I’m on the home stretch now. Not long to go. It’s been a long journey and if anyone tells me how quickly time has passed, I’ll disagree and say that it’s felt forever, this pregnancy. The Braxton Hicks contractions that I have started to feel has not helped either.
Braxton Hicks Contractions
Today, I felt false contractions (Braxton Hicks) for almost 3 hours. They were painful but were not consistent and did not intensify. I had to stop and relax, take deep breaths as I could barely talk through them. I don’t remember having such strong Braxton Hicks contractions with my first pregnancy or at this length of time.
Without going into too much detail about the history of these false contractions, they were named after a British gynaecologist John Braxton Hicks who first noticed them in the 1870s. They were barely noticeable when I was pregnant with Jeremy but this around, they are very noticeable! My uterus felt rock hard during these contractions.
The only comfort I felt during these contractions was that I knew they would go away and that they wouldn’t get any stronger and longer, and if they did, then I guess I would have to call the hospital!
These contractions have briefly reminded me what I have to look forward to when the time comes. Labour and birth hasn’t been my first concern with this pregnancy. I’ve taken on the philosophy that I will just take it as it comes, and baby will arrive when he arrives. I have no birth plans nor do I let labour occupy my mind as I did with Jeremy’s pregnancy.
