bh contractions or babies moving/bunching up?

this may be a weird question, but i wonder if there is a difference between a bh contraction and the babies just arching up their heads or rear ends or stretching out? i have been having what i think are bh contractions, but sometimes the whole uterus doesn't get hard, there is just a suddenly a hard part where it looks like a rear end bunched up or something. i can be looking at my belly and one side suddenly gets hard in a little ball or the other side is or i have two hard little balls, but when i feel the uterus, the top of it and belly button area (between them) is soft. these tend to last about 15-20 seconds max and then the "ball" relaxes. is that a contraction? i get more classic contractions, too, where the whole uterus is hard and they last a little longer, like 30 seconds. don't know if these are both forms of contractions. thanks for help!

ps am 24 weeks 5 days

 

i sometimes wonder the same thing. its hard to explain, because they kinda feel like the same thing! i hope you get some good answers because i am curious too!! :huh:

 

Sort of sounds like a bh to me, and I have heard of ladies having them on just one side, although mine were always all over my belly. If you are counting, I would count it as one. Water, water, water!!

 

I've been having weird feelings this week as well... sort of like what you described.

 

What you are describing sounds like what my doctors told me was "uterine irritability". I always had the same "bunching up" that you are describing. The doctors can figure this out by putting you on the fetal monitor. I had a lot of the uterine irritability and just some bh contractions. At 30 weeks I was put on meds. (for the "irritability") and bedrest because my cervix was shortening also. So my advice to you would be to check with your doctors and make sure that you are not having any other symptoms of pre-term labor. Have you been having the length of your cervix checked every month? I would just make sure that you inform your doctor of this, because every woman's labor is different, especially when you're pregnant with twins. It could very well be that it is the babies bunching up instead of uterine irritability, but it never hurts to get it checked out. I used to pass it off and think it was no big deal, just again like I said make sure you're not having any other signs of pre-term labor.

Good luck to you!

 

I went through that wondering a few weeks ago too. I think that I have been able to distinguish a difference between BH and the babies moveing. I have those uncomfortable times too where just part of my tummy gets hard but not the whole thing....I personally think that is the babies turning somersaults or something. Then I get the BH where the whole tummy gets rock hard and I can tell a difference in the way that it makes me feel too. Like I get breathless with the BH but not so mush with the movement.

It is hard to describe. I agree with others though I would still keep doc in tune with the whole thing. I told mine this week about it and we checked and my cervix is still ok. No changing....that is the main reason I even said anything....I don't want to ignore anything and end up in PTL.

Good luck to you!

 

QUOTE(TAD665 @ Jul 21 2007, 07:04 PM) [snapback]340216[/snapback]
What you are describing sounds like what my doctors told me was "uterine irritability". I always had the same "bunching up" that you are describing. The doctors can figure this out by putting you on the fetal monitor. I had a lot of the uterine irritability and just some bh contractions. At 30 weeks I was put on meds. (for the "irritability") and bedrest because my cervix was shortening also. So my advice to you would be to check with your doctors and make sure that you are not having any other symptoms of pre-term labor. Have you been having the length of your cervix checked every month? I would just make sure that you inform your doctor of this, because every woman's labor is different, especially when you're pregnant with twins. It could very well be that it is the babies bunching up instead of uterine irritability, but it never hurts to get it checked out. I used to pass it off and think it was no big deal, just again like I said make sure you're not having any other signs of pre-term labor.

Good luck to you!


I could not have said it any better! I too thought the babies were "balling up," but it was a combo of uterine irritability and BH contractions, both of which were likely causing my cervix to shorten. I ended up hospital bedrest at 24 weeks. My advice is to call if it continues (despite drinking tons of water and resting) or let your doctor know at your next appt.

 

thanks for answering. i have had my cervix checked the last 2 appts (21 weeks and 23 weeks) and its hadn't really changed. i think it was 32mm? they were wanting it to be 30mm or longer so they didn't seem too worried. i'll have them check again this week. i *do* drink tons of water and try to rest as much as possible, but i would say that only lessens the occurance, they never go away completely. meaning i never have one full day where i don't get any bunching or contractions. on a good day i might have 6 - 10 all day on a bad day like 30 (or it feels like that many anyway!). but they are never consistent enough to call the dr. she wants me to call if i have 4 or more in a hour for 2 consecutive hours. mine are more like 6 in an hour, then 3 the next hour, then none for an hour or two or more -- they don't follow a pattern. i will keep reminding my dr about them, but they are definitely annoying and scare me a little, too.

 

Mine never followed a pattern either, but my doctor did ask me to keep track of how many I had in an hour. I had 10 in one an hour, and knew that it was time to call. But like I said (or quoted from someone else), each person is different and it can affect their bodies differently. As long as you are receiving good/proper monitoring, it sounds like there is not much else you can do.

 

This is the same exact thing that happened to me. I thought it was bh, but when I saw my doc, he said it was just the position of the baby. It so far has just been baby b doing it. It was only on one side, and it was actually hurting a little. It especially hurts if you touch it while it's all hard. Just thought I'd let you know!

 

I have had similar experiences. This is my first pg so I was having bh contractions and didn't know it, no one ever told me what they felt like. I did have to go to the hospital once for having more than 6 in an hour. I was told by a nurse in Ob triage that a true contraction should last 45 seconds to a minute atleast. Also your entire stomach (around the babies atleast) should get hard and stay hard. When I wasn't sure I would time them to make sure they really were contractions and not just fetal movement. Hope that helps