Are these Braxton Hicks?

[allthesharks]

This is my 3rd pregnancy so you'd think I would know. In my second pregnancy I was told I have an irritable uterus as I kept having contractions but they weren't actually doing anything. One time when I was seen at Maternity Assessment Unit they could feel the tightenings on my bump but not at the same time as I had the pain.

In the last pregnancy I did used to get it where my bump felt hard but I just thought it was the baby stretching out. Sometimes the bump would look almost flat across the middle and there'd be a "lump" on either side which I thought was the head and the bum.

I'm now getting the same hard/weird shaped bump and I'm also getting some cramps, but not at the same time as the hard feeling in the bump.

DD1 was born at 28 weeks and DD2 was born at 33 weeks. I'm currently 25+6 and I had a cervical length scan this morning which showed the cervix had shortened but it's still closed. I had a cerclage put in at 24+0 and the scan showed that's looking good.

Does it sound as though these are Braxton Hicks? Or is it just the baby moving as I thought and some unconnected cramps/discomfort?

I'm FTM so I can't tell you, but I felt Braxton hicks for the first time. I've been having continuous tightenings for the past 2 days which feel like vibrating and a different sensation to baby kicks. Last night I woke up at half 1 with awful cramps and I felt so unwell that I started severely vomiting everywhere, I was convinced I was going into labour but I'm only 26 weeks.

I called the midwife but she said I shouldn't panic just yet unless it got worse. Luckily I've woke up this morning and feel ok, but sadly still got BH. 🥺☹️

Just jumping in here @Beau2020 it may be worth getting a check for a UTI. I had braxton hicks and severe tummy cramps which made me sick, they checked me over for preterm labour but it turned out to be a UTI. They can be quite nasty but the symptoms sometimes hide. Ask for a urine test. 💕

@lovelyjubbly12 really!? I have had 2 UTI's since being pregnant so it's very likely I could have another one. I've only been having telephone checkups so they haven't been checking my urine either. Thank you, this has prompted me to get tested!

@Beau2020 hopefully it'll get sorted for you. They're horrible aren't they! I didn't even know I had one as the usual symptoms weren't there except this horrible cramping. On the way to the hospital I was being sick it was all very dramatic for what turned out to be a UTI 🤣

I'm getting more tightenings again this evening. This time without any real pain. I am a bit anxious as I had contractions every night for a week before I went in to labour with DD2 at 33 weeks. I'm hoping this is just Braxton Hicks and it's entirely normal. But I don't know what it's like to have a "normal" pregnancy that doesn't end in premature labour.

Heyy, sorry to jump on but I've been having these ever since I was around 22 weeks. I get them every single day and I get bad ones atleast twice a day. It even woke up me last night about 5am my bump was that rock solid and felt as though baby was going to burst out of me!! This is my second pregnancy I never had this with my first so I'm confused. I thought it was because I've got an anterior placenta. Let me know how you get on, I've got another scan tomorrow at 26 weeks because my placenta is low lying so I'll ask about these braxton hicks then because they are so strong it actually worries me! Good luck in your pregnancy keep us updated x

The tightenings got much worse on Saturday night and I had to go in to hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning. They could physically feel the tightenings on my bump but they weren't being picked up on the monitor. They said this is likely to be because it's too early. They didn't know what was causing the tightenings but they started to ease and I had a negative partosure test so they let me go home. I'm continuing to get these tightenings. Sometimes with regularity and sometimes accompanied by back pain and that achy feeling in my thighs like you get with period pain. I really don't know when I'm supposed to react. I'm 27 weeks today. My daughter who was born at 28 weeks was a very quick labour and I have group B strep so I need to be treated with antibiotics in labour. So early in the pregnancy I wouldn't want to take any risks and delay going to hospital, especially as they'd ideally transfer me out to a hospital with NICU. But on the other hand, if its Braxton Hicks or false labour there's no need to go in. Its horrible not knowing when to listen to your body.