33w, Regular and Uncomfortable Braxton Hicks, and Lack Of Sleep. Is it just me?

[Bogwoppit22]

Urrrgh. So I'm beginning to feel pretty grotty now.

At 33w my bump feels like I'm carrying a cannonball around (my LO is not so little, ~80-85th centile-ish, and we are having monthly growth scans due to my GDM). Since around week 29 when I went into the DAU for reduced foetal movements I've been having regular bouts of rather uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contractions. And it's not a few an hour either. It's bouts of them contracting every couple of mins. DAU logged them on my CTG and did a foetal fibronecting test to see if I was going into early labour, thankfully I wasn't. Pfew.

What is really beginning to get me down now though is whilst I get bursts of them during the day, they seem to go into turbo mode at night when I lie down in bed, so now I'm lucky if I get even 2hrs consecutive sleep, and I'm waking up 4,5, sometimes 6 times a night, uncomfortable and sometimes a bit painful. I've even taken to sleeping in a chair when they're really bad, it helps a little but doesn't eliminate them.

Has anybody else experienced this kind of aggro, or is it just me?

Looking forward to my small person arriving, coz even if she regularly wakes me up to feed at least I can have a snuggle too, and not just mope about being in pain!

[ChatEnOeuf]

Yep, regular, uncomfortable BHs for several weeks - never painful but certainly get my attention. Mine is being scanned regularly as it is small though. Lying on my left and a bath before bed have helped a little.

[Bogwoppit22]

Hi ChatEnOeuf, thanks for the reply.
I've had to give up baths as I get a bit stuck trying to get out , and mine seem worse when I lie down, especially on my left. Which is annoying as my left is my preferred side, and I've always suffered with indigestion when lying on my right. Still, glad it's not just me being weird with regular and uncomfortable BH though!

[IBelieveInPink]

Hi ladies.
Me too. Also 33 weeks and been having frequent, sometimes painful Braxton Hicks. Freaked me out as I never had them when my first, but I've got used to them now. (As in, I don't panic every time they start any more!!)
Definitely looking forward to the end with this one.
Hope you are both having a relatively comfortable evening!

[RainbowTortoise]

27 weeks today and I have been getting braxton hicks since week 15. Started getting them really early with my DD too. For me, they get more frequent when little one moves, when I touch my tummy or when I am active.

I had DD on her due date, I swear it's because my body had spent so long getting ready for the big day

[pinkie1982]

32+3. No BH but no sleep at all for three nights. I'm hanging! Bump is rock hard and hurts every time it moves. Feels like there is no space left at all!

[Bogwoppit22]

Hey ladies, well I hope everyone had a more fruitful night last night. I actually managed the best sleep I've had in a while. that's not to say it was a good sleep as I still woke 4 times in the night, but the BH seemed to back off a bit, so at least I was more comfortable.
My BH too seems worse when LO moves, which is a shame coz I love feeling her move, although I confess I don't really appreciate it when it feels like she's doing the YMCA!
Also, (TMI warning here), i'm beginning to wonder if my BH is worse when I'm a little "backed up". Haven't been totally blocked, but had a larger than expected movement yesterday evening and like i said the BH seemed considerably more tolerable for the rest of the evening. Might try fybogel and see if that helps... gawd there really is no dignity left once one is pregnant is there! [grins] Good luck ladies x

[ChatEnOeuf]

Yep, mine are worse with movement, and if I need a wee which happens every time I stand up. Makes for a good night! Only up twice last night so not all bad. Lively this afternoon as well, which I'm blaming entirely on DD's insistence on making chocolate cornflake cakes

[Sausageypyramids]

33 weeks here and been having increasingly more dramatic BHs since about 28 weeks. Had a whole batch of them earlier which actually made me catch my breath but had spent the afternoon attempting to fit new board thing to the pram with the 'assistance' of 3 year old DD! Like others above, they seem to be worse after me or the baby has been active (definition of active having been significantly narrowed in my case).

Thankfully I don't have them at night though. My nighttime 'thing' at the moment is leg cramps- I actually woke up the other night having some kind of calf spasm with my leg thrashing uncontrollably, it was ridiculous! Then there are the vivid dreams. Woke myself up having leapt across the room convinced there was a spider in the bed. Leaping is not advisable at the moment!

Ah well, not too long to go now...

[Number3cometome]

31+5 sleeping ok, SPD is really bad, but braxton hicks are something else!
Very frequent and eye watering at times!

[Bogwoppit22]

thanks all. Looks like it's defo not me just being be weird then. Bugs me that all the resources say not painful and not regular, when quite clearly they are for quite a few of us!

[MissTwister]

30+1 and barely sleeping, I feel like a zombie. Hip pain, anxiety, general sleeplessness, waking up every hour or so and then permanently at around 5 am. I felt like I couldn't get home from work today I was so exhausted. And I have 8 more weeks of work left!

What do BH feel like? Sometimes when I walk I get a dragging pain in my lower bump - is this them or just standard pelvic pain?

[MissTwister]

Oh I have bad foot and leg cramps at night too!