Hi everyone! I'm currently 15wk 3days pregnant with my second child. I swear I have been having braxton hicks contractions for about a week. They don't hurt at all and are not frequent (that I know of). I really only notice them when I'm sitting or lying down. Sometimes I can feel my uterus tightening (not uncormfortable or painful, but I notice it), but most of the time it just happens to be when I am feeling it just because (I think I have OCD when it comes to feeling my uterus as I had 2 early m/c last yr and am on a blood thinner with this pregnancy). My OB that I've been seeing (whom I really do like) says it cant be, but I swear I am having them. I started having them - atleast noticably - with my son around 18wks. Has anyone else had them early? I don't want to be stressing over it, but with this pregnancy I'm more concerned about bad things happening. I was at the OB last week and baby had a strong heartbeat and my uterus is growing approp, but she never did a vaginal exam (which I thought they did every visit with my son, but he's 3 now, so I don't really remember). Anyway, I would love to know that I'm not the only one! Thanks!
And yes, I do drink plenty of water everyday - usually atleast 2L plus I drink whatever else I may have that day (milk/juice/etc).
Thanks everyone! I'm very glad to know I'm not the only one. I'm going to stick up for my OB and say that maybe she doesn't realize cause she doesn't have any kids so she's never actually been through it. I really do like her though :) I also talked to the nurse today and she said that it's possible and it could just be that I have an "irritable uterus" - I actually remember them saying that when I started having BH's at 18wks withmy son. She said that as long as I have no signs of infection (UTI or vaginal) then there is nothing they would do at this point. But everyones comments have helped a TON and I'm going with the idea that my uterus is just irritable - when they said that with my son they had checked me and everything was fine, so that's what I'm going with. I'm going to try to increase my fluid intake as well (even though sometimes I feel like I'm floating I drink so much - LOL!
I want to just say THANK YOU again!
It's been a few years, but I clearly remember that I started getting Barxton Hicks contractions way earlier with my second pregnancy as compared to the first. I do believe I was getting them around week 14 or 15 already and was told there was nothing to worry about. Hope that helps! Best wishes!
I had braxton-hicks early in all of my pregnancies. I never knew what they were (with my 1st preg.) until I went to lamaze class. I always thought the baby was in a "ball" as opposed to all stretched out. (lol. I was young!) But it's perfectly normal. Or at least, it doesn't mean anything is wrong and you're going to loose the baby. Later in my pregnancies, my braxton-hicks were "on-time." They would start, or I would notice them when they were 15 mins apart and slowly they would get 1-2 mins apart. But nothing ever happened. I was observed in the hospital over and over and over, but nothing ever came of those episodes. They just pumped me full of IV fluids and eventually they would stop.
Just try not to worry, easier said than done, but stress is the last thing you need right now.
I think the advice you got from the midwife is the best...this can be perfectly normal...so don't worry about it. And they no longer do a vaginal exam at every appointment...they tend to take measurements...listen to the heart beat...etc. The less invasive the exams are, the better for you and for the baby.
i had braxton hicks early with both of my children. It was around 2-3mos pregnant with both. I told the ob and they hooked me up to a monitor because i was having them freguently (about 1 every few minutes and this would last sometimes for up to an hour). So they hooked me up and monitored me for an hour and said that yes I was having contraction and they put me on tetracycline? i think. and if i had more than 5 "contractions" in an hour i had to take it. my daugther was 3 weeks early, but my son didn't come until the c-section. i also drank plenty of water. i think it's just something that happens sometimes. but braxton hicks are contractions and if they start to come more frequently it could actually start dilation, so i would keep an eye on them and if they come more frequently, get checked by your ob.
S.,
I had Braxton-Hicks that early with both of my kids. I am 10 weeks pg now & swear I feel a little something. My OB told me it was b/c I needed to drink more water. I know you say you are drinking a lot, but maybe not enough?! I dont know. But you are not crazy, I had them too. Just pay attention to them in case they get bad. You dont want to go into labor early.
As far as being checked at every appt, that is not normally what they do. They will check you at the beginning, usually do a pap smear. And then at the end . My OB starts checking me at 38 weeks....unless you feel like you are contracting, etc....then he/she will probably check you before that. It's amazing how quickly we forget how things go in b/t pregnancies....I know I did.
H.
