How do you know if you have contractions???

[Paula30CWR]

I'm due next week and i feel strange pains but not intense..period-like ones (BH contractions) but then my tummy is not tightened...

How do I know when the realy contractions start?

Because as a general rule they get more frequent, longer and harder to manage.

Honestly, except in rare cases, you will be in no doubt.

sometimes they are real cotx but just not v painful - I've been monitored before and had what were considered to be quite 'good' ctx that felt like a mild tightening/back pain.

all well and good - no doubt doing something

but be in no doubt - when you hit established labour (apart from the few lucky ssods) you will know all about it. at that point, it might be distracting to think about this thread and lol at the mere idea of not knowing whether the earlier ctx were real or not

I know it's a bloody annoying answer but you'll know they're very distinctive and hard to ignore. I had the kinds of pains you describe for weeks before I went into labour with DS. They were completely different to actual contractions which are far more frequent and intense.

Hahahaha Brilliant!
So i'll be mad to be thinking about the thread at that point!

God, it sounds like hell!!! hahaha but I really want the baby out as I want my body back.
I went to have lunch with my husband today as he works in Victoria and we live quite close and I felt so huge!!!

I came back and cleaned a bit and I have some mild back pains...

Oh well..all exciting!!!

Thanks!

Can I hijack please? I'm 41+1 with DC1 and seem to be having BH all the time, literally anything will set them off, bump goes rock hard ect but not really painful.
They seem to last for ages too, three or four minutes sometimes.
I am so bored and uncomfortable that I am actually looking forward to the painful ones to know that something real is happening.

I was on tenterhooks for weeks waiting for DS, I found it such a pain! Every twinge I was thinking is this it, is this it? Like you I felt enormous and was dying to get him out. He was five days over in the end, and when it all got started it was relatively quick - about 9 hours from first proper contraction to him being in my arms. My contractions were very strong but I wouldn't say it was hell at all. My only advice (and no matter what advice you get it'll all go out of your head on the day) is to go with it. Sort of embrace the pain if you can - I know that sounds totally hippyish and impossible but what I mean is try to not tense up and avoid the pain as that will only make it worse. It was only when I just started letting huge screams out of me and really letting my body go and stopped trying to control it that I started to feel better and overall I found my labour a really positive experience.

Good luck with the waiting - I know it seems to crawl by. Hope all goes well when baby finally does decide to put in an appearance!

I'm sure it will all be alright. And MedicalEd, you'll be fine as well.

When I saw One born every minute and the woman was screaming like hell, I though: Shit, this is worse than I thought.

But well..my DH asked me to change channels because it was hard to watch.

I don't want to scream but i have no idea what it will happen.

Let'f go with the flow...

I don't know why I speak with such confidence as I had done it before ..lol oh well :O

It is frustrating being told "you'll know", but it's almost funny when you do realise it's the real thing... I was in slow early labour for 4 days but although I had contractions for quite a bit of that time- about half BH and half painful but infrequent cramps, I was aware (mostly from threads on here!) that if I had doubts if it was real labour, it probably wasn't. When it did start it was just really obvious. Though I did hang about at home for quite a while after that because I was so worried about not being in established labour and being sent home again.
Come and report back when it's all over- good luck!

Don't worry about screaming - I screamed the place down but only because it actually helped me cope with the pain. DH was in stitches because in between screams I turned to him and calmly said "It really isn't as bad as it sounds don't worry" and proceeded to scream again! (Was off my face on gas and air). Don't hold back on anything, just do what feels right.

WriterofDreams you make me laugh!!!

Poor my kittens if I scream!!

WoD, you made me laugh too - and that brought on another BH!

God I remember those bloody BHs well. Sometimes they kept me awake all night. What's really funny is that I thought I wasn't screaming that loudly but DH told me afterwards that I was "screaming as loudly as a person can scream" I feel sorry for the women in the other rooms!