Strong BH - advice needed please

[SavannahRose]

hi ladies

Last night I had very strong what I thought were BH lasted for a good couple of hours about 3 minutes apart. This morning I woke and am feeling very sore around the bottom of my bump and like it's pulling in my fanjo? Also still getting the odd tightening. Can anyone explain what this is? Felt sick since last night too and paracetamol and a bath hasn't taken it away!
I'm currently 33 wks with num 2

Thanks
SavannahRose
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Because you are 33 weeks I'd ring your midwife. Sounds like it could have been early labour last night, with the amount of time between each tightening, but not so sure if you are not getting regular tightening today?

Good luck!

I'd definitely ring your midwife to get monitored and hopefully put your mind at rest. There's no harm in being strapped up to a monitor for an hour or so to check out what's going on.

To reassure you, I'm 27+3 and had BH for most of last week. At times they were only a few minutes apart. I didn't have the pulling sensation but I did monitor myself quite closely incase I had any other signs. In the last few days they seem to have stopped all of their own accord.

I'm sure everything's fine with you as BH are very common but do get checked out.

Go to the hospital antenatal unit to get checked out asap - I had this at 30 weeks and it was proper contractions. They kept me in and monitored me for two days an dalso gave the steroid injections to develop baby's lungs in case I went into labour.

Good luck!

ive been hoping someone would post something like this as it is similar to what i have been experiencing. im 38 weeks and been having strong braxton hicks quite close together and also been waking in the night with severe cramp like pains, so painful i have to keep still until it subsides. the thing that makes me doubt its anything serious is they dont last. aside from that i've had a bit diarrhea and sickness and the odd 'twinge' down below.
i dont want to ring midwife incase i look stupid and it turns out to be nothing(for example i am feeling perfectly ok today and plenty of movement from baby) so i'm just going to wait and see if these bh get more regular.
my mum suggested today i could be in slow labour? aswell how long would i need to have 'the show'/waters breaking? i feel so dumb asking these questions.

Luluzulu - midwives don't mind you ringing if you are worried about anything!

OP and Lulu - I have been told my midwives that the way you can tell if it's labour rather than BHs is: are they regular? Do they keep coming, or do they come and go? Are they getting stronger, and closer together? BHs can come and go, and aren't necessarily every x minutes, and don't get stronger and stronger, whereas contractions in established labour stay, will be a certain number of minutes apart, and will get stronger and stronger. But I'm sure no midwife / hospital would mind you ringing to get some advice.

On having a show and waters breaking - you can definitely be in labour without either of these signs. I had a show, but not everyone does, and my waters didn't break until I was in very established labour (when my contractions were 3 mins apart) and in hospital. So I wouldn't see the fact that you haven't had either of these as meaning you are or aren't in labour. But given your BHs have died away it just sounds like BHs and not "proper" contractions.

Good luck both though!

Lulu, you could be in slow labour, especially if this is your first baby. Keep looking after yourself, and speak to your community midwife if you need to be reassured or would like to know for sure what's happening. That's what they're there for.

As for waters breaking...some people's sacs don't rupture until the baby is born (born in the caul), which is perfectly safe and fine, so your waters don't have to break whilst in labour. And a show can turn up at almost any stage - it's just the mucus plug coming away from the cervix.
What I mean is, don't wait for either of these things as a sign you are definitely in labour, as you can be without experiencing them.
On the other hand, if you do get either, then things must be moving

lulu-BH contractions can sometimes become more intense/frequent during the last couple of weeks of pregnancy. I have been having the same, I am 39 wks at the moment.

The other day I had very regular BH tightenings, then lost what I think was my mucous plug that evening (clear jelly like stuff...). The BH continued and were accompanied by lower back pain, then tapered off...

It is most likely 'false labour'....as you say, I wouldn't worry about it unless the contractions speed up and start to become more painful. Normally you would have 'a show' before waters breaking, though apparently most peoples waters don't break until labour has started.

Hopefully, we will have our babies soon!

thell- thanks for that , great advice as yes it is my 1st so i'm just taking each day as it comes and dont really know what to expect. the pains are getting more regular as the days and nights go by but like i said i am perfectly fine at the moment so i just dont know what to think. also my bump seems to have dropped as so many friends and family have also commented on this. i dont want to build my hopes up and think baby is coming early as it would be just my luck to expect that then to go over my time, but i do feel ready iykwim? im really glad you mentioned about the waters breaking because that is what i am waiting for so its good to know these things arent so textbook

leilababyno1- i did lie on the bed the other day and try timing things but then it all stopped, the pains are mainly through the night- hopefully we will meet our little ones very soon, sometimes when i get these pains i think oh shit but then i think yeehaa at the same time. we are nearing the finish line(hopefully)

thanks wigeon any advice is appreciated x

Good luck Lulu! I hope it's not too drawn out for you.
By the way, people have been telling me my bump has dropped regularly for the last two months! I'm 36 weeks, and have no intention of having this baby early
Sometimes you need to take the advice of others with a pinch of salt over what you are feeling in your own body.
Have a chat over all of this stuff next time you see your midwife, she should be able to give you a bit more perspective. x

Good luck to Savannah too! Hope you've had some help from your midwife x

Def ring your midwife, but to reassure you I've been having these since about 35 weeks, and its come to nothing each time (am now 39 weeks), had this with my DD too from about 34 weeks and she then arrived at 38+1 got up, waters broke and had her within 6 hours, very easy birth too - think its just your body gearing up! but def ring to get checked out. xx

I get this every night and it is driving me mad because it keeps me awake. It usually starts around 2 am and goes on for atleast a couple of hours and I do end up feeling very sore the next day. I am 36 weeks and had it with the other 5 aswell. Proper labour contractions generally get worse and there is a difference between the uncomfortable feeling of a BH to the pain that gradually builds with labour proper. A good indicator my midwife gave me when I had dd2 was that if you can say your name and address when you are having a contraction then it isnt labour, which is why often the labour ward will ask to speak to a woman who is contracting if her partner rings to ask if they should come in. If it is a proper labour contraction then you have to stop and really breathe through it, even the early ones feel totally different to BH.

Like they say in the books, if you're not sure then you're probably not in labour.

Its a bugger but perfectly normal, sadly.

If you are worried call your midwife- they are used to it AND that is what they are there for! They won't think you're stupid at all. I went in one night not in labour with dd1 and had a panic about 25 weeks with this one as got woken up by painful, regular Braxton Hicks, terrified I was going into early labour. They examined me, chatted to me, were lovely and sympathetic and reassuring.

Thanks ladies. It's nice to hear others are getting the same and I'm not alone....not that the pain is nice!!! I'm still getting tightenings everyday since. Would ring my midwife but she only has he phone on every fort night on a Wednesday when she is on duty rubbish I know!!! I always feel like I'm pestering the labour ward, keep going in over the smallest of things bet the hate me!!!

Savannah, I thought of a good example ofthe difference between BH and labour contractions. (well I think it is anyway!)

You know how you get a bad cold, feel rotten and say "I think I might have flu", then you get flu and realise the difference?

Well BH and labour contractions are like that. BH get sore and you are rubbing your tummy and thinking "this is horrible, I wonder if things are starting". Then you get labour contractions and the phrase "F*CK ME! What the HELL was that?!" is more appropriate!

The upshot? You'll know, trust me, you WILL know :)

Lol Bogeyface tbh it was like that on Saturday night!!!!!!