Can contractions actually feel quite *gasp* nice???

[strangelyembarassed]

I feel very stupid for asking this, but I am 40 weeks and for the last hour or so I have been having contractions, but they are not painful at all. If anything I feel very relaxed and a bit post-orgasmy I know contractions will feel awful when they get goign but has anyone had ones that actually felt quite nice for a while? Of course these could just be braxton hicks I suppose, but hopefully things are getting started (I am very fed up )!

A friend of mine had had three natural births, one birth was to twins. She said she really enjoys giving birth and is always disappointed when it is over ( I think it helped though that she's never had a labour longer then two hours!)

Just wait...........!!!!!!!!1

O what the hell it is me. I am still puzzled by last night. I continued to have contractions about every five minutes all night, but must have dozed off at about 6, after I had been up pacing around for about an hour trying to get things going properly. WHen I woke up at 8 they had virtually stopped. Have been out for a long walk today, and they have started up again. Also have had a definate clear out of my tummy so I am just waiting now. Dd was 2 weeks late and I ended up being induced so I have no idea what a gentle build up to labour feels like, but I have to say that if it feels li this I am not so scared- the experience of going straight into full on labour last time actually quite frightened me, so I will be happy if I get the chance for things to start naturally this time. Db is posterior so I wonder if thats why the contractions didn't lead to anything? Dd was the same and things didn't really get painful until the waters went and I guess her head was putting more pressure on the right places.

Yes labour is more mangable if there is a natural build up to it compared to an indcuction, as your body has a chance to produce endorphins. It's possible your baby may turn into a better position during labour - spend a lot of time on your hands and knees as that is the best position for the baby! And keep up right - sitting on a birthing ball is good or sitting on an upright dining chair the wrong way is good as well.

Good luck.

They can feel great if you let them! IME, relaxing into them can make all the difference. I was so enjoying my contractions with DD3 that I very nearly forgot to call my birth partners/midwife/childminders

It's just that I was quite selfishly enjoying the calm before the storm. I bellowed a fair bit during the last ten or twenty minutes but in an animalistic bearing downy kind of way and it felt really productive. Apparently I wasn't as loud as I thought and the neighbours didn't hear a thing

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Hope you get to turn your baby - try sticking your bottom up in the air when kneeling - to give babs a bit of room to turn.

I loved labour and was really rocked by the contractions - in fact I was going like the clappers!

Only thing is that my babs didn't like labour and we ended up in theatre for an emergency crash section birth.
You can only do what you can do.. I got really strong contractions after the birth as well when breastfeeding!

enjoy the build up and hope everything goes according to plan, and GOOD LUCK for afterwards - I found establishing the breastfeeding and sleeplessness the worst bit. Take Soya Lecithin to emulsify the fat in b/m and so avoid blocked ducts and mastitis.

Good luck... and just do whatever feels right. Ivaguely remember the early contractions with DS being kind of interesting (but then I was being induced and he was a week late). I sang in an operatic stylee for the first few hours. Pissed the rest of the labour wing right off but had been listening to everyone else scream for long enough anyway.