Braxton Hicks

[Anonymous]

I'm 32 weeks and yesterday I experienced what I assume were Braxton Hicks throughout the day. I'm not sure what is normal and what is not. I asked my Dr. last week and she indicated that as long as I didn't have more than 4 in any one hour then not to be concerned. Last night I had 4 in an hour at least 3 times. They feeling ranges from painless to crampy. They also seem to happen pretty regularly when I go from sitting to standing.

Does anyone have experience and/or thoughts on this?

[Anonymous]

I'd suggest calling your doctor.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you are drinking enough water. Dehydration can cause you to have more BH.

[Anonymous]

Mine started at around 26 weeks w/ both pregnancies and increased in frequency and intensity 'til delivery (both at around 35 wks). I frequently had more than four an hour (sometimes every 10 min, but I think I wasn't drinking enough when that was the case). Both pregnancies the OBs were quick to dismiss them, and in neither case did they cause any dilation.

[HrCreuzi]

I had this regularly for two weeks, they called it prodromal labor. It was painful and annoying, but not dangerous.

Be sure to talk with your doc though.

[Anonymous]

I had lots and lots of BH in my first pregnancy and I was drinking plenty of water so that wasn't the cause. It never caused any problem at all and never caused any dilation or complication, just annoying and as you say sometimes kind of painful and my doctor said not to worry about it (although I'd had so many so often that when labor finally did set in I was sure for an entire night that it wasn't labor but just more of the same so perhaps I delayed getting to the hospital). I'm in the late stages, 36 weeks, of my second pregnancy now and I've had them much less but they seem to be picking up in frequency again now. So from my experience it sounds normal although always best to talk to your doctors, but you already knew that last part.

[Anonymous]

I'm late in my second pregnancy, as well, and have been having them frequently (but not all day) since about 26 weeks. I did some reading and started to draw some conclusions about when/why I was getting them. First, a full bladder can trigger them; I pretty much always feel like I have a full bladder, and the first thing I think about when I start to feel a BH contraction is whether I have to pee. Usually I do, and after I pee, they subside. Second, changing positions or staying in one position for a long time can trigger them; I tend to notice them after I've been at my desk or sitting on my sofa for a long time. Finally, as others have noted, dehydration can cause them.

For what it's worth, a friend had them pretty much constantly -- all day and night -- from week 24 until she delivered at 34 weeks; she was on bedrest from 26 weeks until she delivered. My sense is that this is the type of BH activity that is particularly worrisome, although all testing she underwent showed no evidence of labor or dilation, so who knows?

[Anonymous]

OP Here - Thanks for the responses. I ended up going to the Drs today. They hooked me up to a monitor and determined that (of course) I wasn't having any contractions at that time and that the baby was doing fine. She also checked my cervix, which is still closed - so I guess the BH contractions were in the range of what is considered normal.

Thanks for the feedback.