Can Braxton Hicks be regular or do they just come randomly?

[FurryFox]

Never noticed any braxton hicks during first pregnancy but am currently 37+1 with second baby and since yesterday have noticed what I think are braxton hicks. Belly tightening and going very hard every 40 minutes or so.

Just wondered if these probably are braxton hicks and can they come in regular patterns or are they usually just random and on and off?

[CorrieDale]

They were both with me. I had painless ones with DS, but with DD, they got to be really quite painful. Sometimes regular, sometimes irregular. I was convinced on more than one occasion that This Was It. Eventually, at 41 weeks, it reached the stage where my waters had been gushing out every hour or so, and I was contracting every five minutes or so, and was still insisting that I wasn't in labour yet. I was, but I'd just had BHs for so long, I couldn't quite believe that I was ever going to actually give birth.

[needmorecoffee]

They can be regular. I had them from 35 weeks with number 4 so got very excited. She didn't arrive till 42 weeks however....
By 40 weeks the braxton hicks would wake me at night about 3am, be regular about every 10 mins then stop at 7am.
When I actually went into labour at 42 weeks exactly it was much stronger and each one (started 10 mins apart) took my breath away. Very different feeling even though the BH had been uncomfortable and my tummy went rock hard

[FurryFox]

Thanks. I knew it was too good to be true and I shouldn't be getting excited!

[PoinsettiaBouquets]

I had them every 10-20mins from 36wks with my first, lots of back pain with each one. Came on as a morning of false labour that never got any worse (or better), just went on until proper labour kicked in at 38wks.

[RGPargy]

I've been having tightenings all morning, quite frequently too! It's not painful or anything, but it does leave me wondering if this is it!!

RG (39+6)