How would you describe contractions?

[NewMamma21]

FTM just trying to get an idea of what contractions might feel like.
I know this may be way off but the only 2 things I’ve experienced which I feel I could compare with are

1. gall stone attacks (undiagnosed for ages); they felt like my stomach had cramped up & wouldn’t release, shooting back pains & felt like someone was squeezing my lungs.
2. IBS; that feeling of really needing the toilet, stomach cramps, cold sweats. All coming in waves then okay for a bit then another wave.

Mine were all in my back, felt like back spasms/really bad back ache- pain wise ok to progressively worse until I had to keep dropping to the floor with each one. didn’t help that the bloody midwives didn’t let me leave monitoring to go to delivery until I was 9cm dilated
Once I was pushing they felt more like traditional tight painful squeezes but I had gas and air by that point so was manageable

Yeah it's painful. But like someone said in a different thread it's a positive pain something is happening

I have 3 kids all born at almost 42 weeks so had to go through inductions good and bad. A difficult birth is challenging but I did get epidural. An easier birth feels very natural and the pain is bad but manageable

That gripping heaving feeling when you vomit or dry heave. Sort of body spasms where you cant do anything. Repeated and held for several minutes.

I would do it all again though OP so dont start fretting x

Very strong and rhythmic period pains at first. Which makes sense to me as period pain is a very mild version of the same sort of uterine contraction. Don't ask me about later on as I was just in a daze of pain.

Diarrhoea/period cramps

Uncomfortable, it's an I can't sit still kind of pain not a scream the house down. For me spontaneous labours were very long, shortest was 2 days longest 6 days. Early on I can just get on with my day, as it ramps up I can't sleep and get very fidgety during them. Once waters go they really intensify but doesn't last too much longer after that point. Had a full induction before, that hormone drip makes contractions much worse as there's barely a gap between them ended up being talked in to epidural for that one. 3rd was back to back and the pain was more in my back.
2 labours on monitors which is like being chained to the bed, 1 without and that was much better as I could potter about the room. Also had an elcs with twins, surgery was much better than I expected and recovery no worse than vb's.

DD was pressed right against my spine and it felt like someone was breaking my spine with each contraction, is was horrendous. I had my first contraction in my bump that just felt like my uterus was being squeezed but then all in my back

Mild pressure and period cramps at first, with lower back pain like it was being squeezed. Then upset stomach cramps but much more intense, right down the legs.

Chinese burn on your uterus description is absolutely spot on

I felt like my stomach was in a vice and being squeezed hard at regular intervals

I don't think these descriptions are great to hear as a pregnant woman.

They are painful. You know that. It was the worst pain I was ever in. But remember: you are pain free between contractions.

Please remember this because if you can recover calm in between your contractions and focus on the productive pain of your contractions bringing your baby closer to you, it will make it easier.

@BounceyBumblebee my exact thoughts!

Start of like sting period pains and progress to what I can only describe as the worst pain from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, and then it starts to die off, then they build again, over and over

It's all worth it though.

Intense period pains in short bursts. It's an intense ache rather than a sharp stabbing pain

It was painful but managable gas & air is great. Broken collar bone was sooo much worse (as is a tough night shift).

Just like period pains for me too. As they ramped up they were more amplified and longer, but basically still like period pains.

Like I was being vacuum packed!
It wasn't a simple pain (although it was very painful) , it was the sensation that my entire abdomen was unstoppably and rapidly shrinking, compacting everything inside. Like when the hoover sucks out the air from the storage bag containing the winter duvet

Like when you get a cramp in your calf during the night!

Started off like period pain...ended up like I was being torn apart!

First birth: I felt as if I was trapped in the jaws of a bulldozer and it was twisting my body in half, breaking my spine and squeezing the very lower part of my torso in a literal vice. I longed for death.

Second birth: started to get the vice squeezey feeling and remembered how bad things were going to get. Firmly requested the epidural while I could still manage the contractions and never felt one again! Am having an ELCS with the next baby and hopefully will never feel another contraction in my life!

Sorry OP, you are a FTM and I feel bad for telling you my experience. However Iots of people find labour fine, gas and air is amazing (didnt have it with my first) and epidurals are fantastic if there is time.

Start off like bad cramping/periods pains but become all consuming, they take over your whole body and it feels excruciating, almost burning feeling.

Gas and air helps a lot though!

It’s my first they were like bad period pains which were much worse if I was in a “bad” position (eg lying on my back). I was happier standing up or hunched over something.

Second time I didn’t have much until the last 30 mins. The contractions were painless. It was so bizarre. Then right at the end, again when I was in the wrong position (eg in the car on the way to hospital) did it become u bearable. So I’m a strong believer of not lying on your back when contracting! Unless on drugs!

Story-time!
I got to the hospital after my water broke at 4am. I could feel the throbbing pain, and i told the nurse i thought they were probably contractions. She said "well, you'd KNOW if they were contractions".

This annoyed me because how could anyone know if you never had them before. Anyway i was right and had a baby in my arms 20 hours later

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Agree with the bad period pains. Also like when you have stomach ache combined.

The contractions are uncomfortable. However, it lasts a long time and is also super boring. I sometimes fell asleep between them honestly. I wonder if thats normal?

On a positive note, i expected it to be worse. I managed a vaginal birth with only gas and air and my pain tolerance is pretty crap!