Mine started off super light, but somehow I just knew that it was contractions
Intense but you do get very short breaks!
With my first I told my husband I felt like I had stomach ache 😂😂 when it got more intense I was able to tell it came and went away but initially I just had an ‘upset stomach’ type feel
I have IBS and it felt like a stomach cramp, like you’re about to 💩 yourself which comes and goes hahaha!
Mine was all in my back so don’t just look out for stomach cramps just incase! I kept getting a really bad tightening feeling in my lower back every 10-15 mins for a whole day 🙃 then they got worse and I couldn’t stand the pain anymore so went in x
I thought I had a stomach upset at first and kept going to the loo. Eventually realised it must be contractions as they became regular x
Both my labours were back labour so started off as back ache then felt like an intense pressure in my bowels
I had back labour with both my boys (absolutely horrific pain lol) I would describe the contractions pain in my back to feel like my lower back tightening and crunching together. Between contractions felt like back ache and then you’d feel the contraction coming on and the peak of it with the most painful tightening which then eases off
Mine felt like bad period cramps - almost like diarrhoea cramps but without the need to go to the toilet!
@Eleanor omg I have IBS too and celiac and endometriosis in my bowel so I literally felt like the other night when I was trying to 💩 I felt like I was in labour and I was having to try and do my hypnobirthing breathing to try and get through it! Actually made me wonder if I’d be able to take contractions if that’s what they feel like! 😱
Like a really bad stomach cramp. They can start like a light period cramp and get progressively worse or they can be horrific from the get go. Depends on whether your waters have gone already and how long you're in labour for. Some women don't feel them until it's time to push. Some get light ones, some get horrific ones. Some get them from their back and some just get tummy ones. It all depends on your body and your labour. No one can say for you unfortunately. Each pregnancy is different too. My first was painful don't get me wrong but wasn't as bad as I was expecting, it was loooong though. My second was horrific! Progressed so quick it hurt sooooo much!!!
When I got my first contraction I knew it straight away. Unfortunately they start very painful to me so I was able to understand that it was a pain I never experienced before, plus they were close enough to each others
My baby was back to back, my pain was all in my lower back, absolutely awful and tens machine did nothing when I reached about 6/7 cm
@Toni I forgot to mention this! Mine was all in my back too, I spent two days at home in slow labour without knowing as I was waiting for it to appear in my stomach 😂🫣 Wish I would have known haha
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Like cramp, or when you get a shooting pain in your perineum but Imagen that all over your belly, mine wasn't as bad as I had imagined they would be before I gave birth xx
Hi! The only way that I could describe mine is a really bad period pain, you will know that it will be a contraction because of how close they will be getting (the pain will be more frequent) the most important thing that I learned was controlling your breathing, not letting it get out of control! Hope everything goes well for you!😊