contractions started yesterday and have now stopped - what's going on?

[mabel1973]

I am 36 weeks pregnant with DC3, I have had Braxton hicks on and off for the last month or so. However yesterday I started having a few twinges but just carried on with things as normal, but by about 4ish, they were getting harder to cope with and more regular, not so bad that I needed pain relief, but painful enough for me to have to breath through them IYSWIM?
From then til about 3.30am this morning, i was getting them every 20minutes to half an hour, until eventually I managed to fall asleep.
This morning, apart from the odd twinge and feeling generally quite tender, I have had nothing really.
I have not had a show or any leaks.
With my previous 2 pregnancies I went overdue and had to have a sweep to get things moving and once the contractions started, that was it, so I have never experienced anything like this before. Also my waters have not broken previously, I have had to have them broken at the hospital, so not really expecting that to happen.
Does it sound like things are moving?

are you me?

I too was up in the early hours from around 12- 3 am with regaluar striong contractions every 10 minutes and now nothing.....

I am due tomorrow.

It could be the start of something especially if you had to consciously breathe through them

I have had so many false alarms this time round with DS my waters broke and I was 'off'

I spoke to my midwife...she said it could be the real thing, or it could be just strong braxton hicks. So really she doesn't know!

the wonder of nature always keeps you guessing. !!

bump - anyone else had this?

im 35 weeks and ive had this but i have an irritable womb which goes hand in hand.....

I was also in hosp sun night as was having contractions every 10 mins brought on by a sick bug, the MW said stomach bugs can start of early labour....

i didn't know that, both Ds's and DH have sickness bugs at the moment! I have managed to avoid it so far...

Hi - I read a really good article on 'warm up labour' - it's on www.birthchoices.co.uk/, under Articles (on the left hand menu) 'Warm up labour', and is one woman's experience (to the second!) of about 4 days of on and off contractions. I thought it was really interesting...