Early contractions may feel like period pain. You may have cramps or backache, or both. Or you may just have aching or heaviness in the lower part of your tummy. You may feel the need to poo or just feel uncomfortable, and not be able to pin down why.
During the pushing stage, you will most often feel a strong expulsion sensation with (and sometimes between) contractions, a feeling very much like having to poop. It's not uncommon for contractions to slow down quite a bit during this time, allowing rest in between.
Labor contractions cause discomfort or a dull ache in your back and lower abdomen, along with pressure in the pelvis. Some women might also feel pain in their sides and thighs. Some women describe contractions as strong menstrual cramps, while others describe them as strong waves that feel like diarrhea cramps.
Your contractions may feel like cramps in your lower stomach and can start off feeling like period pain. You may have dull lower back pain or pain in your inner thigh that you feel down your legs. At first, your contractions will be short and around 30 minutes apart.
It's completely normal to poop during labor and, in fact, most women do experience it.
The main difference being that trapped wind will end in 'free' wind. Labour pains will end in a baby! If your tummy hardens every time you get a pain or they become regular (every 2-3 minutes) then it's likely to be contractions, or Braxton Hicks, rather than gas.
A contraction is when the muscles of your uterus tighten up like a fist and then relax. Contractions help push your baby out. When you're in true labor, your contractions last about 30 to 70 seconds and come about 5 to 10 minutes apart. They're so strong that you can't walk or talk during them.
Are contractions painful? Although they're usually painful, between each contraction you may not feel much pain at all. They may remind you of period pains or feel much more painful. Every woman's experience is different, as the intensity can vary a lot.
Early labor contractions can feel like gastrointestinal discomfort, heavy menstrual cramps or lower abdominal pressure.
During early labor: You may feel mild contractions that come every 5 to 15 minutes and last 60 to 90 seconds.
Share on Pinterest Contractions may cause pain in the lower back and butt. Contractions are the body's way of moving the fetus out of the body. Genuine contractions occur during the last part of the third trimester, just before birth. Some women feel contraction pain in the buttocks.
Signs You're Probably Having Contractions
While the pain of early labor contractions can mimic gas pain, there are some key ways to tell them apart. You're likely having contractions if your abdominal discomfort includes the following characteristics.
Labor pains/Contractions
Some have abdominal cramping and back cramping that can extend to the buttocks. The nature of the pain can vary, too. Some people feel a cramping sensation while others may feel pressure, throbbing, or shooting pain.
Loose stools or diarrhea can be a sign of impending labor caused by the release of hormones called prostaglandins, according to the Endocrine Society. 2 Having the runs a day or two before labor starts also is the body's way of emptying the bowels to allow the uterus to contract efficiently.
Braxton Hicks contractions are mild, irregular contractions during pregnancy. They feel like tightness in your abdomen. Some women feel a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, while some women don't feel them at all. They typically last less than 30 seconds, and they are uncomfortable but rarely painful.
Labor contractions may feel like discomfort or a dull ache in the lower back, along with a tightening sensation across the abdomen and pelvic pressure. 1 Some compare contractions to intense period cramps or the pressure of a bowel movement. There may also be groin, thigh, and side pain.
Other, early signs labor is close (anywhere from a month to mere hours away from active labor) include: Baby drops. Cervix begins to dilate. Cramps and increased back pain.
As the countdown to birth begins, some signs that labor is 24 to 48 hours away can include low back pain, weight loss, diarrhea — and of course, your water breaking.
It may be hard to recognize a contraction, especially with your first baby. Many women have what feels like menstrual cramps in the lower abdomen. They may stay the same or they may come and go. You might also have pain in your lower back that either stays or comes and goes.
You may notice an increase in mild cramps or Braxton Hicks contractions ("practice" contractions) that feel like a tightening or hardening of the uterus as you approach delivery. Additionally, you may notice a sensation of building pressure or cramping in your pelvic/rectal area.
Gas pains cause a bloated feeling in your stomach, whereas labor pains include a muscle contraction across your abdomen. If you feel that your stomach tightens up every time you experience pain, you are most likely experiencing contractions and not gas pains.
If you're in early labor, your contractions aren't back-to-back or extremely painful and you feel the urge to poop, chances are, you really do have to go. Poop happens in labor in tandem with all those contractions as a natural way to clean house in preparation for baby.