[wende]

I started feeling them last night. I couldn't remember ever getting them this early with my other kids but I checked some random website and it said that they generally start around 20 weeks, and being that this isn't my first pregnancy it's not uncommon to feel/notice them already. I was a little scared since I was about this far along in my last pregnancy when I was put on hospitalized bedrest because of contractions. Real ones, though. I made it to 32 weeks in that pregnancy and had a super healthy little monkey but I can't do that again. There is no way I could lay in the hospital now, you know? Anyway, I'm glad to know it's normal to feel them this early and have been drinking lots of water to stop them. Has anyone else felt them yet?

 

[Aaudreysmom]

No I have not and I did not have any at all with DD. Can you describe what it feels like?

 

[wende]

A lot of people don't notice them, especially with their first pregnancies. I have learned to be more "in tune" with them because I have VERY fast labors and deliveries and if I don't pay attention the baby would be here before I knew what was happening. For me, it just feels like my stomach is tightening. It's not painful at all, though I hear that they can be and they can feel like cramps or early labor pains.

 

[schatz]

wende - I've been wondering if I've been feeling them too. I had them with dd but can't recall when they began. I know I haven't been very good about drinking enough water so I suspect that is the reason.

Aaudreysmom -- braxton hicks feel like a tightening pain to me whereas labor contractions feel just like menstrual cramps that get progressively worse. When my labor began with dd and I felt the first real contraction (mild as it was), I had an "aha" moment and understood the difference. I also found that the BH would get worse with my dd when I got slightly dehydrated or walked to quickly somewhere (they were brought on with walking from about 30 weeks on).

wende - did you see my thread on fish oil? It seems there's a link between insufficient omega-3 intake and pre-term labor. I'm going to get me some today.

 

[wende]

Oh, I didn't see that. I'll go look for it. My midwife suggested taking some but didn't tell my why, lol.

 

[KayleeZoo]

Oh yeah. Lots of them. And some "real" ones, too.

I started having preterm labor at 23w with my second, and my OB and the perinat. are concerned that it will happen again. I told them both that with a 4yo and an almost-2yo at home, I can't have preterm labor- just can't, that's all. I'm all about positive thinking

, and pretty soon dh is going to have to take over all the vacuuming and I'll have to stop carrying dd upstairs. We have 15 stairs up to the 2nd floor, and I contract after carrying her up 3 or 4 stairs every time. We might all be sleeping downstairs before this pg is over :LOL

 

[robugmum]

I'm 18+ weeks and I've been feeling BH contractions for about 3 weeks now. I thought it was way too early to feel them so I asked my mw and she said that they actually start at 6 weeks but women don't normally feel them until 20 weeks or so.

 

[aslmere]

I started having them at 15 weeks when they put in my cerclage. This is my third pregnancy
To me they feel like a slightly noticable tightening, but it isn't bothersome or painful.
Sometimes they get tight enought that I can feel them from the outside.
I get them more when I am really stressed or have to be more active (which technically I am not supposed to be due to the cerclage).

Last week I had them practically all day long and by the end of the day my uterus was feeling really crampy and irritated so I called in.
The MW on call said that some is normal, but we wanted them to stop. I had a bath and got right in bed for the rest of the night.

I am **** having them, just not all day long anymore

 

[Eaglevoice]

I felt a couple of them yesterday. I was bending over putting dishes into the dishwasher and i felt this really weird tightening sensation in my uterus. I knew right away what it was, even though this in only my first pg. It was not painful at all, just weird. I had a weird day yesterday with my uterus

. My baby was flipping all over the place and then the BH... Honestly it was a really exciting day, getting to actually feel really pregnant for once!

Jenn

 

[peace_lily_mama]

I have felt them, but only after orgasm...

 

[schatz]

I've definitely got them going now after the holiday weekend. We had dh's family over on Sunday and I was running around like a crazy woman getting the house ready, didn't get enough sleep and didn't drink enough water, and whammo - big time BH.

 

[hubris]

I started feeling them around 15 weeks this time, had a really stressful week with about 2 BH ctx a day that whole week. A really relaxing weekend make them go away and they didn't come back until Christmas Eve. I've noticed that keeping unstressed and well-rested tends to keep them away. I had a doozy of a BH on Christmas Eve while my sibs were kvetching about my mom (who was a jerk last week and totally earned anything said) and had to leave the room so my body could calm down!

 

[slightly crunchy]

I started feeling them occasionally last week. Maybe once every day or two, very brief. It's weird, I never noticed them with the first pregnancy, until the end.

 

[Aaudreysmom]

I don't remember any BH with DD but with this one I have been feeling slight cramping with I assume is BH. It does not really feel like a tightening but more like menstrual cramps.

 

[sparklemama]

I think I had one or two BH when I was pg with Zack and it was toward the end. With this one, I've had one so far and it was a few weeks ago.

 

[Desdamona]

I've been noticing them for a while now. I think with each subsequent PG you notice them earlier and earlier. Mine are quite pronounced... Maybe because of the anterior placenta this time around??