processes. The other night the pain was starting in my back, wrapping around the front, and was so tight I could feel it in my hips. Had that for about two hours and thought this is it!! It wasn't 👎🏼 damnit. Don't be afraid to call your doctor and ask questions. That's what they are there for. Good luck 😊

Answer

I apparently had a strong contraction yesterday as I was being monitored on NST and didn't even know it, didn't feel a thing.  After that I got some period cramping kind of pains and it didn't register as a contraction at all.  People keep saying "oh, you'll know!" but really... it's not that simple.  I don't have any good advice unfortunately, I'm kind of in the same boat.

Answer

I didn't know mine were contractions. 3rd baby and I didn't know. I thought it was baby moving and laying up against the inside of my stomach which you could usually see a bump or something, it would just get tight. I started to realize that it just kept happening so I started timing them which was a joke for me and they were about 5 min apart and varying in length. It was my back and my front then it started to be just the front. After I thought about it and realized it couldn't be anything else:/ for me it feels like it gets tight, your stomach gets hard. Hope it helps at all. I was all over the Internet asking what it feels like.

Answer

Oh girl! You will know!

Some people do have menstrual like cramps and not realize that they are in labor.

Some people have back labor and people think it's just back pain.

But if you have regular contractions, you will know! They will make you stop in your track, you will not be able to talk through them, and most likely hurdle you over! The pain is very one of a kind and you will just know...

Answer

Yes the whole you will know sucks but with all three my babies I knew. The third time around I didn't have any false labors as I knew what was pretty much normal. When I actually went into labor with my third, I said well here we go. This is the real thing and if not my body did a great harsh trick on me!

Answer

My water broke and I felt my contractions and they felt like I was being hit by a truck. I was only dilated to three also... I got my epidural while dilated to three so I never felt them after that, but I can only imagine because they were so bad at three that I thought I was going to break the hospital bed rails. My mom told me my eyes kept rolling back in my head when they would come..

Answer

With my first, yes. With my second? Lightning sharp cervical pain. It was agonizing.

Answer

I am having cramps as well. Hoping that real ones feel worse. I guess we are on early phase of labor

Do contractions feel like menstrual cramps?

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