37 weeks pregnant...what the heck do contractions feel like???how do I know when they begin and end if......?

Question

For the past week I've had stomach aches that I just chalked up to be too much gas..cuz thats exactly what it feels like...it feels like I have loads of trapped gas in my stomach and its moving all around and giving me a stomach ache..but I'm not constipated and I don't have diahrea

At other times it doesnt feel like gas it jus feels like a stoamch ache you get when you don't eat or if you eat to much..that bloated feeling or sometimes even an empty stomach feeling...and I've been eating just fine the same way I've always eaten

Are these contractions?? What have some of your contractions felt like??

Also how do you tell when a contraction ends and begins(how do you time them?)

I'm confused because it all felt like was one big pain...it wasnt any "intervals" or "breaks" between the pain..it just plain ol hurt...

HELP!!!!

Goin 4 my 37wk appt tmr & I'll ask my doc...last checked @ 35 wk I was dilated a finger tip & there was no effacement and my cervix was still long @ 3.8cm..help

The pain DOES feel like cramping....it was a cramping pressure feeling all through my addomen and when I was getting driven home it hurt to sit in the car...I literally was wincing at every turn and I was praying we didn't go over bumps it was making me gasp and all I could do was hold my stomach and rub it over and over again hoping the feeling would subside...are these Braxton Hicks???

The cramping to me is like a stomach aceh and I'm not following you guys with this "menstrual cramp" thing only b/c I NEVER had any menstrual symptoms...lucky me(although I seem to be paying for it now)

Thats how I knew I was pregnant my breast hurt right before I were to have a period and I NEVER had any cramping, soreness, or moodiness before, during or after a period

Anywho...so this stomach ache aka cramping (sorry i couldnt compare it to something more severe) could it be contractions!!!!!

I hate not knowin whatss goin on and when I tell my doc its always "normal"...cant wait until hes BORN!

Answer 1

You will feel your stomach get hard and then go soft again.

Answer 2

contractions feel like???

a balling up or tightening across your lower abdomen or lower back, or a feeling like menstrual cramps. As labor proceeds, the contractions get longer and stronger. They might feel like the cramps you get with diarrhea or constipation, lasting up to a minute, but they may be different than anything you have experienced before. Your whole uterus will get very hard to the touch during a contraction, and completely relaxed for the minutes between. In active labor most women without medications have to work to keep themselves calm and focused during a contraction, and can't hold a normal conversation.
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Timing contractions is very easy to do, and can tell you a lot about your labor.

Here's How:
When you think you're having regular contractions get a watch with a second hand or find someone to help you.
When a contraction begins note the time.
When a contraction ends note the time.
The difference in these numbers is how long the contractions are lasting.
Note the time the next contraction begins.
The distance from the first contraction to the second contraction is how far apart your contractions are.
Time a few contractions to check for regularity.

Tips:
Don't time every contraction. Only time them when they start and when you believe that they've changed in length or space.
Ignore every contractions you can. Getting overly excited can get you to your place of birth faster, but won't make the baby come any sooner.
If you have questions call your doctor or midwife.

Answer 3

When you go into labor, if your water doesn't break first, the contractions will feel like strong menstrual cramps. You may get pain in your lower back too. You will know when they're happening, it's definitely noticeable. You time them from when you start feeling the pain until it subsides, then you time the period in between them. When you go into hard labor, the contractions feel like menstrual cramps 100 times over, it's not fun. Get an epidural for the majority of your active labor, you'll be much more comfortable and your labor should progress nicely.
Your best bet is to talk to your dr. about the stomach problem, it sounds like a flu or something. The doc will be able to tell you best. If you're worried about it today and can't wait, call your dr's office and talk to a nurse. Best wishes and congratulations! Your baby will be here before you know it, enjoy all the cuddle time you can, trust me, it goes by TOOOOO fast!

Answer 4

i still don't know how to exactly describe it and i'm on my third.

but i'll do my best. it starts off like mild cramping (this is often ignored by the best of women just because it doesn't seem so bad) mine started 1 day before. they start off consistant but not hard. then they go away (which is why we end up ignoring it) then the back aches start, you can't sleep (i think your body makes extra adreneline on purpose). you start feeling restless like you can't stay still. you start nibbling and not really eating a real meal. then you may or may not have a sharp pain that actually takes your breathe away. then you won't feel anything for awhile. then, comes the contractions. those may or may not build up to a more and more intesity. first the pain builds up and sticks to a certain level. then the consistency starts. whether it be every 20 or 30 minutes. this is when your partner starts timing you. once you cannot talk your way through a contraction, start leaving the house or call your doctor.

btw....i heard that your stomache is supposed to tighten during a contraction. i don't recall seeing it or feeling that part. but then i always get panicked. so i may have just missed it.

