Will I definitely know it's a contraction??

[sarahtdubb]

HI ladies!

I've mostly been lurking here for a few months, but as my time approaches, I have a couple questions that maybe you can help with.

I'm 39 weeks with baby #1, and this morning I lost a big glob of mucus, and then on my way to work I either lost more mucus, lost some water, or peed in my pants (don't know which! but there was definitely a good amount of liquid. Enough to soak the paper the towel I'd stuck in there for my walk to work...). I know the musuc plug could go weeks before labor, so this doesn't mean anything is imminent...

Anyway, I haven't really had any BH contractions (at least not that I've recognized as such), and I'm afraid that when labor contractions start, I won't recognize them. Is this insane? Will I be able to be mistaken, or will it be pretty obvious? I've had a total breeze of a pregnancy, so it's so hard for me to imagine going into labor...but I'll know when I do, right?

Thanks!!!

Sarah

[Plaid Leopard]

Well, you may have a lot of contractions that you think are the real thing... until they stop. That can happen off and on for hours, days, weeks before you go into labor (sorry, don't mean to be discouraging).
But you will definitely know when you are in true labor. Remember "Longer, Stronger and Closer together!"

[maylea_moon]

contractions start off like mild menstrual cramps that keep getting stronger and stronger. by active labor, i promise you'll know. basically, once you have to stop what you're doing to get through a contraction there's no mistaking it. good luck!

[stefka]

Yeah, I think the "practice" ones feel different for different people, and both times around I've been unsure whether what I'm feeling is a contraction, baby movement, or just my body adjusting. But once you're having serious, let me out mama contractions, I don't think you need to worry about identifying them!

[sunshine's mama]

My water started with a trickle.....

I called my MW and she said to lie down for 30 minutes and if I stood up and something came out or if I stood up and gently pushed on the top of my belly and something came out, then it was my water....If nothing came out, yep, I peed on myself....

My ctx didn't follow the longer stronger closer "model" (best word i can think of right now) and I KNEW it was a ctx bc I went to use the bathroom and it hit me like a ton of bricks in my lower abdomen and across my back..I couldn't stand up....mine started at 1 min-90sec long and were about a minute apart from the getgo..no build up for me....BUT YOU WILL KNOW.....

blessings for a quick and easy labor!!!

[danaalex]

in my experience contractions after your water breaks are totally NOT missable. IMO they down right stink. they are intense and painful from the get go. contractions that come BEFORE your water breaks can often feel like menstrual cramps that get worse over time. but i have NEVER had a pleasant contraction AFTER my water broke.

this time my water trickled first, thinking i peed myself as i was walking to the bathroom. i had several contractions between 320 ( trickle) and 430 when my water broke. the several were definite contractions, but once my water definitely broke they were about 100 times worse.

good luck!!!!!

[arelyn]

I didn't realize they were contractions right off. I thought it was a stomach bug. Then when no tummy problems had started after a while I remembered a birth story where mom thought she was having a stomach bug for half of labor. So I started tracking my stomach cramps, saw they were coming five minutes apart, and realized they were actually contractions!

[mighty-mama]

Don't worry, mama you'll know.. And the funny thing for me. Even though I just had my second.. I told dh.. "what if I don't know when I'm in active labor".. But like a de ja vue, I remembered and knew.

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by arelyn

I didn't realize they were contractions right off. I thought it was a stomach bug.. . . So I started tracking my stomach cramps, saw they were coming five minutes apart, and realized they were actually contractions!

I had a similar experience! To the OP: Though they probably feel a bit different for everyone, you will know real contractions b/c of how regular & repetitive they are. For me, they differed from BH contractions b/c they gradually grew stronger/more painful and came at regular intervals.