What do contractions feel like?

What do contractions feel like? A question that I'm pretty sure all women pregnant with their first baby has asked! The answer is it varies from woman to woman but generally when contractions start, I can only describe it as a menstrual cramp that gets more and more intense over time. Another way to describe it would be to imagine you have an upset stomach, the cramps you get with diarhoea but like 10 x the intensity. . Some women feel these cramps in their lower abdomen and some in their back, usually depending on which way the baby is facing. A 'back to back' baby (sunny side up) will likely cause back pain during contractions which I have been told by women who have experienced both is much more painful. . Women who have given birth, how would you describe the feeling of a contraction? . . . . . . . . #birth #midwifemarley #childbirth #birthprep #pregnancy #healthypregnancy #baby #contractions #pregnancy #pregnant #laboranddelivery #labour #hypnobirthing #pain #education #babybump #bump