Does your belly have to be hard....

[bohemama]

to be having contractions? You'd think I'd know this by now, since this is my 4th pregnancy and all : . Anyway, I've been having crampy like pain in my lower belly on and off. And I know that contractions can feel like menstral cramps, but my belly doesn't feel like it's tightening from the outside. Does this mean I'm not having contractions, or could they be?

Thanks mamas!

[AutumnMama]

I've felt the same crampiness, sometimes without a hard belly, sometimes with. I'm not totally sure what the deal is, but I do believe that a contraction pretty much always makes your uterus hard.
Sorry, not too much help am I?

[blissful_maia]

My early contractions in labour with dd1 didn't come with a lot of tightening/hardening of the belly. The truth is, a tightness I would compare to a BH didn't even come until maybe 4-5cm! So, I think it's totally possible to be having contractions without a noticeably hard belly, something in there is working!