But don't take just my word for it. Below, you'll find out how nine other people describe a contraction. When I was in labor for my first child, I remember finally deciding to get the epidural and when the medicine started to work, it only worked for half of my body.
One side was bearable while the other side felt like it was being squeezed and twisted as far as it would go. I couldn't believe the difference. I would have preferred to have all or nothing! Also, having had three kids now, I will say that the difference between contractions with and without Pitocin is night and day. I know they say they start in your back, but I felt like mine started everywhere at the same time.
With my first, they were the textbook example of a contraction. The pain started at my sides and worked it's way to the middle of my stomach. They started out like pretty mild menstrual cramps and then became completely unbearable. With my second labor, I suffered from pubic symphysis dysfunction and all of my contractions started in my lower back and moved to the front of my lower abdomen and into my pubic bone.
They were really severe very quickly after my water broke. And with every single one I felt the urge to push. Of course, the doctors and nurses told me not to since I was only 4 cm dilated! I labored for 36 hours! I now wonder if I should have listened to my body and pushed a little it would have went faster. Who knows.
Labor is a funny thing. I just learned that every labor and pregnancy will be different! And with my first, it was back labor so it was also totally different. They were throbbing and long and it felt like my back was going to split open. With my home birth, the contractions felt like a deep, deep ache. Deep down inside my body, almost as if the sensation of my cervix spreading combined with my son descending were like my bottom was going to fall out A productive way.
Thinking back, they weren't painful as much as a feeling that snapped me into the present. From the outside, you could feel that my whole abdomen was rock hard and it felt like a charlie horse, only a million times worse.
The pain didn't change or come and go, just remained for hours. On the monitors, it was showing that I was contracting every two minutes when I got to the hospital, but again to me the pain and hardness never stopped and started, just constant. With my first son, the pain was fairly textbook as menstrual pains that got worse, deeper, and closer in time as labor progressed.
For number one, I was induced with Pitocin. Typically, real labor contractions feel like a pain or pressure that starts in the back and moves to the front of your lower abdomen. Unlike the ebb and flow of Braxton Hicks, true labor contractions feel steadily more intense over time.
During true labor contractions your belly will tighten and feel very hard. Some moms-to-be liken these contractions to menstrual cramps. Unlike Braxton Hicks, true labor contractions come at regular intervals and get closer together in time. Look out for other early signs of labor too, like your water breaking. As your labor progresses, contractions can feel more painful, and you may also experience pressure in your lower back and rectum.
It is a good idea to discuss options for comfort measures during labor with your healthcare provider ahead of time. For example, some moms-to-be choose pain medication like an epidural and others opt for non-medicated relief — or a combination of both.
Take our quiz on labor pain relief to tell us more! It's natural to feel nervous about what contractions will feel like and whether you'll know when labor has really begun.
Remember, your healthcare provider is there to help you know when the time has come and what to do then. Plus, keep in mind that despite the pain and discomfort, Braxton Hicks contractions are helping your body prepare for labor, and true labor contractions are helping to dilate, soften and thin out this thinning is called effacement your cervix and push your baby further down into your pelvis.
As your due date approaches you might already be stocking up on some of the baby basics you'll need at the hospital and after your baby is born. What Do Contractions Feel Like? Your contractions tend to become longer, stronger and more frequent as your labour progresses. During a contraction, the muscles tighten and the pain increases.
If you put your hand on your abdomen, you'll feel it getting harder; when the muscles relax, the pain fades and you will feel the hardness ease. The contractions are pushing your baby down and opening the entrance to your womb the cervix , ready for your baby to go through.
Call your midwife or maternity unit for guidance when your contractions are in a regular pattern and:. Read more information on when to go to hospital.
During pregnancy, there's a plug of mucus in your cervix. This mucus comes away just before labour starts, or when in early labour, and it may pass out of your vagina. This sticky, jelly-like pink mucus is called a show. It may come away in 1 blob or in several pieces. It's pink because it contains a small amount of blood.
If you're losing more blood, it may be a sign something is wrong, so phone your hospital or midwife straight away. A show indicates that the cervix is starting to open. Labour may quickly follow or may take a few days. Sometimes there is no show. It's likely your waters will break during labour, but it can also happen before labour starts.
Your baby develops and grows inside a bag of fluid called the amniotic sac. When it's time for your baby to be born, the sac usually breaks and the amniotic fluid drains out through your vagina. This is your waters breaking.
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