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When is it Braxton Hicks, when is it pre-term labor?
Many women experience pangs and twinges during their pregnancies. All of them experience the phenomenon known as Braxton Hicks contractions, whether or not they ever feel them. With my first pregnancy I never felt a one, so it was much of a surprise--and an unwelcome one at that--to me when a few days ago I was hit with them, hard. BH contractions pick up as the pregnancy progresses, and, in the third trimester, can be uncomfortable and even painful Not to worry, though, they're (generally) totally normal and are basically another way your body is getting ready for the impending birth and baby.
But how do you tell when the contractions you're feeling are BH? Sometimes, they're actually pre-term labor, which all women want to avoid if possible. Having never felt BH contractions before, I was unsure exactly what was going on. My uterus area felt very tight, and I felt a lot of pressure on my pubic bone. A LOT of pressure. Then, there were these very obvious contractions that started--and they didn't stop! That's when I became nervous. After six hours of going on like this I finally called my emergency number. Having been through a pregnancy and labor before, I knew what I was feeling was NOT labor pains, but I didn't know what they were.
Pre-term labor symptoms can be similar to BH contractions, but there are some good distinctions to be aware of that can make the difference between a trip to the couch and one to the hospital. Pre-term labor contractions tend to get stronger and more painful, and, well, lead to regular labor pains. Often, these are accompanied by lower back pain (and not the kind you get from standing all day). Also, any bleeding or unusual discharge should be an immediate sign to call the doctor. BH contractions normally come and go, are sporadic, and go away. They make your uterus feel tight and you may feel some pressure in your uterine area and pubic area. They are generally NOT connected with any sort of leakage or other labor-like symptoms.
Any questions or concerns should lead to a call to your doctor, or, if during non-office hours, a call to the emergency line. The worst that could happen is what you're feeling are just BH contractions and maybe you feel a tad embarrassed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mamaloo 9-08-2008 @ 1:54PM
Your friendly neighbourhood doula, here.
Get ready for a primer on contractions.
Your uterus doesn't have many/any nerve endings (which is why you wouldn't nescessarily know if you rupture your utuerus/c-section scar - because you don't feel the rupture itself). The cervix, however, is full of them.
When you have a labour contraction, your uterus contracts to push downwards, pressing the baby's head into the cervix, triggering the opening of the cervix. The pushing downwards doesn't hurt but the cervical changes do.
So, the BH contractions are the uterus contracting. You would feel your belly tighten and get hard. You might notice, or you might not. It happens because your body is attempting to trigger the release of prostaglandins via the bumping head, therefore triggering actual labour.
Very early labour can be random contractions lasting a few seconds to a minute that come and go once a week or in a cluster from time to time. They can go on for weeks before progressive, active labour begins. They often feel like a mild period cramp or sometimes lower back ache or pain in your thighs.
If you feel these happening a lot, the first thing you should do is drink a litre of water and have a bath. Pre-term labour is very, very often triggered by dehydration. In fact, if you go into pre-term labour that won't stop and go to the hospital, the first step they will take to stop your labour is to give you a few bags of IV fluids to get you well hydrated. Also, the buoyancy of the water will often affect very early labour contractions and make them peter out (which is why women aren't recommended to get into their tubs too early in labour, if they plan on using water for pain control).
If you lie down, take a bath, drink a litre of water and your contractions are painful and don't stop, call your care provider and/or head straight to L&D, especially if you are less than 36 weeks.
Always go straight to L&D if you ever have a gut feeling that something isn't right.
When contractions get going and are pretty noticeable, you may notice that they seem to radiate around your body, either starting low and in front and radiating around to your back, or vice versa. This is an example of how the contracting uterine muscles are working with the softening cervix to pull that cervix open.
If you notice a lot of back pain in early labour, this is a sign that baby is posterior - looking forward, with his back to your back - and the best thing to do is to sway your hips around which will encourage a baby to rotate. (There are a few good resources online for spinning a baby into optimal postion - google: optimal fetal positioning).
It's hard to be thorough when discussing such a big topic. If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer.
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SheriR 9-08-2008 @ 5:04PM
"If you lie down, take a bath, drink a litre of water and your contractions are painful and don't stop, call your care provider and/or head straight to L&D, especially if you are less than 36 weeks.
Always go straight to L&D if you ever have a gut feeling that something isn't right."
Please, listen to this advice. If I had followed it, I would have avoided giving birth to my (now perfectly healthy) son at 30 weeks.
It doesn't matter how many times you see a doctor, if you end up with a healthy baby.
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Heather 9-08-2008 @ 5:10PM
Ok, comming from someone with personal experience, sometimes you can't trust what the doctors tell you about Braxton Hicks contractions. With my daughter, now 3, I started having contractions at about 3 am. They were fairly strong (and painful), however they were spaced unevenly appart. I called my doctor at about 9 am and he had me come in for a non-stress test. They concluded that because my contractions were irregular that I was having Braxton Hicks contractions. I told them that I did not have regular contractions for my son, what would make them think I would have them with my daughter. They wouldn't hear anything about keeping me because my water hadn't ruptured. And so, I was sent home.
I went home, collected my son from his grandmas, and tired to procede with my day.
I had contractions anywhere from an hour to 10 minutes apart until I went to bed at about 8pm.
I woke my husband up at about 10:30pm, and told him my contractions were getting harder and more regular, so we called my MIL and she came and got our son, and we headded for the OB.
We got there at about 10:45 and she was born at 11:28pm.
The doctor was down the hall watching TV, and it was only a nurse (with a look of shock and horror), my husband, and of course me. She landed on the bed.
Don't believe what someone else is telling you about your body sometimes. After all it is YOUR body and YOU know it best.
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Heather 9-08-2008 @ 5:11PM
I forgot to mention she was 9 days early. My son was 5 days early.
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