Braxton-Hicks... what do they feel like??

[amers176]

I think I might get these every once in a while, but I don't have pain or discomfort in intervals like lots of places describe... my stomach just feels tight or weird or bloated.

[wake_up]

 With my first I hardly noticed them!  Late in pregnancy I was at a midwife appointment and she was feeling my belly and said, oh, you're having a contraction.  I went, what?  My belly was all tight and I couldn't even feel it.  After she pointed that one out, I did notice it on occasion.  But they never felt at all like the labor contractions, which were definitely at intervals and felt crampy.

This pregnancy, they're more obvious to me, and I occasionally have to stop what I'm doing to take a few breaths and wait for the tight feeling to pass. 

[calynde]

A tightening of the uterus...my whole belly feels as hard as a rock when i have a BH. I don't find them painful but they do sort of squeeze the breath out of me at times. I am having way more with this pregnancy... 3rd) and they seem to increase in frequency at the end of the day/evening.

[nikie23]

BH are painless for me.  I don't actually notice them unless I try to sit down or lean forward when having one, and then only because it squishes things more than they already are.  I had DH feel my belly during one and he was blown away - "It's like a rock!" 

[sara125]

Ditto wake_up! ...the first time I knew what they were was when my midwife commented that it was happening. Until then I would just look down and notice that there was a hardness on one side or the other. I assumed it was her moving, but no, it's braxton hicks. Now I'm starting to feel them. It usually happens more in the evening and it just feels like my abdomen is tightening. There are still PLENTY of times I don't feel it at all and can't even tell if it's happening, however, the other night I had a huge attack of them. They were getting stronger and stonger and happening every 5-10 minutes. It was like an ocean was taking over my abdomen and then at the end there was a little bit of vaginal cramping. I was finally able to fall asleep after a couple of hours of that and it hasn't happened that strongly since. My midwife says it's okay...but reminded me to call her no matter how late it is...oops. ...no blood or anything. whew!

[jshannyn519]

Similar here to other mommas. My belly gets super hard and tight and it feels like it's squeezing. This is my 4th baby and I am noticing them more this time around than I ever did before. There have been a couple where I've had to kind of catch my breath afterward. They didn't hurt, I just got squeezed extra hard.

[amers176]

Yep, from what you are all describing, that is exactly what I'm getting.  Maybe I'm just more aware of it now that I know what to look for (sometimes, ignorance is bliss!).  It actually kind of woke me up/prevented me from going back to sleep last night because I just couldn't get comfortable.  I always jokingly say, "This baby better be worth it!" to my husband, but obviously the discomfort is SUCH a small price to pay for the present at the end :)

[springbride]

I'm glad I'm not the only one!  I was headed over to MDC tonight to ask if anyone else was experiencing BH yet!  

I have noticed them a lot in the last week or two (30 weeks now).  It was taking me by surprise and a little concern.  With DD I didn't really notice any until the last few weeks.  

 

[Smokering]

I mostly notice them if I've been exercising too hard. Which is not to imply I've been running half-marathons. :p But if we go for a walk or I'm hurrying a bit to catch a bus or something... or after certain (ahem) other activities... they're definitely noticeable. I think they're stronger than with my first pregnancy. Not painful exactly, but uncomfortable, especially if I have to keep walking while having them.

I've recently started drinking RRL tea and pregnancy tea, so expected to notice more of them, but I haven't. I've been drinking the bare minimum "doses" and my RRL tea isn't very strong, though - just the supermarket teabags - so maybe that's why.