How do Braxton Hicks feel?

[AsEn11]

So I have read that sometimes in your first pregnancy you dont feel the BH cuz you dont know what to feel for..I know your tummy tightens up and such but Do they hurt?
I think baby is dropping and I feel a lot of pressure during the day but this morning I woke up went to the bathroom came back and had this weird achey feeling in my tummy up and down the sides I just laid there moaning and in pain in went away i went back to sleep then woke up fine except the pressure which is no fun either.

 

[mummie2be]

The best way I can describe it...and the way my mom said they felt..was that it is kind of like having vice grips closing around your stomach..not sure if that helps you but it is the best way I can describe it !

 

[MumToEva]

For me I never really felt like I had Braxton hicks during my first pregnancy - I did have random tightening a of my bump, but they were never sore or anything. This time round I have had a few episodes of what I assume are braxton hicks - like period pains low down at either side of my bump, coming and going over a couple of hours. Was enough to make me pack my hospital bag, as it was like the way labour started with my daughter. Thankfully it settled down again with rest and a warm bath, as 33 weeks is too early for my liking!

 

[Kikirose]

I had them 3 times since last Monday. I was partway through wolfing down a large meal each time and suddenly felt like someone put me in a corset and was tightening the strings! Then I suffered for hours after with a full belly. Not painful per say but definitely uncomfortable. Now I try to eat slow to prevent it.

 

[lmp1505768]

I think uncomfortable is a better word. I don't really remember having them with DD but this time around they have been non stop since 30 weeks :/

The best way I've found to describe it, is like when you are doing sit ups until you physcially can't do any more. You get that really tight feeling. Like your muscles are cramping up and need more oxygen or something lol

I've also heard it described like a charlie horse in your abdomen, but those hurt like a B**** to me, so I don't feel its the same.

 

[AsEn11]

Pefect thank you ladies..I think I have ben having them then..wow I will be a wuss for the real deal haha

 

[sophie22]

I think it feels like a heavy pressure, sometimes I just get it at one side too. And sometimes it feels like a muscle cramp. I find these kind painful!!

 

[AsEn11]

I think it feels like a heavy pressure, sometimes I just get it at one side too. And sometimes it feels like a muscle cramp. I find these kind painful!!

Glad I am not the only one

 

[countryblonde]

my tummy gets super tight.. i can actually see the full outline of baby.. its a weird feeling but yeah just tight almost take your breath away tight

 

[MamaFlick]

My belly gets rock hard and feels really tight, and I get some pain on the upper part of my bump. It feels a bit better if I rub it where it hurts. My midwife has told me to lie down and drink a cold glass of water when it happens, just in case it could turn into pre-term labor.

Also, it seems to almost always happen when I'm active. I sit at work all day and hardly ever have them, but then I go for my evening walk with my hubby and they start up.

 

[SpringCrane]

BH should be a tightening of the top and front of the uterus, whereas a true contraction should be all over, including down low and around the back. That's what I've read, anyway I definitely get BH daily, and I have since about 28 weeks. My OB mentioned that you're more likely to get them with a full bladder, and when you go from sitting to standing. Some evenings I get several in a row (usually after a long day at work on my feet), and I've found emptying my bladder and laying down helps them stop. They definitely don't hurt me, but I can feel my uterus tightening. If I try to poke it, it's rock hard. It sounds like we all experience it a little differently, but my OB was very clear in saying that BH should NOT hurt, nor should they come in any sort of pattern or last too long.

 

[immy11]

I think uncomfortable is a better word. I don't really remember having them with DD but this time around they have been non stop since 30 weeks :/

The best way I've found to describe it, is like when you are doing sit ups until you physcially can't do any more. You get that really tight feeling. Like your muscles are cramping up and need more oxygen or something lol

I've also heard it described like a charlie horse in your abdomen, but those hurt like a B**** to me, so I don't feel its the same.

"Feels like you need more oxygen" yes! It gets really tight and I feel like I can't breathe properly.. Also I get a huge lump where babies bum is if I get one laying down!
I've been having them since about 20 weeks and this is my first..

 

[soulvibe]

Mine aren't painful. Just kinda sorta.. uncomfortable. You can see my tummy go super tight and bunch up. It almost looks pointy or sometimes goes an odd shape depending on how the baby is laying. Often I can see outlines of the larger parts of their body when it happens. Sometimes I have to lean forward for a few minutes until it goes away because it's just a lot of pressure. Not hurtful, just an awkward feeling. Most of my stomach will go rock solid but like springcrane said it's the top and front. I don't really feel anything right low down or too far out the sides. Anyway I really suck at explaining things, but that's the best I can do. lol. I might make a wierd face when I get a BH or take a sharp breath but like said I don't hurt. Just feels uncomfortable and odd. Like baby's very first movements it took me awhile to be sure about what it was I was feeling cuz I wasn't sure what to expect or what it would be like. Think I've been having them (or noticeable ones anyway) since around 34 weeks roughly.

 

[lmp1505768]

I just wanted to throw out there that when I went into labor with my first, my contractions never went around back. I was laying there thinking that it couldn't be real labor because EVERYTHING says they are supposed to, but it was all abdominal for me! That being said, I ended up in enough pain to know I was in labor lol