Another way to describe contractions...?

[NikkiV87]

Good morning!

Now that I'm coming up closer to my due date, just was wondering what to look for in regards to contractions?

Many people say they feel like menstrual cramps, problem is, i dont really know what cramps feel like as i never really got them when i got my period?

Is there another way to describe to me what to look for?
Any opinions will help!
Thanks girls

 

[Amy2701]

I'm currently experiencing mild contractions every 6-8 mins and I describe them as someone grabbing both my hips and pulling them towards eachother. It's crampy with mild pain until the peak. Xx

 

[Katy_28]

I would describe early contractions as the worst trapped wind cramps you'll ever have! Lol. That's what they felt like for me and then they got gradually worse xx

 

[mummyof3babas]

tbh i cant explain them the pain was so different to any other pain iv experienced,x

 

[Butterfly89]

Lucky that you never get them!! I think its a little different for everyone; I find it helpful hearing different opinions though. I keep worrying I won't recognize them for the opposite reason that I am so used to intense cramps that I might brush it off til I'm in active labour lol.

I can't tell you what REAL labour pains feel like yet but menstrual cramps for me are like a tightness in my lower abdomen like something clenching stronger and stronger that spreads out into a sort of "rolling" achiness that goes up, down into my legs, around into my back... along with occasional sharp jabs and just an all over achey, sore feeling in my belly. I've been getting this same thing for a couple weeks and its getting stronger. =) So I think it means its coming soon.

And I agree, sometimes it does sort of feel like how it does if you have a stomach flu or trapped wind. Sort of like an urgency like you have to run to the bathroom but it turns out not to be that. I'm also getting pressure in my hip bones like someone strong taking their thumbs and pushing down/out from the top. So odd!

And I don't know if its helpful - but tips I usually use for AF cramps that might apply to early labour... I find rolling my hips in circles or sort of swiveling back and forth usually helps take the edge off. I don't have a birthing ball but it would probably work even better. Also for some reason I find rubbing the tops of my thighs can ease tension. And pelvic tilts!! Either laying down or doing cat-cow yoga position.

 

[NikkiV87]

Thanks for the responses!
Are they like a dull pain or do they feel like sharp pains or stabbing pains or...?

 

[lj2245]

I think contractions feel different for a lot of people but I have had menstrual cramps and I have also been in labour and I can honestly say they were completely different and I knew instantly when I was having contractions that it was the real deal!

Contractions for me felt my entire bump and back was being squeezed by a massive vice. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before and I remember thinking 'Oh...I see why people say when it's contractions, you'll know!'

 

[MrsWhite]

I wouldn't describe it as...pain...per se. It IS painful but it's more like a huuuge muscle cramp. I mean, to describe it like a menstrual cramp is accurate but on a much larger scale because your uterus is much larger during pregnancy. It can feel like intestinal cramps but it also wraps around to your back. It's just like tension and pulling and it is painful in that sense. Have you ever had a charlie horse, leg cramp? It feels like that through your whole abdomen and around to back and pelvis. At least for me. But my contractions my last labor were pitocin induced so it may be different with natural onset. And also everyone experiences it differently. It's quite possible that if you don't get menstrual cramps that your labor contractions may not be quite as painful for you. Just a thought!

 

[MrsWhite]

And I know it's not helpful right now because I remember people telling me the same thing my first time, but it's sooo true: You will know when you are going into labor. It is unmistakable. If you are saying to yourself "is that a real contraction?" chances are it isn't...

 

[staybeautiful]

When I was in labour with LO all my contractions were like cramps across the bottom of my bump - so like in the same place I would get period cramps before I got pregnant - and the midwife that was keeping an eye on me in the antenatal ward before I got moved down to the delivery room said that "real contractions start at the top of your bump and feel like they're squeezing down the way". I didn't get a single, solitary, contraction that happened like that, they were all really low down and just got stronger/more frequent.

 

[Mandyblur]

I was always told "if you THINK your in labour then your not - if you KNOW your in labour then you are"

Always worked for me! Personally i think everyone will feel contractions differently, mine didn't feel like period pains, in fact i'm not sure how to describe mine, all i know is when i was having a contraction i "had" to move to try and be comfortable.

 

[Mummy May]

The best way I could describe it would be ''FUCKING HELL'' xx

 

[mummyof3babas]

ahahaha^^

 

[cherrylee]

I've had three babies so far and they felt different each time. With my first they felt like I was being squeezed/pressure/throbbing really hard in the tummy area or like I had pinched my abdomen and back in a drawer like what you feel after you pinch your finger in a drawer. My second was sharp pain that radiates through my abdomen and back. My third was intense internal feeling period cramps. I'm nervous to see what this one is like!

 

[special_kala]

Real contractions build up peak then subside. It doesnt feel like anything you can imagine though, it is painful but they dont hurt like say the wrong kind of pain.

Kind of how a orgasm works, you have the build up peak then after effects.

 

[jojo_b]

Didn't feel anything like period pains for me. It grew sharper and sharper, building to the strongest feeling like (sorry tmi) the worst poo pain you'll ever feel. But it was like my bones and all my insides were being stretched inwards. A very strong, intense pain. Trust me - when they get going, you won't mistake them for anything else.

 

[jojo_b]

I was in back to back labour though, which I believe is worse xx

 

[paula181]

I had back labour with my DD and my contractions felt like bad back spasms with tightening round the belly. The spasms in the back made me sit up straight and try and straighten my back, but like sciatica pain.

Xx

 

[moter98]

for me, i had the bloody show the day before and since that time i have constant menstrual cramps that never let up. then the next morning i was getting this odd pain that i can only describe as kindof a stabbing pain. it would happen every so often. i honestly thought it was just indigestion and a friend was the one that told me i was probably in labor. i may have been in denial, but i really wasn't sure if it was labor or not and called L&D, they told me yes i was in labor, lol! the pains were def time able, about every 10-15 minutes at first.

 

[LEXUS09]

Like effin TORTURE!!!! To be honest, the period cramps crap is an understatement IMO! I had front and back labor both times. I guarantee when you are in true labor with real contractions, there won't be no guess work!!!!