difference between cramps and contractions?

Okay so this may be an incredibly stupid question but how do I know if I'm having contractions? I know I posted the other day about my pounding heart and I'm still having that, but starting this morning I could not breathe at all! I just felt like I could not suck in enough breath to get oxygen. And I've been having cramps. They kind of come and go, and they aren't debilitating. But just a little worrisome. They almost remind me of menstrual cramps or sometimes how you feel right before you have to go to the bathroom.

With my DS I never experienced a single contraction because I delivered by emergency c-section at 37 weeks due to pre-e. And I've always heard that they can feel like cramping but I've also always heard that you would KNOW you were having them. But then I hear some womens' stories on here saying that they found out they had been having them and never even knew it!

I called my OB's office just to check in with them and lo and behold they don't even have an answering service! Which I'm not happy about. They just have a recorded message that says if you are over 20 weeks and are in labor, your water broke or you are having vaginal bleeding to go to L&D triage.

Any suggestions ladies?

 

I always knew I was having them bc the cramping feeling was over my entire belly and I would have a hot flash with it. Usually if its just your lower tummy "cramping" its not true contractions.

 

Is your stomach getting hard when this is happening? When I would have contractions my stomach would get as hard as a rock.

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, getting lots of rest, emptying your bladder often, and laying on your left side until you can talk to your Dr. If you are still uncomfortable and worried, you can always go into L&D and see what they have to say. Just listen to your body and follow your gut. Best of Luck to you! :hug:

 

As a labor and delivery RN for 11 years, I can tell you that cramps ARE contractions. If you have more than 4 per hour, you should go to L&D. Good luck!

 

i have to agree - they certainly were in my case! the day before my girls were born i was having mild crampy feelings & wondered if they might be contractions. they didn't hurt really at all, more just an uncomfortable feeling. i was told though that if i had more than 6 in a an hour to go & get checked. well, i went in to L&D & i was 3 - 4 cms dilated. it wasn't a huge deal as my girls were 34 weeks at that point & i had been told that they wouldn't try to stop labour after that gestational age. the next morning my little girls were here.

i would say that it can never hurt to go in & get checked - best case scenario they tell you to drink more water & send you home. but if things are happening, there's a lot they can do to keep them from progressing. :hug:

 

DW thought she was just having mild cramps, as they weren't bad at all. Maybe they were growing pains or something. She decided to just drive to hospital at Midnight to "just see". She could have easily just went to bed to see if she was better in the morning since she had to be up at 5am. She drover 40 min to Hospital and was 10cm dialted and DS was kicking nurses finger. They said another hour and she would have delivered them at home and there would have been nothing that could have been done to save them...they had a hard enough time at the hospital as it was. AND she was 24 weeks and 5 days.

I'm a firm believer in ALWAYS making sure...better to be safe than sorry

 

Thanks to everyone for your responses!

Okay so here's the update: I went in to l&d and the ladies there were so nice. They got me a huge jug of iced water and put me on the monitors and turned on some football for my DH. They were only able to keep Baby B on the monitor as Baby A just wouldn't stay so they kept an eye on her with a doppler every 10 minutes or so. I had a few contractions during the hour and a half we were there but nothing major. However my urine came back and the nurse said it looked AWFUL! She said that sometimes having a bladder infection can do one of two things. Sometimes it can give you contractions and sometimes it can cause bladder spasms which can feel like abdominal cramps. So the doc on call at the hospital said just to go home, rest, drink lots of water and they called me in some antibiotics. Glad to know it wasn't anything more serious than a bladder infection!

 

That's great. It's always nerve racking trying to work out what is going on. Sounds like you did absolutely the right thing. I'm sure you'll have a few more niggles like us all. Being on my fourth pregnancy I can tell you that every time is different with your contractions. Like the pp have said always go with your gut instinct and get checked!!!

 

thanks for the update! i'm sorry to hear about the bladder infection (although glad it's not PTL). still, bladder infections are no fun. :hug: hope you're feeling better soon.

 

Thanks for the update. So glad that you went in and got checked out! Take it easy Momma! :hug:

 

So glad you went in and got checked! better safe then sorry!
Did you talk to them about your heart and feeling short of breath?
Take it easy and keep chugging that water!

 

I did! The nurse said that from what she could tell my pulse was jumping to about 115 or 120 when I would get up and then lay back down. While I was lying down being monitored and not moving much it was right around 95 or 100. She said just try to take it easy (or as easy as I could) and make sure to drink lots of fluids. They gave me a HUGE travel mug to take home and she said to make sure I fill it and drink it all at least 3 times a day.