Braxton Hicks / pre-labour / early labour?

[ChessyEvans]

For the last couple of nights I have been having period pain type cramps on and off throughout the night. They have been strong enough to wake me up but irregular enough that I've been able to get back to sleep in between! They don't seem to happen during the day, or certainly not to the same extent My tummy has been hardening at the same time so I'm happy that these are some form of contraction...

My questions is - does this sound like Braxton Hicks (which I was led to believe were painless) or does it sound like a form of early labour? I may be confused - do people just mean that BH are less painful than 'actual' contractions but are still like strong period pains?

I'm 37 weeks with my first, midwife says baby only 4/5 engaged although I have been getting those stabby pains as well suggesting the baby is on its way in the right direction!

Any advice welcome, thanks!

Could well be early labour - I got period-type pains for a couple of nights before things started properly. But it could also be BH. Mine were always painless (in fact I didn't realize I had any until midwife pointed them out!), but a friend of mine had to be signed off work because they were so painful for her.

You're definitely heading in the right direction though by the sound of things, so good luck!

Thanks, I think I'm just a bit of a control freak - in reality it doesn't matter really does it, will only be a few weeks at most either way. And even BH is all good uterus practice! I just want to know, it's the thing I'm finding hardest about pregnancy and the idea of childbirth, all of the unknowns!

Am in the same position as you Chessy, 37 weeks with DC1, BHs, twinges...and bemused by the many unknowns! I'm sometimes not sure what are BHs and what are movements iyswim, there's a lot of activity going on in there at times! But I'm sure we'll recognise the real thing when the time comes

Yeah all seemed to calm down last night so no rushing off to midwife just yet! It's just so frustrating not knowing as it seems to be so different for different women. Good luck schmohawk - not long to go now one way or another!

I'm 37 +5 and have been having twinges, stabbing pains low down and what feels like the on-set of period pain cramps on and off for just over a week. This is my 2nd but 1st came at 36 weeks with no prior warning so this is all new to me and if I'm honest it's getting me down ;-( just wish I would go into labour now.... I started labour at 34 weeks but hospital stopped it, gave me steroid injections and advised to expect early arrival - think I'm going to go full term now and have a baby who screams from the very (steroid) matured lungs!! ;-))