Hi everyone! I am a FTM, sitting at 38w5d. For the past 2 to 3 weeks I have had BH and mild "real" contractions. The "real" contractions are easy enough to tell because they feel like super duper light menstrual cramps, mostly in my low back. Then the BH are pretty apparent because I just feel tightening with no pain. However, in the last week or 2 I have begun experiencing a third cramping type pain that I just can't figure out What it means!!! It feels almost like super bad gas pain or pains like I need to run to the toilet. These are the most painful and uncomfortable cramping feelings or contractions I am experiencing. Most of the time they do not correlate into passing gas or actually using the restroom. Although, a few times they have ended with me using the bathroom in a looser BM, but still no where near diarrhea like the intense pain might suggest would happen. These abdominal cramps are also the only time I can feel the pain rising, peaking and coming back down, like a wave. Which is how people describe contractions. The contractions I am getting with the menstrual cramp feeling usually start so lightly that the beginning and ending isnt a super obvious difference. I guess my question to anyone who has experience labor pains and contractions is could these sensations be contractions? Should I be tracking them? My confusion mainly comes from hearing so many people say "contractions don't feel like stomach pains, it's just gas!", but then I do see some people say stomach pains is what their contractions felt like. And being as this is my first pregnancy I feel so confused on how to understand what I am feeling when I can't seem to find a set answer from others experience. I know every women and every labor is different, but being a FTM I just feel I need a little guidance on what to expect and how to interpret all the new sensations I'm experiencing! I also wanted to add incase it makes a difference, just in the last 12 hours or so everytime I eat anything within 30 minutes after I have to use the bathroom. Again, loose BMs but not diarrhea like I was sick or eat something bad. And I don't feel ill, just more frequent trips to the bathroom.