Mild period pains 35 weeks pregnant

[Attheyard]

I’ve been having mild period cramps/pains for a few days, first noticed in the evening about four days ago. That was just one episode, the next day two and then this evening in particular I’ve had maybe 4-5 bouts of it coming and going. But it doesn’t really fade away completely, it honestly feels exactly like I’m about to get my period. It’s mild (and I famously have a very low pain threshold) and right down in my pelvis/where my uterus used to sit basically just above my pubic bone.

What is this? Is this a normal late pregnancy thing? I’ve googled extensively and read through my NCT stuff and that talks about Braxton Hicks vs labour and it doesn’t seem like either of those. I can’t “time” them really because they don’t fade away to nothing, they’re not waves of pain, it’s the bottom of my bump as opposed to painless tightening across the top etc etc. I know I could go to triage but it’s a Sunday night and I have no other symptoms, normal pregnancy discharge and no plug signs etc. Has anyone else experienced this?

It sounds like your body just preparing for labour. With my first I had zero sign before. With my second I had weeks of on off period pain, it drove me mad. Just look out for the pain becoming intense and regular, and obviously speak to your midwife about any concerns.

This is normal at this stage

Following as I’m experiencing the exact same thing at 34 weeks pregnant

Update: I ended up going to triage that night and left more confused really. They put me on the monitor and the TOCO went really high and was showing contractions, it was in the 80s at one point. But they also did a pre-term labour swab with the speculum (horrible) which was negative. So that was a relief. But then they said the pain would go away with paracetamol and codeine meaning it would be just Braxton Hicks, which it didn’t.

I did end up coming home and have had the same period cramps on and off for the past couple of days. It doesn’t feel like contractions because it lasts for a while, like half an hour to hours rather than a minute. I am glad it isn’t pre-term labour obviously but also not sure it’s Braxton hicks either so not sure what to think now really.