So I have been having menstral like cramps lately through out the day. They are low in my belly and feel just like I am getting my period. So my question is: is this braxton hick contractions? I don 't feel tightening of my belly up high or anything. Also this morning I had a non stress test at the hospital and I was feeling those cramps but when they looked at my strip they said I hadn't had any contractions. could it be because my cramps are low and the monitor was high on my belly? If these aren't BH, what do they feel like???

My braxton hicks contractions felt like a tightening of the belly - all the muscles would get really tight and let up after a while. My real contractions felt like menstrual cramps, light at first and eventually really mean. :shock: And they went all around (back to belly) But I had these for quite a while before the Little One actually decided to make his grand appearance... probably for about a month before.

ditto valerie's post....sometimes the cramping down low feeling in the pelvis area can be the stretching and early effacing and dilating that you do too....I had that with my first one and all week it got gradually worse...ended up a 4 and 90% with my first at 36 weeks.....as long as you aren't showing having contractions I'd say you're probably stretching/dilating a little bit slowly and that's normal.....
just take it easy for sure and if it continues or gets worse, always feel free to go in to get it checked!

When I had feelings like that, it was about a month before Landon was due. They hurt so bad, I called the dr and she had me go to L&D to be checked. They told me at that time I wasn't having any contractions and everything was fine. That Landon was probably going through a growth spurt which was causing the pain.

I never felt contractions until in labor. Weeks before he was born, the dr told me I had to be having them since I was 3cm and 50%, but never felt them. So, no idea what BH or prelabor contractions feel like.

When I would have BH, I would all of a sudden feel out of breath, and then notice that my stomach felt hard. They felt like a tightening. Real contracts do feel like menstrual cramps. It's so hard to explain what real contractions feel like, but when people say "you will know when you have a real contraction" they are so right. If the monitor didn't pick up the contraction, I would say it was either a super light one, or you are feeling something else. No matter where the monitor is, it "should" pick up a contraction, because the whole uterus contracts.
There were time during pg, that I had gas and it felt like menstrual cramps. I think it was the gas moving through my gut and irritating my uterus or something. Who knows, but once it was through, I was like...Oh, ok! LOL

I hope you are not having pre-term labor, but watch for then to be in a rhythm and increasing in pain. That would signal a reason to call the doc.

Blessings,
Amber

This is so exciting Becky! So exciting to watch so many of us go from the TTC board to the Pregnancy board and now about ready to hold our little ones!

I too have just started the "cramping" kind of sensations like you've described. Like others have described have also had the "tightening" feeling so this is a great post to get wisdom about what we're starting to feel.

I think we'll soon find out about true contractions :lol:

Thinking of you as you monitor your bp too!