Braxton Hicks

I had braxton hicks from around 26 weeks. As soon as I sat down and relaxed they started. I’m a midwife but if I wasn’t I’d probably have ended up in hospital a few times with how long they went on for and how uncomfortable they were! Babies didn’t make an appearance until our elective section at 37 weeks

I started getting them maybe around 18-20 weeks. Just recently I was hospitalized for a suddenly shortened cervix - all had been fine & one day at my appt, they found that it had shortened. Not sure why. But, Braxton Hicks are something to be mindful of (as I’ve just learned from my 2-week hospitalization). While they are normal, if they are prolonged, and left uninterrupted, they have the potential to mess with your cervix. When you feel them… chug water, make sure your bladder is empty, and change the position you are in (preferably laying on your side). I am constantly switching between chugging water and using the restroom these days 🫠 Even if I think I’m well hydrated, Braxton Hicks will let me know otherwise. Aside from those things, there’s the infamous “limit stress” which is much easier said than done, I know!

I'm sorry to hear you've gone through this. Hope you're doing better now. Thank you so much for sharing, this is really useful 🙏🏽