The water breaks and the pain starts out of nowhere! Sounds like a movie scene, right? Suddenly, the lead character goes into labor and rushes to the hospital… But know that contractions aren’t always as painful and sudden as in the movies. And their intensity can be different. So, how do you recognize contractions? How do you know the time has come?
Contractions are pressures from the uterus1 caused by the proximity of labor. The expulsion of the baby happens precisely because of this pressure, which pushes the baby out through the vaginal canal. Active labor makes these contractions strong and rhythmic, with 30 seconds between them, due to a hormone called oxytocin, which is released naturally or can be introduced artificially to help the process.
The contraction can be painful or painless, but one aspect is always recurring: the belly becomes harder than usual. This sensation of a heavy belly is one of the main signs that indicate a painless contraction. The sensation of pressure that comes from back to front is also a recurring sign and helps recognize a contraction.
When Do Contraction Pains Get Stronger?
The famous contraction pain that is so often shown in movies and soap operas is important, but in most cases, it comes on gradually and may take several hours to become as unbearable as portrayed in fiction. The characteristic contraction pain is one that radiates from the back to the abdomen or vice versa.
Contraction pain is also confused with menstrual cramps, especially at first, but tends to become stronger and more frequent. At the start, contractions are irregular and last between 30 seconds and 1 minute, with intervals of 10, 15, or 30 minutes. As labor approaches, the pains become more regular and closer together2.
It is ideal to write down the interval between pains and also time how long each one lasts. The longer they last and the shorter the time between them, the closer you are to the baby’s delivery. The peak of labor is the urge to have a bowel movement! This is the sensation that tells a woman that dilation is complete and that it’s time to push. And when contractions are five minutes apart, that’s the right time to go to the maternity ward.
During contractions, the baby may seem quieter and this is normal due to the pressure on them. However, it’s important to pay attention to their heartbeat, to ensure everything is going well. To help relieve pain, the woman should try to maintain focused breathing, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
It’s also important to find support for moments of more intense pain. Standing up can help a lot during the peak of contractions. Massaging the hips also helps to relieve pressure, so it’s recommended to have someone press on the lower back.
There can also be practice contractions, which increase quite a lot from the 28th week of pregnancy, though they are irregular. The well-known Braxton Hicks contractions can be scary, but they’re not strong enough to cause premature labor3. Ideally, if there’s any doubt, the mother should go to the maternity hospital, where they can perform a cardiotocography to identify true contractions and labor, even if there is no dilation.
See also: Braxton Hicks Contractions – How to Identify False Contractions
