Are braxton hicks meant to take your breath away?

[littlelamb]

Don't know how better to put this. I am 32 weeks and for the last hour I have been sat in my chair having braxton hicks so strongly they have taken my breath away. No kind of regularity to them, but several clusters of them quite close together. Has made me realise that I really have forgotten what labout is like . Is this usual? Until now I have been having a few braxton hicks, mostly when I have been running around a lot, and mostly completely painless, just my tummy going absolutely solid. Not seeing midwife for another 2 weeks so I just want to check that this is nothinto worry about.

[orangina]

My bh were really full on towards the end of pg #2 (had them in both pregnancies from about 20 weeks onwards). Especially if I tried to walk faster than a snail, or climb stairs. Am not desperately unfit, they just really kicked in then. Some did take my breath away, BUT I knew they weren't labour contractions. Tummy went solid. Agree w riven if you are worried, go to labour ward and get checked out. Or do something really relaxing (bath?) and see if they continue as a first step.....

[orangina]

Do they feel like they could be labour contractions?

[littlelamb]

No they don't feel like proper contractions ( I think). One of my worries is that as I was induced last time I don't actully know what it feels like to go into labour- I went pretty much from nothing to full blown agony.

[SenoraPostrophe]

I presume this is your second. I had lots of contraction-like pains with ds (my second), which I think were a combination of BH and him kicking me. and yes, they took my breath away, but he wasn't born for weeks! think it's because he had so much more room than dd...

as it goes, I had bh so often with him I did nearly miss the real labour. but they start coming much more regularly (i.e. at least one every 20 mins - mine weren't every x mins until about an hour before he was born)