Contractions

[christmasbabygirl]

Im 27 weeks pregnant and Pooing myself about having a contraction!
Im not that great with pain, WUSS lol, and im so worried!
I suppose u just have to grit your teeth and bear it and think at the end of this i will have a beautiful baby...
But what does it really feel like?

xxxx

 

[hennaly]

you will cope when the time comes
For most people it start gradually and builds up so it will give you a chance to see what they are going to be like.
Try not to worry as it isnt going to make it any harder or easier but will just end up stressing you out. Get a copy of relaxation with hypnotherapy, i just got one and am loving it i really think its gonna help loads.

 

[Sandi4Paul]

they start slowly so you have time to get used to them. as they get harder just ask for pain relief. never turn down any pain relief offered. it wont do you any good regardless of your thoughts and ideas pre first contraction.

sandi

 

[trixipaws]

every first-time pregnant woman is nervous i think, but like others said u will cope when it happens. contractions build up in level of pain so u can slowly get used to them. they feel like a "wave" of pain similar to period pain (but stronger lol) coz they build up to a peak and then ebb away (same way orgasms do! but not as fun hehe) the breaks in between contractions are 100% pain-free.
im a bit wierd i kind of found them challenging and exhilarating at first! only right at the end i was wishing it wasnt happening, but by then my body had made so many endorphins i could cope quite easily- much better than i could cope normally. u will be fine

 

[kerryp]

any feedback on contractions from those that have ben induced? coz then its straight into the hardcore ones isnt it? or thats what im thinking... THATS what scares me most at the mo as its looking more & more likely by the day for me. Im scared i wont get the "build up"

 

[BabyMagic]

One of the best ways to deal with contractions is to relax. Fear causes tension. I read a book about hypnobirting by Marie Mongan and it helped me to feel calm and relaxed about birth. Hypnobirthing may not be everyone's cup of tea but it worked for me.

Contractions are like waves. If you manage to stay relaxed they can kind of make you high and make everything feel surreal. If you are tense you feel them as pain (as happened to me as I had a pretty stressful journey to the birthing centre).

 

[dannii87]

any feedback on contractions from those that have ben induced? coz then its straight into the hardcore ones isnt it? or thats what im thinking... THATS what scares me most at the mo as its looking more & more likely by the day for me. Im scared i wont get the "build up"

I was induced. The contractions started pretty quickly tbh... Around every 6-7 minutes lasting around 60 seconds and were strong. I still went home though even after being offered to be taken straight to delivery... So they can be managable! If you have to have a drip though, I would recommend an epi... And I'd get it done so that it kicks in BEFORE the drip is put in.

Contractions are like a wave. They start off like a period pain, then a few seconds later it'll get a bit worse, then a bit worse, then it'll hit a peak and will gradually come back down again. Kind of like being stabbed all over your belly & lower back, like you're being paralised or something. It's a really wierd pain, hard to describe.

I watched the graph during mine and breathed (breathing is KEY & so so so so important), if you can master the art of breathing, you're 90% there!! The other 10% is how much pain can you cope with!?

 

[lea m]

If Im completely honest, I had the drip with my first (I was in labour but progressing so so slowly) the contractions did come on faster and harder and I was so relieved by that! Knowing that it would speed things up! My worse labour pain wise was my second who I didn't have a drip with and was also the quickest labour at nearly 7 hours ish!? I really really cant remember the drip making it more painful exactly just more constant! But that may be because I was half delirious by the time I had the drip in lol

And yeah what Dannii said! Breathe! I didn't! lol I didn't breathe well with mine because I panic lol but this time I'm going to make a better effort because it did help immensely when i did breathe properly! ha

 

[andreag]

I suppose u just have to grit your teeth and bear it and think at the end of this i will have a beautiful baby...

Don't grit your teeth! as the others have said, start learning relaxation and breathing techniques, and get your birth partner to learn them to so they can talk you through them when the time comes. Think of each contraction as one step closer to seeing your baby.
The pain builds up gradually so its not overpowering all at once. You will surprise yourself by how well you can cope when the time comes - and if all else fails, you can always ask for drugs!

 

[nickilubs]

I was induced too and mine started and didn't stop LOL they put me on the monitor and it was constant like one huge long contraction I think I worried them a bit! It was just a constant tummy pain it felt like I had really really bad wind at first I thought I had just not liked hospital food and my tummy was playing up then they calmed and started 1 every minuet but it was all easy to breath through I tend to relax my whole body but clench up my feet and wiggle my toes (I don't know why I do this).

When my waters broke then it started to hurt a bit more thats when I had a paracetamol but I honestly didn't think I needed anything till this point. Then I was taken to the labour ward and got given gas and air and I just breathed that in the whole time I wanted to push. The pain before you get to the pushing part is different to the pain you get when you want to push when you want to push it doesn't hurt it just really makes you want to push even though your getting told not to. The pain before that part is quite strong although I didn't find it too bad because I just thought it would soon be over every time a contraction started I was thinking about when it was going to be over and then the whole minuet or so's rest you get in between. I think that helped alot to focus on the time when you wont be having a contraction when your having one, rather than thinking about the next contraction when your not having one.

 

[LisaJ1986]

I could never explain what they're like. Mine started at 4 mins apart and withing 2 hours were completely on top of each other. It's tiring but you learn to cope pretty quickly.

 

[Hazel]

I didn't even know I was in labour for 19 hours, just thought I had pulled a muscle in my back. Waters went then contraction starting coming every 3 minutes immediately after that for 5 hours. I was unable to walk or stand up as mine were in my back. I got to hospital at 9.5 cms dilated, mw said I should have come in sooner but was coping with it fine and the only reason I went in when I did was because I suddenly wanted to push while I was still at home. It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. Had enough at the end but that was more because I was tired than in pain. I only had gas and air but would have coped without it. I have a pretty high pain threshold though. I was lucky and had a very short and easy labour.

 

[christmasbabygirl]

Thanks for all the tips!!
I hope to learn those all important breathing techniques in my antenatal classes then!
Lovely hearing your stories, I think im just worried that its going to last for days and i wont sleep ect..
I hope it is over quickly!
Drugs are always there and i will be open to pain releif but dont want anything to slow the labour down, or confuse me.
Many people say its like a tattoo, as its a pain you forget after as youve got your baby.

Thanks for the tips girls!!

xxxx

 

[Geordie&Bairn]

any feedback on contractions from those that have ben induced? coz then its straight into the hardcore ones isnt it? or thats what im thinking... THATS what scares me most at the mo as its looking more & more likely by the day for me. Im scared i wont get the "build up"

Yes i was induced and yes it i went into the hard contractions pretty much stright away
they hurt i will not lie but the gas and air and tens machine helped a lot with the pain
I concentrated on chewing the top of the gas and air tube and pushing the tens machine button when each contraction hit me have something to focus on i also had my fave music playing this helpedThe contractions soon went from fast to very fast and the pain was constant in the end i ended up with a Epi
and yes breathing is important talking slow deep breaths makes the pain more bareable

Ill pm you

Id jsut like to say when it comes down to it you'll do it dont worry no matter how hard it is you wil battle through like mother tiger
and at the end you will have your beautiful baby with you