This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
Braxton Hicks
I want to explain how Braxton Hicks contractions feel. But I’m not sure how. The easiest explanation is to say your whole tummy gets really, really hard for a bit (maybe 30 seconds or longer – haven’t timed them) then relaxes. They are painless (this is how you know you’re not in real labor). But that’s not all. It’s like a sensation goes throughout my body. It’s really bizarre. It also almost feels like my heart rate speeds up a little bit or my breathing changes or…something… I can’t quite put my finger on it. At first I didn’t know what was happening. Then I had one at the doctor’s office a few weeks ago and she mentioned it. I thought, ooooohhhh, that’s what that is. Okay. Now I know what to look for. They call them practice contractions where your body does them gearing up for the real deal. I’ve read and heard not to worry about distinguishing these from early labor contractions – that you will know the difference. Of course, I don’t know what they’re talking about. Yet. But I believe them and have no false notion that labor would really be this painless. So for now I just enjoy having my body wisely prepare for its big day.