Can My Baby's Movements Feel Like a Contraction?
Feeling anxious about the process of birth? We’d love to bring ease through education for you! The Birth Prep Blueprint is a self-paced birth class created by Kaely, who has tons of experience being an anxious mom herself. Our students have told us how prepared and calm they feel after this class and we want that for you too. Use Code PODCAST to get 10% off today!
-
Kaely Harrod 0:01
Hello, welcome back. Today's question is, can my baby's movements feel like a contraction? This is Kaely Daily, the bi weekly podcast about all things doula Tips and Tits, where we answer one question about pregnancy, labour, postpartum, or lactation, in order to have your journey in this parenting world be just a little bit more informed and filled with consent. Oh, welcome back to Kaylee daily. I'm Kaely Harrod, your host of this beautiful Podcast. I'm also the author of the birth prep blueprint, which is the host of this awesome podcast, it's how this podcast is possible. And because you are one of my listeners, you get 10% off that childbirth class, if you are in the market for childbirth education, I really recommend that you check it out. It's in the link below in the podcast, show notes or on the YouTube show notes. And it is on demand. So you can start at any day anytime. The class is really comprehensive and walks you through decisions you might need to make up how to advocate for yourself and what that might look like to speak up for yourself in the midst of labor and delivery, but also to really own what your desires and preferences are. So today's question is, can my baby's movement feel like a contraction? Now?
Kaely Harrod 1:29
When I usually hear this, this question, so when we're talking about Braxton Hicks contractions are pre labor contractions. So I've never had someone think that their actual labor contractions are big movement, right? Or vice versa, like that's not that I would say that's harder to confuse unless you're at the very, very beginning of labor. Braxton Hicks, on the other hand, are hard to distinguish for some people. So some people are really not sure if they're having them, or they think they're having a lot of them. But maybe it's the baby moving, especially if you have a very active baby, if you have a shorter torso and a larger baby or just a shorter torso and a normal sized baby. Or if you have any sized torso and a larger baby, as a person who's had monster babies. And I don't mean they're not monsters. They're beautiful and lovely, but they are big. And so for me, for me having large babies, I felt a lot of movement all the way up to the top of my uterus, and really into my ribcage. And so a bigger baby, you kind of feel that a little bit more. So there's a few different things to think about. One is you don't really need to know when you're having Braxton Hicks, unless you feel like you're having them a lot.
Kaely Harrod 2:49
So sometimes early labor, and Braxton Hicks can kind of get a little like muddled together. Because if you're not paying attention to the rhythm, you can not realize you could you could not know that you were actually having contractions in labor. So if you feel like you're having a lot of Braxton Hicks, it's worth trying to distinguish if that is truly what they are. One way to do that is see if they have a pattern, right. One of the things I like to do in my childbirth classes really give a breakdown of what does it look like to have a Braxton Hicks contraction? What does it feel like? How do you know that it's not labor? Like how do you distinguish? One little tip is to take a nap because oftentimes, naps make Braxton Hicks stop. Not always sometimes Braxton Hicks contractions can wake you up also. But usually, if you go and lie down and take a nap, Braxton Hicks contractions will go away, but labor will typically not leave if you are napping. So that's one thing, but um, but if you're just feeling like, I don't know, a handful of them a day, right? You don't necessarily need to know how many you're having them having and when you're having them. So I guess my answer to this question, can baby's movements feel like contractions are Braxton Hicks contractions is Yes. On a basic level? Yes, it can feel like that. And also, do you always need to know which it is? No, you don't always need to know that. Right? I want to normalize just the fact that Braxton Hicks are normal baby's movements normal. You don't have to hyper analyze everything that's happening at the end of pregnancy. Okay? Now, it's also okay to do that if you want to do that. But I prefer that you kind of rest and give your body space to do all the different strange things that it's doing and beautiful things that it's doing at the end of pregnancy, rather than needing to know kind of moment by moment exactly what's happening. However, if you're having a lot of them, you do need to know whether or not they're contractions so that you know if you're going into labor Okay, now how can you tell? How can you tell the difference? So, one thing I want you to think about is Braxton Hicks contractions are your whole uterus contracting. So some people will say, it feels like I swallowed a basketball or my uterus is like a big rock, right? That kind of sensation. If your baby fills up the uterus, and you kind of feel the baby everywhere, which is often the case at the end of pregnancy, then it can be harder to distinguish. So this is what I recommend. I recommend this is your kiddo. If you are watching on YouTube, you see that I'm holding a baby, if you are not watching on YouTube, I will describe what I'm doing. So um, or you can also go watch it on YouTube. So I'll put a link to the this episode and video so that you have that in case you want to watch in video. So when you have a baby in your womb, usually when you feel your abdomen, you can kind of feel some of the soft spots, right.
