What do contractions feel like?

Question

So I'm getting close. The countdown begins. 6 more weeks to go. I'm kinda nervous I'm not gonna know what it feels like to go into labor.  What if I don't know my water breaks and I just think it's just more discharge or pee!?  What if I mistake something for being a contraction and it's not!!  For those women who have had labor pains. Can u give me any helpful hints to figure this whole thing out!?

Answer

For me, it felt like strong period cramps... No matter what I did (shower, relax, massage etc) I was still in pain. It wouldn't subside. Went to the hospital after having these pains, and was dilated to 4 cm. Water didn't break until they broke it for me.

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The best way to discribe the contractions with my first was like having bad Charlie horses in my abdomen.

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For me they start in my back as a cramp and wrap around the front. Hurting worst at the top of my uterus and my lower back. The discomfort itself is like a Charlie horse in my belly? I had pitocin and it's supposed to make it crazy intense or worse than normal but even with oyt an epidural i thought that at its very worst it was just exhausting having a Charlie horse in my gut. Haha more likely than not, you'll know. But if you don't, i think you'll count yourself lucky and it'll all be over in a pinch! :)

Answer

Well labor is different for everybody when I went into labor with my now three year old my water broke first I had to get up and go pee in the middle of the night and my water broke and it never stopped leaking thats how i knew that my water had broken and all my labor contractions were in my legs constantly just shakes and pains in my legs and my hips every few mins nothing in my abdomen area but like I said it's different for everybody

Answer

With my first, I didn't even know I was in labor. I had a doctor's appointment at 40w+5days and when my doctor checked me I was dilated to a 3 and leaking fluid. She did an ultrasound and could see my contractions so she sent me up to L&D. Once hooked up to the monitors, my contractions were close together and strong but I never felt any pain, just an extremely tight tummy. I didn't even know they were contractions!

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When I set down it hurt with my first,so I couldn't set down for long

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I feel it it my lungs first. Like I need to catch my breath and I start feeling my abdomen harden and then when the real contractions hit you can feel the pressure on your cervix. In early labor you can doze in bed for a while which I recommend until you can't think of anything else. Don't go in until it is less than. 6-7 min between contractions. Otherwise you are having to labor with monitors and people poking at your cervix and it could lengthen your labor. Staying home as long as you can keep a conversation between contractions is good. Once keeping a conversation starts getting hard then it is go time to head to the hospital because then you are probably moving from 4-5cm. Just take a shower and get ready to leave for the hospital. With your first (most of the time bit not always) the first phase from 0-5cm takes a while and most women are more comfortable in their own homes.

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Definitely following this!

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Following too!

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My contractions started in the afternoon and they wouldn't stop so by 10 pm I went to the hospital. My contractions were 2-3 mins apart but I was in pain and I was only 3-4cm which is what I was at my recent check up. I was 37 weeks and 2 days so they sent me home thinking it was too early and it was false labor. I ended up contracting all night and I called the hospital at about 4am because they had started to hurt and be uncomfortable I couldn't sleep. They suggested a hot shower. Well I tried and I cried through the whole thing but thought hell might as well wash my hair and body who knows when I'll be able to shower again! Woke up my mom who also wanted to shower lmao I stood hunched over in front of the ac waiting for her. We got back to the hospital at 6:45 I was still 3-4. So they got my iv ready took some blood registered me checked again about 45 mins later I was 7! Asked if I wanted an epidural I said yes! They said they needed to wait for the Dr he arrived about 30 mins later checked me I was at 20! So he broke my water and I started pushing. Had my son all natural at 8:05am! When the contractions hurt they were wrapping around my stomach to my back down my legs and every 60 seconds I hardly had time to catch my breath before another started. But total 18 hours from start to finish it only hurt the last 4-5 hours. Hence why they thought it was false lol

What do contractions feel like?

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