frequent braxton hicks at 18 weeks!

[blessed83]

This started about a week ago and has been pretty constant sense....
sometimes they come about every 10 minutes, and it freaks me out.
I went to my midwife and she checked for dilation and baby's heartbeat, everything seemed fine she told me.
They are not painful, there's no unusual or bloody discharge, I am drinking tons of water and trying to rest as must as possible.
But I'm still worried...that these are too frequent and too early to be normal.

has anyone else experienced this?
I'm hoping for some peace of mind, that this can be normal...that I'm not the only one out there.
thanks everyone

 

[DarlingMe]

I have had a couple, I have contributed them to stretching. Are you drinking enough water? BH should go away after a glass of water and 30 minutes with your feet up. That is strange that they are timing out to a regualar time b/c BH are not supposed to be regular either.

 

[magicbubble]

what are they and what do they feel like? i have had very sharp pains that feel like a stitch and dont go away for quite a while across the front of the bottom of my tummy. could that be one? its not like anything else i have felt so far

 

[ProudMommy26]

Hey I too have been suffering with BH contractions. But I've been having them constantly for 2 weeks now. The midwife said it's nothing to worry about and completely normal. She told me to take some paracetamol if they get too painful x

 

[dan-o]

I went through a couple of weeks with bouts of regularly timed clusters of BH's.
I think I was about 16 weeks.
My midwife said something about my uterus being irritated & that it should settle down.

She was right, they stopped & I now just get random BH's here and there

xxx

 

[Hopes]

i get these type of pains all the time,, dont worry last time i got them for 2 days and it was soo severe but i can describe it like period pain and some sharp twinges on the sides but they were soo bad that I had to take parcetamol, dr. said its normal and that u should rest if this happenes to u

 

[ashley2pink]

I didnt get them that early, but when I did start getting them(with 2nd preg) I got them regularly, every day. Literally they just never went away. So, I took it really easy and that helped ease them to about 4 an hour. I started getting them at 27-28 weeks with my last. My Dr was concerned when I told him I got between 4-6 an hour and put me on nfedipine. Not sure if it helped, because it still seemed I got just as many. I stopped taking the nfedipine at 37 weeks(my Dr was sure I would go into labor when I stopped taking them because of the BH, I was dilated to a 3, 90% effaced, and baby was dropped), but I kept trudging along until my induction date at 39w2d. I'm not sure, but I think some women may just get constant BH and still go full term. But my advice is to take it easy(I watched a lot of TV, read alot), drink a lot of water, and ask your Dr about meds to ease the contractions. Getting the pressure off your uterus helps, so instead of sitting try laying or reclining when you can. Good Luck hun I really hope nothing comes of these braxton hicks!

 

[lilly77]

I started having them around 5/6 times a day also at 18 weeks.. i still have them. not painful but strange and they always make me need to pee straight after! If you have 10 in an hour, or they get painful and stronger, only then would I go in. You may have an irritable uterus or a UTI, sometimes that's what cause lots of BH now.
x

 

[mafiamom]

mine started to get really bad around 16 weeks. i even had to go to triage cause they were so bad. i was told to drink drink drink. well i was drinking so much that my pee sample was totally clear. i started researching and found that if increase your magnesium intake it will calm down an irritable uterus. most prenatals dont have nearly enough mag in them. i bought a mag supplement and OMG! i cant believe how much better they have gotten!

i feel so much less worried now, mine were really getting consistent!

 

[nikad]

I am 14 weeks and started getting them throughout the day a couple of days ago. This is my second pregnancy and I do not remember feeling them with my first until the third trimester. I am a bit worried, although they are not regular, they vary in length and intensity and they usually go away if I change positions in bed, or sit, or get up, etc. They are not painful at all. I still think it is too early ( might be irritable uterus? ) so I think I am calling my OB tomorrow. What do you think?

 

[Starry Night]

I started getting them regularily around 18 weeks and even went to the ER. Everything was fine. I talked to my OB and I was told to drink lots of water and relax. I think it's easier than we think to get dehydrated while pregnant. Since I've made a concerted effort to drink even more than I already was they have gone away. But seeing how lots of people seem to get them around 18 weeks (therabouts) it seems that our bellies popping and stretching ligaments could be playing a part.

 

[DragonMummy]

nikad mine started a lot earlier with this pregnancy (about 15 weeks). apparently they actually start at about 6 weeks but you just don't feel them til later on.

 

[blessed83]

mine started to get really bad around 16 weeks. i even had to go to triage cause they were so bad. i was told to drink drink drink. well i was drinking so much that my pee sample was totally clear. i started researching and found that if increase your magnesium intake it will calm down an irritable uterus. most prenatals dont have nearly enough mag in them. i bought a mag supplement and OMG! i cant believe how much better they have gotten!

i feel so much less worried now, mine were really getting consistent!

thanks for the info! I think i will try the magnesium supplement.....and its totally safe to take while pregnant?

 

[Becky9384]

I get them too..... my stomach gets rock hard and I just feel tight... I drink lots of water and gatorade.

 

[mafiamom]

all prenatals have magnesium in them, just not enough to compensate if you are deficient in it. carbs and sugar and can deplete you of magnesium very easily. i am a totally carboholic lol so that makes perfect sense

https://www.calmnatural.com/magnesium-pregnancy

here is a link that talks about it. i dont take what they are selling, but it has good info on it.

 

[ashley2pink]

How much magnesium do you take per day mafiamom? I think I will try when my start up with this preg!