whats the difference between braxton hicks and real contractions?

[misdee]

timing wise? and psosition of tighenings?

u'd think after 2 kids i should know, but was induced with dd1 and woke up in full on labour with dd2.

so how will i know when its the real thing?

bh are all over bump and mine felt vagueish... actually didnt notice them so much with number 2 as with 1.

contractions lower down like period cramps and i cd feel mine starting and stopping

ahhh well here is my take
With even the most regular BH's I was always wondering if it was the start of labour
When labour actually started I was in NO DOUBT
With my 2nd BH's started at 21 weeks! And were a nightmare I had about 3 false alarms
But I do believe that the more you have and the stronger, the easier l first stage labour is - well it was for me
Trust me honey you will know
And gooooooooooooooooooooood luck!!!!!!!!!!!!

so what if tightenings are top of bump, and also have period pain in the lower back as well?

Misdee - I have been wondering this too as when I had ds, i slept through the first part as I was induced and it went very quickly.

I have been having LOADS of BH - very uncomfortable ones though couldn't really call them 'painful' - but very very annoying

Misdee - that is what mine are like....
either we are both fine

or are both in labour!
lol

i second piffle!

oh god popsycal, not now!!!

i'm gonna take some paracetamol and see if it goes away.

LoL!

We will be fine....just getting that baby into the right position to make real labour have less to do IMO

What do I keep telling you about keeping that baby inside ?

The braxton hicks I get are painless.

The contractions I got when labour started with my dd were painful enough that they a) woke me up, b) I had to leap upright and do hip swaying to relieve the pain during each one. That was for 48 hours of what they entertainingly call pre-labour. Then the proper contractions involved me involuntarily screaming at top volume and nearly throttling dp!!!

But I do know people who 'aren't sure' and were in fact in proper labour [jealous emoticon]

I had BH for months with ds3 and in the week running up to his birth was convinced I was in labour almost all the time. When I woke up one night at 2am with contractions I just knew that was labour - I can't really describe why. I think because they were very clearly building up, peaking and dropping off but were also very regular. I just knew and that's the only way I can describe it. DS3 was born 3 hrs later!

Good luck you two!!

but i woke up in labour with dd2, got to teh hospital an hr later and was 6cm already.

c'mon pops i'll race you to the finish line.

me and misdee are sitting side by side on my two PCs!!

hi!!

Misdee - sounds similar to me which is why I was convinced I was in labour for about a week before ds3 arrived!

With ds2 - woke up not sure, went to hospital an hour later and was 8cm, 40mins later ds2 was born

how long do real ones last tho? even mieow dont nkow, silly bint!

I don't have a clue either
we are useless.....

I need to try and forget about it as for months I was told that my BP might mean I would be induced around 36-37 weeks....and here I am and the BP is behaving!!

have they gone off misdee?

stil hurting, paracetamol taken edge off. but not taken it away.

ho hum. mieow says if my waters break then we will know. but theydidnt break till i was pushing with dd2. hehe.

misdee - from what I remember, bh's don't hurt - mind you, when I was in labour with dd I just remember dh picking up the pregnancy book (for the first time!) and reading "if you're not sure you're in labour, you're probably not". Hah! Famous last words . Anyway - you can't be - it's TOO early!!!!! You can't leave us March girls already

just spoke to MIL, she says i cant go into labour today as have to make pancakes for dd1 after school.

bonym, i would've hit him with the book.

My BH were quite painful! Some took my breath away!! And I'm not a real wimp as I got through labour quite 'easily' (only a bit of screaming and shouting at the end )

I just said to Misdee, that the MW told me that I coukldn't be in labour because I wasn't sure if I was and plus the contactions weren't strong enough to dilate me, and she wouldn't examise me, but when a different MW did, I was 8cm dilated!!

Ditto Sparkly! 'Just come in for a check up, I suppose you could be in very early labour' - 8cm!!!! Yeah, dead early!! Glad I went as he was out 40 mins later after only about 2 mins of agony once waters broke - was perfectly fine before that!

i had Dd2 just 15 minutes after DH and mum and SCBU came down, I was very impressed with myself for surviving a labour when I wasn't sure if I was!!

actually ow i think of it....
when i was induced with ds (god nearly typed ds1 then...some psychic premonition!!!) my waters broke when asleep (in hospital being induced) and was getting a mildly sore tummy which progressed in about 10 mins to a very sore tummy. Midwife told me to go back to sleep as i wouldnt be in labour without knowing but i insisted she examine me and i was 5 cms dilated and taken to delivery straight away

i am seeing my midwife in an hour anyway....

anything you want me to ask her misdee>