You can tell if it's Braxton Hicks by the symptoms that Braxton Hicks produce.
The symptoms of Braxton Hicks include.
Contractions that taper off and disappear.
The contractions don't get stronger over time.
The duration between each one does not become stronger.
The intervals between the contractions are irregular.
The contractions are uncomfortable but not usually painful.
Braxton Hicks do not help you dilate as Braxton Hicks contractions do not cause any dilation of your cervix nor to they culminate in birth.
The Braxton Hicks contractions are often mistaken for true labor which they are not.
You should go to the hospital for Braxton Hicks contractions if you have vaginal bleeding that is more than just spotting, your contractions are coming 5 minutes or less apart or your water breaks even if you aren't have contractions.
Lots of Braxton Hicks can sometimes mean you're in labor although sometimes lots of Braxton Hicks may not mean anything.
If your Braxton Hicks don't ease up then you may want to check with the doctor in case you are in labor.
Braxton Hicks are triggered by certain activities such as exercise, movement after being still for awhile and even a full bladder or emptying your bladder, having sex, dehydration or baby's movement.
Braxton Hicks do not mean that labor is soon although they are the body's way of preparing for true labor.
The week that Braxton Hicks start is around 6 weeks of gestation.
However the Braxton Hicks are usually not felt until the second or even third trimester of your pregnancy.
Braxton Hicks contractions are actually not painful at all although they are uncomfortable.
Braxton Hicks contractions are more like mild menstrual cramps or a tightening in a specific area of your stomach that comes and goes.
Braxton Hicks contractions during pregnancy do feel like cramps like mild menstrual cramps and are uncomfortable but not overly painful.
Braxton Hicks feel like mild irregular contractions which have a feeling of tightness in the abdomen and some pregnant women feel a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and some women don't feel any of the Braxton Hicks at all.
Braxton Hicks contractions last less than 30 seconds and they are uncomfortable but rarely painful.
When a baby drops during pregnancy it will feel like a sudden and noticeable movement.
The baby dropping will feel like a downward sudden movement.
You can know if you're dilating by getting checked out by a doctor and having a pelvic exam done to measure in centimeters.
The dilation is checked during a pelvic exam and measured in centimeters and when your 10 cm you're fully dilated and 0 cm means you're not dilated.
Also if you're 4 cm dilated you're in active stage of labor and if you're fully dilated then you are ready to start pushing the baby.
You can sometimes tell if you are dilated without being checked as early dilation during pregnancy will feel like menstrual cramps as your cervical changes cause pain and cramping that can be noticed and felt in the lower part of the uterus.
It's the same sensation and location as menstrual cramps come from and active labor tends to be felt in a larger area but can also be a similar sensation as cramping with more intensity.
To a certain degree you can dilate without losing your mucus plug although the mucus plug will still come out eventually.
All women who are pregnant have a mucus plug that protects the uterus from bacteria which will always fall out before the baby is delivered.
The mucus plug is a collection of mucus that forms in the cervical canal in early pregnancy.
Your mucus plug is what prevents bacteria or infection from entering your uterus and reaching your baby.
As your cervix prepares for labor, you will lose the mucus plug.
This is a normal and common symptom in late pregnancy.
You can grow your mucus plug back.
Once you lose your mucus plug especially if you lose the mucus plug too early the mucus plug can and will in most cases grow back and regenerate itself.
Also when you get pregnant again your body will develop a new mucus plug which helps to protect the new baby that is growing inside of you.
Normally you should never lose the mucus plug until you actually are ready to give birth but sometimes the mucus plug is lost before the birthing begins.
In some cases the mucus plug will grow back and the baby will be okay while other times the mucus plug may not grow back.
I lost my mucus plug too early during my 2nd pregnancy with my son and the mucus plug grew back and everything was okay.
When you lose your mucus plug a gel like substance should come out of your vagina with blood tinged or streaked with old brownish looking blood when the mucus plug dislodges.
The mucus plug is there to protect the unborn baby from the outside world and when the mucus plug dislodges and come out then labor is usually about to start and it could be within that day or a few weeks after loss of the mucus plug.
If you lose your mucus plug too early in pregnancy you should see your doctor because something is not right.