Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with contractions

Menstrual Cramps/Labor Pains Connection?

RingerChopChop — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:54:30 -0800

Is there a correlation between how painful/strong your menstrual cramps usually are and how painful/strong your labor contractions will be/were? My pregnant sister always had extremely painful menstrual cramps accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea and cramping of the extremities (feet, arms, hands, calves, etc.). We're wondering if this is somehow going to be a predictor to how her labor will go.
Do painful cramps mean you have a stronger uterus?
I, on the other hand, have never had any type of menstrual cramping at all, does this mean my uterus is weak? (FYI, I also have a tipped uterus). You would think that the way your uterus contracts during menstrual cramps would be similar (albeit on a much smaller scale) to how it contracts while giving birth.

Yes, I'm.

whatzit — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:20:53 -0800

Vagaries of the English Language, part n: I need to tell my boss why the contraction "I'm" cannot stand alone as a sentence. For example, "Yes, I am" is okay. "Yes, I'm" is not. I haven't been able to find any good logic for this case or that works for the different contractions in general ("don't" can also stand alone, "I'd" and "I've" cannot). Given this is about languages, and particularly English, "just because" is, alas, potentially the best answer.

Like a bowlful of jelly.

dame — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:53:18 -0800

When I work my abs a lot, I get little mini shaky spasms, similar to what your muscles do after lifting, except they last for a while, say 24 hours, give or take, as opposed to up to two hours or so after weightlifting. Does this happen to you too? Is it common? Generally, it is the muscles up around the edge of the ribs, from the solar plexus to halfway down. It is not the muscles right at the top under the skin, but buried a little. I can feel it through my skin though.

It doesn't hurt at all, but I think it is odd and wondered how widespread it is. My ab work includes dryland (crunches, planks, some pilates stuff), and swimming, especially fly. Does it last longer because my abs are weak?