Kaely Harrod 5:59
So if you're feeling a baby and you're feeling hard bit, that's their bones, right. So you're feeling like maybe along their back, or along their legs, or like along the side of their head or their shoulders, depending on where you're feeling. But in between those, there are some soft areas like in in front of a baby's belly or sometimes like where their feet come down, or like on the side where their legs are versus their back sometimes has a little bit more room. So what you want to think about is leaning back, feeling your own abdomen to feel okay. Okay, here on the left, I can feel hard. And then like right above my belly button, I don't feel anything hard. When you have a Braxton Hicks contraction, that part of your uterus that's normally soft is going to be rock hard. So if you feel your abdomen and you're like, yeah, here's a soft spot. Here's a hard spot. That's the baby moving around. If you feel your abdomen and you're like, the whole thing is hard, like all of the uterus is hard. That's a contraction or Braxton Hicks. Okay. So um, one way to kind of have a sense of this is to just feel your own abdomen, feel your uterus feel what's happening, that actually is also very helpful. Because then as labor starts, you have a good sense of what it feels like for your uterus to get hard, that sensation does not freak you out. And it also is something you can more quickly kind of identify in order to figure out if you are in labor and where you are in labor. Okay, so I hope that was helpful. I will put, if you're listening to this on one of this podcast, on whatever podcast platform you love, I'll put the link to the YouTube video so you can see what I was talking about. I'm kind of doing it with the baby doll that I have. So that you can see that as well. And, and then you can have the visual if that's helpful for you. So I will be back with another episode on Friday, asking some answering some more questions kind of in between the doula hiring and the postpartum series that we've had going. And so expect a couple more like this that are like one off questions kind of from my classes and things like that. And then we'll dive back into that theory, the postpartum series soon, so until then, I wish you wonderful content build births. These episodes are edited and produced by Kaylee, her rod as I'm sure you can probably tell, and our amazing music is credited in the shownotes as well. So we look forward to seeing you on the next episode. And in the meantime, have a wonderful and consent filled
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
At the end of pregnancy many people ask themselves if they are feeling the often-discussed Braxton Hicks contractions. It can be tricky to know if you’re feeling them when you haven’t felt them before! Especially if your baby is an active one! Braxton hicks are classified as tightening of the uterus so oftentimes feeling for soft parts of the uterus help to distinguish between the two.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Braxton Hicks contractions are normal at the end of pregnancy, but can be confused with baby movement
During pregnancy it can help to have a sense of where your baby is in the uterus so you can feel for soft areas around that.
When you know the typical soft areas you’re able to feel if those areas are hardening during a braxton hick or pre-labor contraction
RESOURCES
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL!!! Now until November 29th, 2022 get both the Birth Prep Blueprint Course and the Postpartum Prep Blueprint course as a two-class deal for $50 off!!! Learn more here:
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/black-friday-2022-check-out
FREE OXYTOCIN GUIDE:
6 Ways to Increase Oxytocin for Labor Progression
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/free-guide-6-oxytocin-tips
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $50 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
