As in, what part of your belly/body hurt during contractions? My birth class teacher happened to mention that she felt it all in the top of her belly, and one of the women in the class also mentioned she feels BH's in the top of her belly. For me, I felt contractions and BH's very low, in a band sort of slung between my hipbones and down towards my pubic bone. Never, ever on top. For some reason I never really thought about that varying, aside from back labor. So now I'm curious. Where did you feel your contractions? And if you've been in labor more than once, were they roughly the same each time?
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The first time, all low and wrapping from hips to front like you describe.
Second time was similar until transition and then it felt like my back was being sawed in two. So freaking painful!
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In my back. It was awful. I sat on the toilet pretty much until I got my epidural.
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Almost entirely in my back.
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@Torchwood: this is perfect timing because I'm trying to get a feel for this babe as we near the end! with my first, she was very clear cut. mucuous plug out, one week later I started getting random contractions in my back and hips. over the span of two days they became more regular and turnes into labor. this time around i'm having a TON of BH that are almost always all belly/uterus. only one day did I feel it radiate into my hips and this sent me to the ED. am curious to see how my final weeks go?
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Low in my pelvis. They mostly felt like I had to poop.
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I've only had BH contractions so far, and mine have all been on top of my belly.
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At first, when they were mild, they were low. But I didn't get my epidural until I was a 9.5, and the 90 minutes that I spent laboring from a 3.5 to a 9.5 while I waited on the anesthesiologist, basically my whole midsection was in pain.
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Oi, I have given birth twice and all I remember is I hurt all over (and both births were unmedicated so I guess birth amnesia is a real thing
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My BH didn't really "feel" at all. I'd just notice that I was abruptly out of breath for no reason. My contractions were in my low back.
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Mine were very low. In the exact same area I normally get cramps which weirded me out since my uterus was expanded to under my rib cage but the contractions felt like it was still normal sized... If that makes any sense.
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I never felt anything in my stomach/abdomen.
When my water broke I had the most intense back spasms (I was seeing stars/blackout, ears ringing,tasting metal). I was told this was back labor. Nothing like anything I'd learned preparing for child birth. It was like 0-60 after water broke.
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Same as you! Plus back labor
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It mostly felt like my entire belly tightened up...like the whole thing was being smushed in on itself. As they got stronger, though, I mostly felt them like a belt that ran along the top from side to side, like a frown on top of my belly.
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I only felt some of it when I was pushing since I was on epidural. Before I got on epidural they were just like period cramps. When I was pushing it was super low like I had to poop.
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With E, mostly in my back, then in my stomach up high. With T, all super low in my crotch/lower belly button-a very distinct wave of period like cramps. Very different between the two.
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I have no idea if it makes sense physiologically but when my labor started I felt contractions across my belly and they alternated with my back labor contractions. As soon as the pain from one location stopped it started in the other. After an hour or so they organized and I only had back labor until delivery.
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Across the middle of my belly and my lower abdomen. When they were at their most intense, a paralysing ache radiated down my thighs too. Nothing in my back.
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Thanks for all the responses! It's so interesting how much variation there is! Though really, I don't know why I'm surprised. You hear "every pregnancy is different" constantly, so I don't know why I'd expect it to be any different for labor!
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It was totally different for both of my labors. My first was all intense back labor while my second was the low, wrapping around the belly kind that felt like someone was hitting my pubic bone with a mallet.
I was really caught off guard by my second labor since it was so incredibly different from what I had experienced before!
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I honestly don't remember, which I'm sure is super weird. I know I didn't have back labor and I'm pretty sure they were low down, basically like period cramps...but I can't say 100%.
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@littlebug: That explains mine too! Though when I started to push I swear they got lower.
It's honestly all really fuzzy though since it was a long process and ended with emergency c section so I feel like there was so much going on. -
Top of my belly some, but mainly high up in my back. I never knew you could have contractions up there...I was always thinking they'd be like period cramps.
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Almost totally in my back. Two days of misery!!!
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@Torchwood my ctx are like you describe - lower down in my belly! Usually 1 or 2 inches below my belly button the whole lower belly gets crazy tight.
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with my first, it was immediately and consistently my entire front, like severe constipation cramps I guess?
my second started feeling like just really upset stomach. I got one or two painful cramps like above but they stayed really..just "ugh". I got the epidural early with my second, but not til pushing with my first, so that may play into it too.
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All on the underside. I couldn't bear to be touched on the underside of my belly.
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They were exactly like period cramps both times - across the lower section of my abdomen, right in the middle of my stomach, although the pain could have been radiating out to the sides (I can't remember exactly!). All I remember is that it was like someone had my uterus in a vice grip and was squeezing the crap out of it. I never felt pain anywhere else.
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@Mrs Hedgehog: that's where i felt mine, where my normal period cramps were. except no, they were SO MUCH worse. i still remember how it felt and labor was over a year ago.
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Started in my low stomach but by active labor, it goes across my hips and thighs. It is really hard to stand, sit or move.
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Mine were exactly where I would feel period cramps, but much more intense,
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With J, I had period like cramps for a few nights before I went into labor. I didn't notice BH otherwise. When I went into labor with her, I mostly felt contractions in my back. With DD#2, I am now getting BH and they are on the underside of my belly, across my lower pelvis.
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My Braxton hicks were mainly my entire stomach tightening. Contractions were in my lower abdomen, like period cramps/bad indigestion.
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Mine felt like my entire abdomen-stretching around to the back as well. There was no area that wasn't super painful.
).
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