How do you feel Braxton Hicks?

Your abdomen may feel firm during a tightening and soften again afterwards. The sensation can be uncomfortable, heavy, or mildly crampy, but it often remains manageable. Practice contractions may appear after activity, later in the day, or when you are dehydrated, and they do not usually become progressively longer, closer, and stronger. The feeling varies between pregnancies, so the pattern matters more than one contraction.

Pause and rest, change position, drink water, and notice whether the tightenings ease. Time several contractions from the start of one to the start of the next, recording how long each lasts. A warm shower may help you relax if your maternity team has said it is suitable. Keep following your pregnancy care plan, and contact your maternity unit if you are unsure whether the pattern is changing.

Call your maternity unit urgently for regular or increasingly painful tightenings, especially before your advised term, or for vaginal bleeding, fluid leaking, pelvic pressure, new backache, fever, or reduced fetal movement. These signs can indicate a problem such as Preterm Labour and should not be judged by discomfort alone.

How should I time my tightenings, and which pattern means I should call? What should I do if they continue after rest and fluids? Which maternity contact should I use at night or when I notice fluid, bleeding, or reduced movement?