Can you feel Braxton Hicks at 15 weeks?

[jessmn]

I'm almost 15 weeks pregnant with twins, and am feeling a tightness in my abdomen. It's my first pregnancy so I don't have a reference for all of these sensations and feelings of pregnancy!

I'm curious how Braxton Hicks and real contractions feel different, is it possible to feel Braxton Hicks at nearly 15 weeks, and should I be worried?

I'll describe what I'm feeling:

My abdomen, like where you feel period cramps, feels tight. Not like an achy period cramp, but like a muscle cramp. Or like I did a bunch of sit ups yesterday and I'm sore today when I move and use the muscle - but I didn't do sit ups :) Not painful but kind of uncomfortable and tight. It kind of feels like an urge to go to the bathroom. I've been having trouble with constipation here and there, but I've been having regular BM lately. I just went to the bathroom and it felt a little worse afterward but maybe if it was the BM causing the feeling, maybe my body is just reacting to that? (Sorry if that's gross.) The feeling seems to have passed now.

I very hesitantly did a google search and think maybe it's Braxton Hicks? It doesn't hurt, just feels like a tightening or pressure, but the good 'ole internet says you can't usually feel them until 20 weeks. I wonder if it's possible to feel them this early if there are twins?

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Others on another forum are telling me it sounds like round ligament pain. That makes me feel better!

Edited by jessmn - 11/9/12 at 11:51am

[Brambleberry]

I'm not sure from your description whether or not those are BH, but you CAN feel them even in the first trimester.  I had a day with lots of BH early in first tri and read that it is common when your uterus is growing quickly.  And twins make it grow REALLY quickly.  At 14.5 weeks I had a day with super frequent BH (probably should have called the doctor actually, but I figured there was nothing to be done at 14 weeks if it was preterm labor), and the next day I was NOTICEABLY bigger.  That was our first clue it might be twins because from that point on my growth was really excessive for a singleton.  Since then I haven't had many BH at all.  I'm still growing fast but more steadily.  

[~Caitlyn~]

Hello!

Braxton hicks to me - sound like what you are describing. I think the easiest way to tell what they are is that your uterus gets hard/tight. With my second pregnancy (twins) I started feeling them at 13 weeks! I couldn't tell if you are pregnant with twins, or just suspecting them because of the BH, but....if you are...might want to get use to them because you'll feel them frequently!!