will your stomach feel any diffrent when you are having contractions?

Question

Just wondering if your stomach will feel diffrent to touch when having a contraction. never had contractions with first son so i'm wondering what to expect. Any info will help prepare me...thanks

Answer 1

When you are having a contraction, your stomach muscles will feel tighter.

Answer 2

There are different feelings at different times during labor. At first it seems like period cramps, where it feels like it is starting from the bottom up. Between contractions you feel normal (and should relax). As the labor progresses, the tightness involves more of the belly. However uncomfortable it is, you feel that your body knows what to do and you are just sort of along as a very involved passenger.
Later on in labor you will also feel a downward pressure to the contraction. That downward pressure feel like it starts toward the top of the belly and increases in pressure with each time. Use long, slow deep breaths to help your body relax and work right. This also tends to reduce the pain a little. You can actually control the pain a little with your breathing.
At full labor your whole belly is hard and obviously trying to get smaller. You will have a sense of wanting to use other muscles in your body to push downward, as if you are having a very big bowel movement. If you are relaxed and you open up, the whole process will feel quite amazingly natural. The pain is basically tolerable if you are being comforted by someone and encouraged to relax and breath.
After the baby is born, you will now have to deliver the afterbirth. It is not quite as strong a contraction as with the baby, but if you are aware of yourself down there, you will feel your body ejecting the afterbirth, which is all of the sort of "nesting material".
I wish I had had this information before I got pregnant. I guess in the old days, the older girls and women were present at birthings, so they kind of knew how it was supposed to go.
Midwives are wonderful in helping in this way. You should talk to some midwives even if you don't want to use one.
Talk to your doctor about the process and the steps he will take as the baby is born.

Good Luck!
Hecate

Answer 3

Usually, it starts with a tightening feeling, like you are doing sit ups. Then is may be a little painful. If you are in labor, the contractions will really start to build and hurt and you will know they are contractions. Some women don't even know they are having contractions until they are really in labor. Most women will have braxton hicks contractions through the last part of their pregnancy, but some won't.. it all depends on the woman.

I hope this helps!!

Answer 4

Your stomach will be hard to the touch. It feels from the inside like menstrual cramps times 1000.

Answer 5

You'll feel like you are having the worse period cramps you ever had!!!! You will know when you are in labor, no mistaking it! You may however have what is called "Braxton Hicks" and they are just tightening of the abdominal muscles. They are not painful. Big difference in what actual labor and false labor is, trust me on this one, I went through it enough times.

Answer 6

Everyone is different and every birth from the same mom is different. Don't dwell on what may happen, it will go the way it will go. Just enjoy that you will have a beautiful little human you brought into the world.

Answer 7

When your having contractions, your stomach will become hard.

Answer 8

sometimes it will feel like you have to have a bowl movement sometimes they are very painful like menstral cramps really sharp pains that seem to last forever but the touch don't really feel different or it didn't too me hope that helps you out

Answer 9

Your stomach will get hard and tight and you will feel some pain.

Answer 10

your stomach will feel very hard during contractions,