Does a contraction feel like a charlie horse?

Answer by  kml0508 (22)

A contraction feels like a very painful cramp that you can't stop. Your whole stomach, and sometimes lower back, will feel very tense. You won't be able to get comfortable and there isn't much you can do it make the pain go away. One lasts a few minutes, and then the tension eases up.

Answer by  PooBear (341)

Absolutely not. A charley horse is in one place and usually involves 1 muscle. A contraction involves all the abdominal muscles and the muscles in the lower back. It is intense beyond belief and painful in the extreme. If it weren't for the blessings when it is over, the human race would have died out at its begining.

Answer by  gummie (738)

A contraction does feel, somewhat, like a charlie horse except the pain develops a bit differently. With a contraction, the pain starts to build, peaks and then subsides. With a charlie horse, the pain comes on suddenly and stays about the same intensity until it stops. The pain at the contraction's peak is the same as the charlie horse.

Answer by  Daisy (161)

I wouldn't really say so. I though I was having menstrual cramps when I first started having contractions. Then the longer it went on the worse they got. At the end of my pregnancy I was getting Charlie Horses in my calves almost every night. I almost think they were much worse than the beginning of labour!