I had the "practice hicks" throughout all of my pregnancies. There is no mistaking that feeling when you belly tightens up into a little hard ball. In my reading I found that this is the body practicing. I did notice they also came on when I had a big meal as well so do not eat big meals. Which is not recommended anyways for risk of reflux. Since you have a high risk you should continue to tell your doctor. Be aggressive if you have to. You are your own (and only) advocate in your own health care. Congratulations on 15 weeks!!!
I am a midwife. Braxton hicks can start as early as 6 weeks. It is very normal. Also, there is no need to do a vaginal exam at all in a normal pregnancy, even in labor.
Lisa
I had braxton hicks contracts from day one with all 5 of my pregnancies. Even the day I delievered my only vaginal delivered baby. I had braxton hicks up until two hours before I delivered. My other 4 were C-sections... Congratulations and good luck!
I'm surprised that your doctor told you that braxton hicks contractions are not common. Any reliable pregnancy book suggests that that uterus is "practicing" as early as the first trimester but the baby is just so small and the uterus is not stretched out so much for most women to feel it. I am currently 8 weeks pregnant with my 4th child and I would swear I felt a contraction the other day. My tummy did not get hard but I felt a firmness inside. It lasted for a few seconds and then went away.
I had them with my 2nd and third really early. With my 3rd it was really odd, especially when lying down. I could almost see it under my skin. Baby came 5 days past my due date, so was no indication of early labor or anything like that.... I just think my body had "been there done that" and was starting early. My labor with my third was a total of about 6 hours of real labor, so all that early practice paid off in the end.
J.
Yes, can absolutely be BH! Confused why your doc said they couldn't be. Hmm. Every woman has them through out pregnancy but most never feel them. With my second I had them so horribly through out my pregnancy that I had to go on leave from work! There's not a lot you can do except do what your body is telling you. Relax a lot.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
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I am also 15 weeks and have been having contractions on and off for about a month now. I have also had a few miscarriages so I am also very obsessive about my uterus. Mine are on and off and many times accompanied with what my midwife says is ligament pain. Some of my contractions are when i'm walking around getting tired, or running around all day, and other times they seem to be brought on by stress. My babies heartbeat has been strong and I had a pelvic exam a couple of days ago followed by an ultrasound to make nothing was opening and the baby was healthy and all was good. My midwife did put me on bed rest though, she said since i've had misscarriages and i'm to early to be having contractions I need to rest and stay stress free until they subside. I would ask your doctor to give you a pelvic exam or ultrasound if they havn't recently just to be safe! But good luck, try to take it easy- try not to lift, have sex, workout or be around stress for a couple weeks and see if it gets better.
I am 25 weeks pregnant with my 4th child. My 3rd pregnancy ended in miscarriage so like you I have been very nervous this time around. I started having braxton hicks contractions at 16 weeks, especially when I would lay down. My doctor did an internal exam when I saw him after that (maybe at 18 weeks or so?) because I told him about the b/h... everything was fine. You are definitely not the only one! Good luck!
1st find a Webster chiropractor. Dr. Lary Webster discovered that the uterus must be held properly by the ligaments attached to the pelvic bones, and if they are not aligned properly it can cause this kind of problem.
2nd if there is enough calcium in the muscle then this will not happen, so you could be missing the correct calcium, or the factors to get the ca to the muscle.
If I could help you with either let me know.
best, k
Hi S.,
I had those at 30 weeks with my first, 18 weeks with my second, and 15 weeks with my 3rd. I started getting full blown contractions at 32 weeks and had to go into the hospital and have medication to stop them After many bouts of early labor and 4 more trips to the hospital, my healthy baby was born at 38 weeks. Try to rest, stay off your feet as much as you can with a 3 yr old, and keep very hydrated.
I got Braxton Hicks contractions starting at around 17 weeks with my son. I never called the doctor since they were not too bad. I just feel my stomach tightening but it's probably my uterus slightly contracting. I was concerned at first too and also only feel them when I am sitting down. Since they come and go and not that frequent I just didn't worry about it much.
When this happens, try drinking some water and eating a small snack.
I had them at 17 and 18 weeks and was told that was fine. They were just like you described yours.
I just made sure to drink a lot more water and they stopped.
I started having braxton hicks with my daughter at 18 weeks. the doctor told me it was nothing to worry about. Then i started leaking amnio fluid at 24 weeks I was put in the hospital for testing to make sure everything was ok... I still carried until i was 41.1 weeks
