From: oispeggy@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: cramping & early pregnancy - thanks for the responses!
Date: 5 Sep 92 19:40:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about cramping 
and early pregnancy.  Seems its nothing to worry about.

Here are most of the responses I received:

In article <Bu0HxA.At9@acsu.buffalo.edu>, you write...
>This is my first time and I'm 6-8 weeks.  Every day or two I feel 
>a bit of mild cramping, like menstrual cramps.  No bleeding or
>discharge, but it makes me nervous.  Anyone else experience this?
> 
>- Peggy -


Yes, it's pretty common.  It still happens to me sometimes, and I'm at
4.5 months.

Good luck.


Hi Peggy,

*I had the same thing with all 3 pregnancies.  It was just like menstrual cramps
and eventually went away.  If it makes you nervous I would talk to your OB about
it.  I always want to be on the cautious side.  I had read in a pregnancy book
that it was a common feeling but I still asked.  I forget how long it was
supposed to last.  Congratulations and good luck!


*Yes! My doctor didn't know anything about it--evidently not a common 
thing. The books didn't say much. But misc.kids came through for me 
and helped considerably.


*I had cramping from implantation (10 days after conception, anyway) 
until something like six weeks later. I could look it up if you care. 
My pregnancy was completely normal and my baby perfect. (And yes, 
pregnancy is the longest nine months of your life, but it *really is* 
worth all the discomfort.)                                  


*The cramping was made worse by constipation (another major side effect 
of pregnancy for me) and sex. It gradually got less and less.
My understanding is that you can have cramps OR spotting without getting 
too alarmed, but if you have both you may end up with a miscarriage.

I really don't have time to type this now, but since misc.kids came 
through for me, I wanted to pass on the favor asap.


*Yes, I had quite a bit of cramping in my pregnancies.  I was often
surprised that I didn't have belleding because it sure felt like
I was.  It was if the "week-before" premenstrual symptoms just
kept coming.


*I am pregnant (4 1/2 mos) with my second.  The cramping is VERY common
in early pregnancy, I'm still experiencing it.  Nothing to be concerned
about at all.  It is awfully annoying, though, aint it?


*I also felt the cramping and have all along.  For me, it was so
bad that I was awake at night with it for the first 12 weeks or
so.  _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ says that it is normal
and is caused by stretching of the ligaments that support the
uterus.  I verified this with my doctor.  I would suggest that you
do the same.  At 6 months, I continue to feel the cramping every
now and then.  


*I am almost 32 weeks pregnant with my first and I felt the same thing.  None of  
the books I read mentioned it and when I asked other women who have had  
kids non remembered it either.  It's frustrating because most OB/gyn's don't  
want to see you until 10-12 weeks.

At any rate, it was perfectly normal (I had no bleeding or discharge either) and  
so far, I've had a completely normal pregnancy.  (Except for heartburn that  
keeps me up at nights.)


*	Don't worry. Everyone experiences those. The cramping should
go away around 11-15 week. It is perfectly normal.


*Many women experience this, I did, and usually it is nothing.  It is scary.
It can be the beginning of a miscarriage BUT MOST OFTEN it is not.  Try to
relax, hang in there, and best wishes.  You will have many things to worry
about as your pregnancy progresses, only to be replaced by things to worry
about after the baby is born :-) !


*It sounds like the normal cramping that accompanies stretching
uterine ligaments. Check with your doctor if you're concerned
it's more than that.

I had this too and was on the phone to the emergency room at 9
weeks, convinced I had an ectopic pregnancy. I wish the books
mentioned this early side effect more prominently.


*I, who never get menstrual cramps, had cramping in the same
range of time. Some were quite painful, but there was no problem
associated with the cramping. This concern shows up on the net
every so often. It seems to be a normal part of early pregnancy.


*I didn't remember cramping when I was pregnant with my daughter 14 years
ago.  But with this last pregnancy (Paul is now 4 months old), I did.
It was sort of like a tightness on the sides of my abdomen.  I knew I was
pregnant at 2 weeks, so I immediately made an appointment with my doctor --
no problem.  They said everything was fine.  I suppose the cramping was
the uterus stretching?  

Anyway, to keep your mind at ease, make an appointment with your OB.

Good luck!  Babies are so much fun!


*Yes, I did too with both of my previous pregnancies.  I can't really 
remember when it stopped but it was fairly early on (perhaps 12 weeks or 
a bit later).  I presumed it was just my uterus stretching, or having 
something going on in there, or some such other totally inexplicable 
reason.  I am sure it must be really common and nothing to worry about 
at all.


  Yup, and you may have a low bachache to go with it, and it probably won't
last more than another 2 weeks or so, and by then, you are bound to have
some new symptoms to worry about!  I've had two successful pregnancies,
and two miscarriages, and I *didn't* cramp any more with the latter than
with the former; they all felt just about the same, right until I started
bleeding, when the cramps became like my usual cramps (bad, and continuous).
  There are a zillion weird little things that can happen to your body
during pregnancy, and in the early days, when miscarriage is still so
possible, and there is no reassuring baby-kicking to feel, it is the hardest
of all.  Good luck to you and your baby.