Answer 5

i'm pregnant with my 2d baby, yet with my first, I had a thoroughly organic beginning. The contractions for the main section weren't that undesirable until eventually I have been given to approximately 7 centimeters dilated. At that ingredient it develop into the equivalent of a 4 hundred pound guy sitting on my chest. It in certainty felt like somebody placed a vice grip on my abdomen and squeezed it tightly for a pair of minute each minute. i do no longer recommend to scare you, however the solid information is that once it truly is throughout it truly is over. The contractions would be the final concern you're frightened approximately after the child is born. good success.

Answer 6

OKAY that pain was probably the dialation happening... That is what I did. really bad horrible pain then stop. NOTHING ///// now when the show starts ,,, It will be a pains and tightness .. then stop .. pains and tightness and then stop ... and this will continue for "a while.." till it starts happening say 20 times in one hour. THen it will be really painful for a while.. the contractions become one on top of another ... that is hospital time.... . If you have anymore of the one big pain and no break this could be that your dialating fast... and you kinda want to be in the hospital or birthing center for this... You also feel really sick when you start to go into labor... you just dont feel good... worse and differnt than you do now... There is an urgency and a differnt feeling to your self... Does this make sense. But dont ever feel like you cant call your doctor... Oh yeah .. if your water breaks ... its not an accidental potty accident.. you dont just wet your self .. Yeah you may leak but ...this is more than that and differnt . and you need to call the doctor.

Answer 7

Honey, it is all normal. You would know if they were contractions, there would be a definate beginning and ending to the individual pains. I worried that I wouldn't be able to tell when I was going into labour, but I did know, and it was unlike anything that I had experienced in my pregnancy, there was a feeling like I needed to go to the loo a lot, and I had the most annoying backache ever- I wouldn't say painful, but it was definatley annoying...until later, then it did get painful, and before I knew it, I was in hospital saying hello to one of the antenatal class teachers who was there because her sister had just had her baby.
But the pain I felt was like waves of pain, after one washed away, the next rolled in.

I timed them using the stop watch feature on my mobile phone, so if you have one of these, it would help you. Time the gaps inbetween the pains and how long each one lasts. They might not be centred in your stomach, they may be more in your back.

Whatever happens, listen to your body, and do what it tells you. And when the pain is extremely intense, don't forget to breathe! Sounds like weird advice, but my partner kept having to remind me because during the intense contractions, I did forget!
Don't dwell on what pain has left, and don't dread the next one. I found that to be really helpful. I didn't spend time focusing on how long I was in pain nor did I count the seconds inbetween the pains- I just took each one as it came and was as relaxed as I could be, even though I was exhausted!

I just want to wish you the best of luck for your birth!

Answer 8

Take some extra fiber so you won't be constipated you will feel better. When you have contractions you will know it. My doctor explained to me that if you touch your stomach during a real contraction it will feel like your forehead. During a braxton hick contraction it will feel like your chin, and normally like the tip of your nose. I know this sounds wierd but he is right. If they aren't reagular pains then don't worry about. Try drinking some juice and lay down on the couch, or in bed and if they go away even if they were regular, then it isn't real labor.

Answer 9

Real contractions are like the worst mentrual cramps you have ever had but 10 times worse so you will know when you have them. Pregnant woman always feel bloated towards the end because the baby is pushing the organs together and it can be quite uncomfortable especially after eating.

Answer 10

Honey, trust me when I say that you will KNOW when you're in labor. The feeling is hard to put into a nutshell because every woman's body is different, and it depends on your tolerance for pain. The best I can do is tell you that it feels like cramping, but there's a pressure on your bottom that goes along with it. You will literally feel like you're about to go on yourself, but those piercing cramping sensations will let you know that it's your baby moving further down into the birthing canal.

Answer 11

If you are not sure and you can not stand the pain go to the hospital. Trust me you will not be the first to go to the hospital and not be in labor. Or in my case be in labor and not really know it. you can be in labor way before the major contractions start. The best way is to go to the hospital and let them check you. My last child I went ahead and went to the hospital. Because the pressure was unbearable and come to find out my contractions were 3 min. apart. My first one my back was ache and that was it I was in labor. Worse case scenario they send you home with some advice on how to ease the discomfort.