AbbyMN needs your contractions comments...

[AbbyMumsnet]

Doing some stuff for the site and need a few (pithy) quotes re' contractions: how did yours feel? Did you have them for days before giving birth? Did they increase gradually or were they full on from the start?

I never had any

So they were a piece of piss in fact

I felt them in my thighs. Which surprised me very much. Am I just odd? If so, please ignore

An hour into labour with my first child I said: "gosh, this is fine, it's just like period pains, I don't know what all the FUSS is about!"

My mum raised her eyebrows and ten hours later I knew why.

Strangely, at the end of every contraction I felt like someone was stamping on my bladder and I had to run and do a pee at the end of every one.

I'm told that's not usual though.

Yes. My sister phoned me to tell me labour had started, it wasn't as bad as she'd thought and she was off to Tesco. I didn't like to disabuse the poor girl. She found out soon enough.

I had Braxton hicks for several weeks prior to being induced with my firstborn, when I went into labour with child number 2, I did not quite know what to expect. I was sure it was just Braxton Hicks and went to bed even though the contractions were coming 5 minutes apart. I woke shortly after with the mother of all contractions, one just merged into the other, and all I could do was scream!. Dh came running up, took one look at me and rang the midwife "I think my wife is in Labour" Her response? "You dont have to tell me, I can hear it, let me send an ambulance right now". - No, dont bother, it will be quicker if I drive her myself....

The pain in my bottom and hips were so bad it felt like my pelvis was forced apart with giant pliers.

Ah, yes, the old comparison to period pain, eh?
Period pain bears as much resemblance to contractions as a cold does to pnuemonia.

They were equally painful from start to finish, just closer together (and I was more tired). Started at 00h50 and I gave birth at 09h45

I have never had Braxton Hicks.

With DS2 I felt my first contraction and thought "Fuck- why on earth did I do this again"

Until that point I had blissfully remained ignorant and must have forgot how bloody horrendous contractions were.

Mine took my breathe away literally

In early labour, during contractions, I thought about petals on flowers opening, and my sweet babys head descending on its way towards the world.

Once I was in established labour, my main thought during contractions was AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG SOMEBODY GET THIS FECKING ALIEN OUT OF MY BODY NOW.

you don't always know that they are real contractions!

Did you know you can have very painful contractions, every 10/15 minutes for 3 days and still only be 3 cm dilated?

They certainly don't tell you that at ante-natel classes....

The early ones wouldn't have been as bad if it hadn't been night time. They kept waking me up every ten minutes or so and I was getting quite annoyed! I like my sleep!

I was in labour for 3 days all in all, arrived at the hospital with bag and hamper (foolishly thought I'd need some sandwchiches and mini scotch eggs for substance! Ah!) and was duly turned away as I was only 2cm dialated. (Both nights)

On the 3rd night they broke my waters and after that it was full force ahead and a complete shock. So much so I tore up my waterbirth plan and insisted on an epidural with immediate effect. My contractions decided not to follow a natural pattern, and came in doubles and triples, with hardly any down time inbetween. I've never been as good a dancer, as I was waiting for the lovely Mr Epidural man. Hopping from one foot to another like some kind of withchild McHammer.

Sorry for the ramble... There might be a quote in there somewhere.

I was in 2nd stage labour for 4 hours and it was one long contraction in my back. So was unable to walk round, or sit on a ball. I remember it being really bad and mid wife was getting a cup of tea and DH was watching tV and i thought if i keep taking the gas and air i will pass out so then they will need to take the baby out.

I did not pass out, but DH did hold my hand - or should i say held my hand and canuala that they had tried 4 times to get in.

Ah yes- I remember with DS1 going into hospital, my waters had broke but i had no contractions. The midwife asked if I had thought about any pain relief and I was adament that I would 'brave' it and if really necessary, just have gas and air.

I had one contraction and begged for an epidural.

my first contractions were just like my tummy had gone rock hard (well, it had!'doh') and that was it, no pain.

then they started to make me hold my breath, and the contraction started making my tummy go hard from the bottom up, like a wave if that makes sense??

and then it went into my back...............

in fact, once it went into my back, I had to get DH to massage me......and told him to do it hard!! the following day, after I had had DD1, I had loads of thumb-print bruises all over my lower back, and DH had very very sore thumbs.

they did get stronger slowly tho, and I do think they had built up over a couple of days as I had felt like I had period pain for the entire easter, and DD1 was born on easter tuesday, my labour starting eastere monday.

like the wrost period pains.

painfull but in a blunt?? way

i rather imagined they would be 'sharp'

My waters broke, and contractions started a couple hours later. They did feel like really bad period pains, but really really really bad ones, and then just really bad ones in between. (DD was back to back which I was told causes pain between contractions).

I bitched and moaned alot, and begged for drugs. Epidural was great. I can thoroughly recommend it.

Oh no mine were sharp. It felt like Edward Scissorhands was sort of rummaging around inside my uterus trying to find something. Showing my age there but you know what I mean.. every time the doctor asked how much pain I was in on a scale of 1-10 I said 9.5 but inside my head I was screaming 'a hundred, a hundred you stupid git! How could it be anything less!!'

I don't think women forget the pain of labour. I think we just have no frame of reference for that pain - until we go into labour the next time, "Oh yes, it's all coming back to me nooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!"

First time not a one, my Mum took me to hospital and kept rubbing my back. I just got annoyed with her, she didn't believe that I couldn't feel anything.

Second time had to pee after each one. An emergency came in and I was stuck on the ward, sucking gas and air. It got to the point where I was high and got the munchies. DH says he'll never forget pulling back the cutain to see me on a bed pan trying to fit a finger of Twix and the gas and air nozzle into my mouth. Oh the glamour.

The top of my legs really really hurt with each contraction, in fact as much as the bump, which really surprised me, I thought all pain would be bump located.

I thought mine were wind but they kept stopping and starting. Laughed through the first few with ds1 and then they started to hurt and just got worse and worse. it only took 3.5 hours though. They were every few minutes from the start.

They sort of took over - it felt as though my whole body was involved, everything from above the bump was pushing upwards, (stomach in mouth, vomiting sensation) and everything from below it pushing down.

It was very, very compelling and overpowering. There was nothing I could do to stop it or gain control, I found it very hard being out of control iyswim.

The last couple of hours were like being trapped in a vice.

I coped with labour, but what I found really hard to deal with were those evil after pains! They were less painful then the actual labour, my body just refused to cope with any more pain.