36 weeks with cramping

[iLanny]

Hi I’m looking for a bit of advice.

I’m 36+3 with my second and have been experiencing cramping over the past 2 days. I never experienced this at all with my first (ended up having a contraction and into full blown labour from there) so not sure what to make of it.

The cramping pains come and go and are similar to period pains. They are sometimes accompanied with back pain. Baby is moving a lot and the pushing around in my uterus is getting quite painful. He is suspected breech (waiting to get a presentation scan at next midwife appointment) so perhaps he’s trying to turn? Another midwife said he felt head down though so not very sure on that one.

Also I feel like I need to go to the toilet for a poo (sorry TMI!) but can’t. I have suffered with constipation a lot though so perhaps it’s just that causing the pain.

Any thoughts on if this could be early labour? Or maybe just discomfort caused by being in late pregnancy?

If the symptoms don’t ease today then I’ll be phoning my midwife first thing in the morning anyway. I also have some gentle laxatives to take as I feel that can’t do any harm.

First baby was born at 40+8 so would be surprised if this was early labour, but stranger things have happened!

Hi! I went into labour at 34+3 and what you're experiencing sounds similar to how my labour started.
I had what felt like period pains. I remember reading somewhere at the time if it's Brixton Hicks the pains will stop if you change what you're doing (e.g if you're sitting down, they will stop when you get up and move). Could you download a contraction timing app and see if there is a pattern to the pains? Braxton hicks shouldn't have a pattern really.
Everything crossed for you

Forgot to say, if the pains don't stop when you change position or if they even have a little bit of a pattern I would suggest you call your birthing unit as you're not 37 weeks yet.

Could well be cramps from the constipation. I have also had this pretty much throughout pregnancy, I’m now 29+3 and if I haven’t been for a few days the cramps are really painful

Thanks for the replies! I ended up taking paracetamol and having a lie down and it seems to have passed so maybe Braxton Hicks after all? I guess all I can do is keep an eye on it. It just took me by surprise since I feel like I have ages to go yet, but baby could technically come any time!

Hey,

I have the same problems I'm 36 weeks. I asked my midwife about it and she said it sounds just like our bodies are getting ready to have a baby. The back ache could be because baby is breech, my baby is back to back so I feel it in my back a lot.

It's confusing though isn't it, because the cramps aren't so bad that I worried they were anything but it did make me think is this the start? Or am I blessed with this for the next four weeks 😅

Thanks for this!

Yeah it didn’t seem that bad but I knew something was going on. I haven’t had anything similar today yet so must be a false alarm after all.

That’s interesting about the back pain and baby’s position. The back aches quite a bit anyway so would make sense this the position is causing it. I keep trying to work out if he’s breech but can’t decide. I guess I’m better off leaving it till I go for the scan and find out for sure.

Let’s hope the pain doesn’t keep reappearing over the next 4 weeks! I wouldn’t be happy about that!