[Pinkhighheels27]

Since Thursday night, i've started had an increase of contractions during the night and they're getting more intense every night. However, during the day, I only have a few.

I've heard it's common to have them more frequent at night bc youre more relaxed, but I'm on bed rest and not very active during the day....so I don't think that applies to me.

Anyone else experiencing the same thing?

[~~Que~~]

Oxytocin increases in your brain when it is dark to help you sleep. It's also the same hormone that causes contractions, so it's VERY common to have frequent BH's every night, especially near or around term.

[Pinkhighheels27]

Ahh....thanks!!! So interesting how our bodies react to different environments!

[alicenwonderland]

yes i've been experiencing this. I take ambien to sleep, and i still get woken up on occasion. During the day i wonder why i'm on bedrest, and then i freak out at night when they start.

[Londons Butterfly]

That's how the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy was. Then the Monday and Tuesday before I had him they started sooner in the day. Like before it was after 3pm, Monday it was 11am and Tuesday it was 8am, Tuesday night they were more intense, and Wednesday morning when I went in for my induction I was contracting regularly, the nurse said I was pretty much already in labor.

[junie22]

Very interesting. I have been getting BH contractions all night long, and it's maddening. And I've had a couple of intense real-feeling contractions as well. Yay for our bodies getting ready for labor! Now if I could just get some sleep too.

[TKbunny]

All I can tell you is that 3 days before I went into labor I started having a ton of contractions at night, some very painful. I told the OB this and he seemed to think they were mostly BH because they were at night, but 3 hours later I went into labor So yeah, I had a lot more BH and contractions at night from the start of the 3rd tri, but when they got worse I think it was really early labor for me. I hope this helps.

[TuckrLeesMommy]

wow really? our bodies react to the darkness to release oxytocin?? thats so cool! ive been having more contractions at night too but usually i am so tired that i barely register them simply because i dont have the energy to do much!!! but wow that is so dang cool!!! our bodies are so incredible!

[rainbowfish]

I'm glad this is happening to others too. It did not happen at all with my first, he came out of nowhere. Hopefully, these will be the start of something soon.

[Jenn1320]

I just had my first bout of night contractions- every 2 hrs, since 10:30. So 6:30am was my last one. I only know b/c they all woke me up. Interesting about the oxytocin at night!

[Mod-Lady Valkyrie]

Crampy contractions wake me up at around 3-4am and last about an hour and a half, roughly 10-15 mins apart, every night - this has been going on for 2 weeks now and they are getting more intense. They wear off, I fall back to sleep, and when I wake up again they're gone. Though last night and the night before I had to take paracetamol to take the edge off they were so uncomfortable.

And like a couple of you have said they are coming into other times of day now. Sunday I had them from the early evening and they never really went away. Yesterday I had a few hours of them from around 4pm. Today we're on 3pm and nothing yet...we shall see. It's encouraging that people here think it's a sign of progress because I'd stopped taking it as any sort of sign as it's been going on so long and still no baby!

[Pinkhighheels27]

I hope it is a sign! And, of course last night mine decreased! Boo.