How do you know if your contracting?

Ok, I know this is the dumbest question ever, but how do you know if your contracting? I started having BH at about 16 weeks -- and when I was that far along, I could tell -- i could feel the tighting in my belly -- and the change (from semi-soft to rack hard) -- but I find these days, that I can't seem to tell. Every once in a while -- I get a kind of "breathless" feeling -- like a tightening in my chest -- which i think MIGHT be a contraction, but I can't tell any difference in my belly (it just feels pretty hard all the time)

Any tips on how I can spot them? My peri was asking about contractions, and I told him that i felt maybe 2 a day at most -- and he seemed really surprised (that it wasn't more) -- so i'm wondering if i'm just not recognizing them??

Also, I am on procardia for high bp -- and I know that is sometimes used to stop/slow down contractions (like terb) -- so maybe i really am just getting that few??? Ahh.... help!

 

It's not a stupid Q at all!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never quite figured it out! i ended up in the hospital at 24w w/PTL -- I had been feeling menstrual-type cramps all day and those turned out to be contractions (WHO KNEW????). i went home a week later on a terbutaline pump -- while on terb, I was doing home monitoring of my contractions -- frequently the machine would say I'd had anywhere from 3-7 ctx in an hour but I never felt them, never had any idea what my body was doing. There were days I'd sworn I'd had at least 5 ctx only to find out I'd had none, and times I felt nothing but was told I'd had 3-5 ctx.

I know - that was no help. But it was my experience! The good news is you are pretty far along - 32 weeks is great, and while 34, 36 weeks would be better, you're in a really good place if you do happen to go into labor. Also I will say that even on terb, there were times I'd had "too many" ctx in an hour and never knew it -- drugs like that help but do not prevent ctx 100% of the time. At this stage of the game, you ARE having ctx, in all likelihood, b/c your body is getting itself ready to deliver those two little munchkins - so long as your docs are keeping an eye on your cervix, etc, do not stress too much about ctx number.

 

that's not a dumb question! i had asked the question in the past, and i STILL am not totally sure about whether that's what i'm having or not!

 

That is not a stupid question, I still have no idea when I am contracting, and really don't even know what braxton hicks feel like. As long as I dont feel pain or uncomfortable I don't worry. So you are not alone.

 

I have that "tightening in the chest feeling". It is so hard to say whether it is a contraction or not. My belly doesn't get hard either. Sometimes I think it is the babies rolling over my aortic vessel (that runs up your right side), but that is a total guess on my part.

I've only started feeling this way in the last week and I plan on asking my doc about it on Monday. I'll post anything interesting on this thread.

 

You won't always know.................I went in for my regular 29 week appointment and it was found I was contracting every 2 minutes.............I felt absolutely nothing!

 

Thanks guys! You made me feel much better...i'm so glad i'm not the only one that can't tell!! Of couse, on the other hand....i think that means i may be one of those people who go in for a "regular" appt, and find out i'm actually in labor! Oh well.... I guess I'll just take it as it comes!!!

Thanks for your encouragment....I don't feel like such a dunce now!

 

I was pregnant last year and I am still trying to remember what the difference was between BH and the real deal.

One thing that happened that I didn't realize could happen - the morning I started real contractions I lost my mucus plug.
(I have to admit, I was a clueless expecting mom) I thought, "Is that my water breaking? It isn't very watery!" I called my best friend and she said it was my mucus plug.

I had realized that I was "feeling uncomfortable" quite regularly that morning, but I didn't think I was going into labor - again, clueless. After the mucus plug incident, I figured maybe I should start writing down times. It was every 40 minutes, then every 30 minutes, then every 20 minutes.

Then I realized that the uncomfortable feeling was actually to a point where I would actually have to stop and pause. If I was walking, I would have to stop and take a few deep breaths... if I was talking, I would have to stop and take a few deep breaths... well, you get the picture.

When they were every 12 minutes, I called my best friend again - at this point she said, "Every 12 minutes?!?!? Why are you calling me?!?!? Call the hospital!!! I'm coming over to get you!"

So even after all that, I am still sitting here going... is this BH or is this a contraction? Nothing has been regular for over 2 hours yet. I'm hoping I'll recognize going into labor this time around!

Don't know if this helps... good luck!!!

 

Not a dumb question at all! If you've never experienced labor how would you know?

They felt like menstrual cramps or gas pains to me. You may also find yourself going #2 several times and eventually maybe feeling like you need to go #2 but nothing comes out iykwim. The good news is that almost all women get to the hospital before the baby(ies) comes. Labor is pretty uncomfortable and very obvious after a certain point.

Most first time mothers think they should know what labor feels like because in TV shows the woman reaches over and wakes up her DH by saying "It's time" like labor pains feel like labor and she just knows.

 

You guys are awsome!! Thanks for the tips!!! Hopefully i won't be feeling any "real" labor pains for a few more weeks....but its great to have a frame of referance!!!

 

I'm glad you posted this b/c at almost 30 weeks, I still haven't had what I can definitively call even a BH contraction. My belly always seems tight, but no further tightening, cramping, pain, etc. have I noticed. I am beginning to think I may be having contractions and just not feeling them. Who know??