Practice Makes Perfect

They say braxton hicks contractions are "practice" for labor and lately I've been getting practice daily. The contractions come on mainly in the evening and feel kind of like a charlie horse cramp wrapping around the lower part of my baby bump which gets super hard like a basketball. 

They aren't extremely painful, just really tight and uncomfortable. I'm sure the baby feels them too because he decides to start kicking my displaced organs and that really makes life fun. 

I can see why women often mistake braxton hicks contractions for the beginning of actual labor. They are a unique sensation which seem like a logical signal that something more must be on the way. Each evening when they begin, I wonder if it's the "real deal" so I try to pay attention to their frequency and length but they are never consistent enough to activate the phone tree and go to the hospital. 

I am pleased to report that our hospital bag is about 90% packed and the car seat is installed for when the "real" contractions kick in one of these days. So rest easy...I'm not in complete denial anymore.