The contractions that announce the birth are not always easy to recognize. Do you know the difference between preparatory contractions and Braxton Hicks contractions? Do you know when to go to the hospital? We take stock.
Labor contractions are the first movements that prepare your cervix for the birth of the baby. They allow your body to adapt to the effort it will have to put in during work. But do you know how to distinguish “false” contractions from those that precede birth? We explain to you.
How many types of contractions are there?
To understand how contractions work during pregnancy, it is essential to learn to distinguish them. In fact, there are many different types of contractions: preparatory, Braxton Hicks, labor, delivery, and postpartum. The first three are the ones that interest us, since they can make us doubt when we are going to give birth. Knowing the difference between them will prevent you from getting alarmed before the time.
Are contractions automatic?
Contractions are often an anticipation of a natural childbirth because, if all goes well and the contractions start on their own and continue, the mother can give birth naturally. But other times, despite the contractions, it is necessary to resort to a cesarean section. It even happens that the child, while warm, is not determined to get out of his mother's womb. In these cases, it is necessary to induce labor, a procedure which is precisely to stimulate contractions.
How long do the preparatory contractions last?
During the third trimester of pregnancy, you have contractions which, although not very painful, are bothersome. They feel like an extension of the abdomen and their role is to prepare the cervix and modify it slightly for future dilation. Thus, the uterus begins to dilate, at first occasionally and minimally. This uterine preparation is episodic, and the contractions are so irregular (and sometimes painless) that many women don't even notice them.
What are Braxton Hicks contractions?
Braxton Hicks contractions are also seen as “false” contractions. Indeed, they are often confused with labor contractions because they occur in the ninth month and are quite painful. However, these contractions occur with irregular frequency. Therefore, even if they occur at such an advanced stage of pregnancy, there is no need to go to the hospital as long as they occur only occasionally and with varying frequency.
Braxton Hicks contractions simply mark the prenatal phase, so they should be interpreted as a warning: they mean labor contractions are coming.
Labor contractions: it's time to go to the hospital
These are the contractions that should alert you because they announce the birth of your little one. To make sure that these are not Braxton Hicks contractions, it is advisable to time them, as they have a regular frequency. They present as a wave of intense pain in the lower abdomen and back. The pain begins slowly and gradually increases in intensity, until it gradually subsides as well. Usually you feel relief between contractions.
As the uterus dilates more and more, the contractions become more frequent. This is why, to know when it is time to go to the hospital or to the maternity hospital, it is enough to control their frequency: you will have to go there when they last more than 40 seconds (60 seconds for a first baby, 45 seconds for a second or more) and that each of them is more painful than the previous one. They should be spaced five minutes or less apart. If you live far from the maternity ward (more than 30 minutes by car), you can go when they are 10 minutes apart or less.
However, if this is your first pregnancy, you shouldn't rush too much as it can take a long time between the first actual contraction and the start of the expulsion phase. The early phase can indeed be very long, and mothers-to-be are often sent home because they will be more comfortable getting used to the contractions. If you are in doubt, never hesitate to call your midwife or healthcare professional. The moment you lose water also indicates that you need to go to the hospital.
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