Hellobee Boards

I had them all the time from 23 weeks on. I could definitely tell when they were the real deal because it hurt more and lower. The BH were just that uncomfortable tightening.

I'm 30w and I've had a ton of contractions starting like 22 weeks ish. Sometimes they are just tightening but often mine are painful and low - like menstrual cramps, they hurt in my back and wrap to the front, sometimes hurt in my upper thighs. Turns out my contractions are making my cervix change so they aren't "just" Braxton Hicks.

I was basically told the only difference between BH contractions and "real" contractions is that real contractions change your cervix (efface/dilate/etc) and BH do not and sometimes there is no way to tell. I think warning signs would be frequency, regularity, pain, or cramping and if I had any of those I would check with the dr! Which is what happened to me.

@Portboston when I was at the hospital this weekend that's what the L&D nurse told me too. She said when your uterus contracts, it's like a tube of toothpaste and squeezes from the top to the bottom but you tend to feel real contractions more lower down with cramping, etc. Which is how all of mine have felt - I have never felt contractions above my belly button.

I got them with both my pregnancies around 14 weeks onward. I seem to get them pretty often and sometimes they get regular in the evening but it didn't cause a problem getting to 40 weeks with my first.

@Torchwood: I'm getting them already too and I'm only 11 weeks. My dr said today that it's normal to feel them really early with your 2nd if you had them with your first. I had them from 17 weeks on with my 1st.

I had them with LO1 starting at 30 weeks, and they were pretty frequent. Because I had GD, I had non-stress tests twice a week from about 34 weeks on, and you could see the rise and fall of each contraction. Just like you described, my stomach would just get tight for a bit, then release.

When I was in labor, my contractions were painful. You'll definitely be able to tell the difference. The day I went into labor, I had BH contractions on and off all day with some cramping (I had cramping on and off all week long), but when I went to bed that night, a full blown contraction was so painful that it shot me right out of bed. I downloaded a contraction app after I had the second painful one, and I knew these weren't BH contractions and that they were real ones!

Oh yes! I think they started around 20-something wks, usually with activity. Every time I went for a brisk walk my belly tightened up.

Nope - I never felt any BH before my 37w induction.