Braxton Hicks Contractions - Bellingham,WA

::raises both hands and waves them around wildly::

me me me me me me! i'll be 22 weeks tomorrow and if i'm running around a lot at work (i work retail) i have quite a few of them. also, i've found that if i'm not drinking enough water they increase in intensity.
i've been having them for about 2 weeks now, and it's a little hard not to freak out, even though this is my second pregnancy. i think to myself sometimes, hey, i've done this before, i should know better!

Hi K.,
I had braxton hicks from my 5th month on and pretty regularly. I didn't have any adverse affect on my pregnancy other than being uncomfortable. I was a week or two early that's all. I wouldn't worry too much.
Good luck and congratulations!

I also experienced this with my 2nd pregnancy, and figured it was no big deal, but my mother in law told me about her 4th pregnancy where she had the same thing. She saw her doc at 25 weeks and told him about it, and sure enough she was having pre-term labor. So, often it's harmless, but it is possible that something could be going on. With mine, I had many many internal exams once this started, as my OB wanted to be sure I wasn't dialating. At 30 weeks I was having so many, and couldn't stop them (6 in 40 minutes) that I visited L&D one evening and got put on meds to slow them down. For me, the only thing that really worked to lessen them was lying down, thus I ended up on bedrest with a young child to take care of. Please don't just ignore this. It can be your body telling you to slow down.
I ended up having my little guy at 37 weeks, so he did arrive a bit early. My mother in law was in the hospital on her left side for 2 months to keep her from laboring. I don't want to scare you, but I also don't want you to think of BH ctx as no big deal. They truly can be a big deal.

Take a break for at least 20 minutes laying on your side, preferably on your left side, but whatever side you are most comfortable on because you need to relax. Drink lots of water or juice. It's easier to drink down a bottled water, and if you feel dehydrated try to drink as much as you can from another bottled water (or whatever you prefer). Drinking fluids will totally help ease your braxton-hicks. If you get restless or can't really take a time out to lay down then walking around can also help. They won't go away completely, but these should ease them and hopefully give you some peace of mind. If you start showing any signs of pre-term labor then you should definitely call your mid-wife, but most of all just relax and try to enjoy braxton-hicks before they turn into true labor contractions.
Congrats and good luck!

I had tons of BH all the time in the last 3rd of my pregnancy. They got fairly regular as well, every 15-20 minutes, and increased during exercise. They were a little uncomfortable but not painful. Nor were they productive because when I actually went into labor (2 weeks late!!) I had only started to dilate.

You know what real labor is like, so if you start to feel anything like that, maybe be a little concerned. But BH are nothing to worry about! Enjoy the last part of your pregnancy!

Someone probably already said this, but, make sure that you are drinking tons and tons of water. Dehydration can cause Braxton-Hicks to happen more often and more strongly.

I used to get Braxton Hicks all the time with all 4 of my pregnancies. I was told to drink more water and try to minimize ny activity and rest if the got to strong. It is very normal and nothing really to worry about. I know mine were worse when I was very active.

With my second and third pregnancies I experienced Braxton Hicks contractions as early as 20 weeks, its not uncommon. The theory is that a) you are more aware of what they feel like so you notice them sooner and, b) your body has a memory of what its supposed to do so starts getting ready earlier. Its no big deal and doesn't necessarily mean early labor.

I would get braxton hicks contractions ALL the time as well. They started at around 20 weeks and would get so strong! I was expecting twins and was terrified of pre-term labor so I was concerned as well. They seemed to get worse the more I moved around and at the time I was a full time teacher always on my feet. With my high risk pregnancy I had to see a perinatologist and she, like your midwife, was not concerned. She told me to keep track of them and if I ever started to feel pain along with the contractions that I should call her. She also told me that when the braxton hicks contractions got really frequent or strong to just get off my feet for a while and rest. I don't know if that helps but it made me feel better that my doctor wasn't concerned and I delivered two healthy babies at 38 weeks! Congratulations on your pregnancy and best wishes!

Same thing happened with my second pregnancy. I did a lot of reading on it and asked a lot of mama groups and it seemed pretty common with second + pregnancies. Doesn't make them any less annoying knowing it's normal but it certainly made me worry less.

Good luck to you.

Hi K.!
With my 2nd pregnancy, I also had early Braxton-Hicks contractions. They started about my 3rd or 4th month. My doc just wanted to be sure they weren't as frequent as 4-6 / hour because they could start dilating at that rate. She also just kept a close eye on me and the baby - a couple extra exams and ultrasouds. The contractions actually slowed way down in the last month of my pregnancy.
~J.

Totally normal. That is what I was told with all three of mine. I started feeling them in various stregths at about fifteen weeks. I would still talk to your mw when you get a chance and let her know youre concerned.

Also pregnant with my second, 25 weeks and also due in June, I also have been having Braxton Hicks contractions since about week 20. I am planning on discussing them with my midwife tomorrow at my regular appt. From what research I have done on them, as long as you don't have other signs of labor, you should be alright. I'm expecting my midwife will tell me the same thing. Probably not the response you were looking for, but just wanted to let you know that there is someone else out there going through the same thing. You can always try adjusting positions, walking, drinking some water, resting...and all that good stuff, usually they go away.

I am due at the same time as you, with a girl as well. I have a lot of contractions everyday. I was even having a contraction during the ultrasound at 18 weeks. I was told if I had more than 4 an hour to call in. I was told it is normal and common, especially with a second pregnancy, but it does make me a little nervous.