Why are the contractions that start while I'm sleeping agonizing but

[akat]

if I sit up, they barely hurt?

All night, I doze off, and wake up to a strong, sharp, painful contraction. If, instead of laying back down and dozing off, I sit up til the next one, it doesn't really hurt. All day when I'm awake, the sitting up ones also don't hurt that much.

It's a huge difference.

Even if I jump up into a sitting position the second I wake up, the contraction that started in my sleep still continues to be much longer and more painful, than if I had been sitting up when it started.

Anyone have any insight? It's making nighttime...not much fun.

[sonicfrost]

I don't know why this happens, but I felt the exact same way when I was in labor. While laying in bed, the contractions hurt a lot and I had to close my eyes and grab onto something and breathe through them. While I was sitting they hurt a lot less, very managable, and when I was standing they hurt even less than that.

Sorry I don't have an answer to why it happens, but I definitely know what you mean!