Is this just Braxton hicks? Please tell me it is???

[Mum2OneAndBump]

I am 37 weeks pregnant & about 1 hr ago i started getting really bad pains all across my stomach, i also have pain in my lower back. It is coming and going but not at all different lengths of times & no pattern.
Please tell me this is just braxton hicks as i am sooo not prepared i have only half packed my hospital bag & i am in desperate need of a good nights sleep!

Get your dh/dp to pack the bag, take some paracetamol and have a rest. If they are BHs (which can be quite painful IME) they should ease if you rest. If they are proper contractions you will benefit from some rest now.

Good luck .

could be bh, could be the real thing! If they are irregular it prob hasn't 'really' started yet - mind you, mine were irregular until quite far in
Whatever it is - good luck!

its prob just bh as long as there is no patt3rn they will prob just send u home anyway. althouigh id phone ur mw just to put ur mind at rest and make sure

Dp pack the bag? oh my i could not imagine what sort of thing he would shove in there he would not have the first clue, Baby stuff is in there just my things need packing, the pain is not easing but it is not getting any worse constantly feeling like i need to wee though, oh the delights

you lie on the bed and tell him what to pack! (but if it's easier just do it yourself then rest).

i was told to havea bath and if they were bh they would ease off but if it was the real thing it might move things along

Gingernut i am sure if i really need him to do it he would give it his best shot I am just a very organised person & need to know everything is right (sad i know) I was thinking of going to have a bath, just taken 2 parecetomol i remember with my ds i woke up with period like pains but they did seem to just get more & more intense these are just staying at the same level at the mo.

lol, I know what you mean . FWIW, my 2 labours started rather differently. First time I woke with a definite contraction. Second time I thought I was just having strong, uncomfortable BHs but they were actually contractions (although it did take a long time to really get going). Sorry, maybe that's not what you wanted to hear!

My contractions were very erratic, sometimes they were 5 minutes apart, other times upto half an hour, when I went to get checked out at the hospital I was 7cm dilated and over 7 weeks early.

Agree with the have a bath theory, it moved my contractions from back to all over an booted things well up the bum, so to speak! and if it is just bh's it should ease them nicely

Just had a lovely hot bath, back pain has eased a bit but still got pain across my stomach, i also seem to have slight diarrhoea (sorry if TMI) suppose i will just have to wait & see what happens, have my fingers crossed though as really wanted to make it through to January

Hate to say this but this sounds a lot like my labour... had slight diarrhoea at the beginning of it too. and the whole thing (first twinge to birth) went on for over 2 days . It started at 37+5. I didn't go to hospital until the morning of the last day (ds born in evening) though, and wouldn't really have needed to until about midday that day. So I suggest you get as much rest/sleep as possible!
Best wishes

It does sound like the beginnings of labour to me!

Second labours can be very different to first; with DS1 I had very definite period pains in my lower abdomen.

With DS2 it was very specific lower back pains - I could feel the pressure of his head pushing down on my back passsage with every contraction even very early on, and later the midwife did some very effective massage on my lower back that really helped. I actually preferred the back pain in my 2nd labour as the midwife and dh could massage my back and help, whereas with my first labour no-one could help the pain in my lower abdomen!

Hope all goes well for you. IME braxton hicks can be uncomfortable but don't actually hurt, neither have I heard of them giving you any back pain. Good luck!

might not be BH, might be prelabour pains. I had this with baby no 3 - like contractiong but not really as strong as proper ones and not really getting stronger and quite erratic - over about 4 or 5 hours. Didn't actually go into labour for another week. Good sign though - my labour was only 3 hours in the end and I think this sort of rumbling is everythign sort of softening up to make labour more effective.

Or you could be going into labour!

Either way try and get some sleep

Well if this is the beginning it feels like its going to be a very long trek! I woke this morning at 5.05am with pains again & also at 6.45am i also have been haveing what i would describe as stomach cramps since then, it's not getting any worse though just staying at one level and also there is no pattern, maybe it is my body preparing for it??
What will they do if i go to the hospital? if they put me on a monitor would they be able to tell me if it was braxton hicks or real contractions?

Blimey i sooo don't want this to happen yet, i am so unprepared, i am also waiting for my sister to return from working in lanzarote i really dont want her to miss this but she is not due back till the 9th!!

Thanks for sharing all your experiences it's good to read about all the different ways things happen, i still seem to have an upset stomach so watch this speace i will probably still be sitiing here in a week moaning !

sounds like prelabour pains - I wouldn't go to hosp unless you are concerned about it. I think it is just early rumblings, means you are getting ready for labour inside - but could be some days yet!

Agree with the others - I'm 39weeks and have various rumblings but nothing long and strong - my advice would be to ignore it until you can't! They need to be regular (every 5mins) and well over 1- 1 1/2 mins I think? In real labour you can't walk or talk through a contraction.