What do Contractions feel like??

[tinymommy]

I am due in September and I am wondering....how will I know if I am in labor?? I feel like I am going to be sitting there and all of the sudden BOOOOM!!! Here's a baby. lol, I am sure it sounds pretty crazy...but it scares me.

Is it like an all of the sudden, " I KNOW I AM IN LABOR!" or.."Am I in labor??"

[lismom2]

You will know. FWIW, every woman wants to know what it's going to be like. They really do vary from woman to woman. Mine weren't too bad, kind of like gas pains, only they last for a minute and you have a couple of minutes break in between. They get closer together and you start to feel pressure in your vaginal area and then eventually, the desire to push. I don't describe it very well, I'm afraid. Read Ina may's guide to childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. Even if you aren't going for a natural birth, she has compiled excellent positive birth stories and does a PHENOMENAL job explaining what your body does in childbirth. HTH's!

[Kerisweetpea]

its really hard to explain all women are different. but you will know! you may have some close calls that you think you are in labor but when its *time* you will know for sure!
unless you are like me and my water started to leak (i thought i was peeing myself!) but in NO pain at all. but still had to go in the hospital so they could keep an eye on me. and i didnt feel anything until they gave me the pitocin! then all hell broke loose!! and i was in the worst pain of my life!!!!
and with this being your first, sorry to say it probably wont be fast! out of all my friends i was the fastest 1st time labor! with a whopping 14hrs.
i would say if you have doubts for when the time comes and you think your in labor just call your Dr. thats what they are there for! and if your Dr thinks its something to look into he will tell you to go and get checked out, and the worst that can happen is just tell you to go home its not time.
good luck i know its scary the first time....

[RLTMommy]

They start out like menstrual cramps and just increase in intensity. I actually threw up because it hurt that bad---I have a high pain tolerence. I too thought "how will I know?". Believe me, you will know! Good luck!

[H.Starr]

I was in labor for six hours, thinking I just had cramps. But as they got worse and more frequent, to the point I couldn't stand up straight and barely kept from crying, I figured it was the real deal.
You'll know. Labor is not easy or fun.

[Kerisweetpea]

Labor is NOT fun at all! i really thought i was dying!! i couldnt move, my eyes felt like they were glued shut. for some reason i couldnt open them during contractions. and then between the contractions every part of my body hurt! i feel SO bad for the women that go threw labor and feel the hard contractions for hours!

[KayLady]

Don't let the horror stories scare you! It really doesn't have to be that bad if you learn how to manage the pain beforehand. My contractions were literally going off the chart monitor they had at the hospital and the nurse was like "Are you sure you don't want something for the pain, yet? You should be at the max on your pain scale." But it was bearable for me. Like the others said, you will probably think you are in labor some time before you really are. I never did though, I'd been having contractions for a week without realizing it, but never went into active labor. I had to be induced and labored for 14 hours after that. I gotta say, if that was anything like what happens when you go into spontaneous labor, you'll know it for sure!
Did anyone see that 20/20 special where that lady said she was having orgasms and laughing during the entire birth? Now that's nuts.

[Sunnyside]

Contractions feel lke someone kicking you in the sides repeatedly for hours. You are so sore and in so much pain it is unbelievable. Think of it this way; imagine someone hitting you in the face point-blank with a brick as hard as they can. Now, multiply that couple of moments by hours and hours. That's what contractions feel like. That's what giving birth feels like. Or, as my husband speculates, rocket scientist that he is, it must be like trying to pass a bowling ball through his colon. Nice try, Rhode Scholar; it's worse...

[craftyashley]

I was having some contractions before my emergency c-section. (the amniocentesis probably did it) I felt a little crampy, but mostly my back was killing me. I couldn't get comfortable. I thought it was the hospital bed that was lousy, but it turns out I was contracting. I'm pretty sure you will know when you're in active labor- if you have contractions, you can still stay home and be semi-comfortable for a while and then head to the hospital when you feel they are coming harder and faster. And because it's your first, it's highly unlikely that you'll be contracting for a short time and be ready to deliver in a snap. Usually takes longer with first babies.

[lismom2]

Did anyone see that 20/20 special where that lady said she was having orgasms and laughing during the entire birth? Now that's nuts.

lol. I didn't see it, but I have heard about orgasmic birth. I Haven't experienced it personally, and kind of put it in league with 'painless childbirth'. Possible, but not probable.