I've been having weird cramps on my left side, but I'm not sure if my stomach felt tightened or hard if that makes any sense. It definitely felt different than movement. My dog had surgery yesterday, so I've been stressed and maybe that's it. But, I read Braxton Hicks usually start around 20w, and I'm 20w1d. I'm trying to make sure I'm hydrated. So, when did they start for you, and did you ever get concerned?
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You really should feel a firmness/hardening g of the area with Braxton Hicks that lasts less than a minute or so and goes away. Usually not at all painful, just weird. How low is the pain? Round ligament pain can be cramps, is often on one side but can be both, and doesn't come with any tightening.
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17 weeks exactly. I had lots and lots throughout the rest of my pregnancy. The felt like uncomfortable tightening across my stomach.
Eta: mine were sometimes painful in an achey sort of way, not sharp pain like labor. -
Mine definitely made my belly hard, and the really strong ones felt like they were pulling down on everything. Made it harder to breathe, though I'm not sure why. I'm not positive when they started, because at first I didn't know for sure what they were, but by 20 weeks they were pretty regular and definitely obvious.
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I think what you are experiencing sounds more like round ligament pain. Mine was so painful and felt like stabbing and cramping pain mostly on my left side.
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I think you ladies are right, and it was round ligament pain! I drank even more water, and am trying to lay on my left side which seems to be working.
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Never! I got hooked up a week before I had DD and apparently was having contractions but had no clue.
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I have been having a lot of round ligament pain and it definitely sounds similar to what I've been having! Even down to drinking more water to make it feel better.
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I didn't notice any BH until the 3rd trimester.
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Bumping this. No one voted first tri, but I'm as certain as I can be that I've started having them already in the last week. I'm 13w1d today. I've been feeling them for at least a week (though very infrequently, not more than maybe 2-3 per day), but hadn't been able to confirm because I can't feel my uterus while standing or sitting yet. It's such a distinctive feeling that I was pretty sure, but I felt like there was no way this early. But it happened this morning while I was laying down, and sure enough, my uterus was rock hard. I had ten gazillion BH's last time, starting relatively early (don't recall exactly, but well before 20 weeks, and possibly earlier than I realized since I didn't know what they felt like), and the MFM's who I was seeing were never worried, even when they were every 2 minutes. So I'm assuming it's just how my uterus works and I needn't worry. I did email my midwife to be sure.
But seriously, has anyone ever heard of them so early? I didn't think it was even possible!
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@Torchwood: I'm not sure about first trimester, but I ended up going to the ER the next day after I started his thread due to throwing up and the cramping. They said my uterus was contracting because I was so dehydrated (hyperemesis). If you had them early last time, I'm curious what your midwife will think. In the meantime, I'd guzzle some water. Does drinking more water help at all?
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@dc yoga bee: This time they're so infrequent that I can't really say if drinking water would make a difference. Last time it did help, except having a full bladder would cause them too (OB said that was normal since they're right next ot each other), so I really couldn't win.
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@Torchwood: Mine started at exactly 14 weeks with this pregnancy (2nd one), so it's definitely possible. I'm in the same boat - I get them if I don't drink a ridiculous amount of water but then I get them if my bladder is full. It's so frustrating. I'm almost 25 weeks and I feel like I'm getting them now just by standing up
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@SeptMomma12: Well, at least I'm not the only one! Sorry you're dealing with them though. It's not like they're a big deal, but they're so annoying! Last time I definitely felt like you do now. Everything I did set them off. Though I used that as my excuse when I really did not feel like doing anything, and it always worked, so I guess there's a plus side.
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@Torchwood: Yeah, it's not fun! With my first pregnancy, my doctor put me on bed rest from 28-36 weeks because of them, but he's promised we will try to avoid that this time as long as they monitor my cervix regularly and confirm it's not changing. Unfortunately my 2 year old missed the "mommy wants/needs to take it easy" memo!
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@SeptMomma12: I'm curious if I would have wound up on bedrest if it had been a normal pregnancy last time. I'm going to ask my midwives about that at my appointment next week. And funny how small children can't seem to understand that one, right?
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In case anyone runs across this later, I heard back from my midwife. She said to do what I'm doing, staying hydrated (at least 2 liters of water per day) and resting periodically. She also said to contact them if I have any pain, discharge, or bleeding, but otherwise not to worry.
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