What pains are there during contractions and how do they begin? What can't you do? How to recognize real contractions

The contractions that accompany childbirth are the most frightening process for pregnant women. Even the birth itself, the movement of the child along the birth canal, does not frighten them as much as the pain during contractions, when the cervix opens. However, everything is very individual. Many women in labor describe their sensations during labor as normal and quite tolerable.

Many women giving birth again spend the entire process of contractions at home and go to the maternity hospital only when the cervix is almost open. But for those who find it very difficult to bear pain, there are medicinal painkillers that are used directly in the maternity hospital according to the doctor’s indications.

Contractions during childbirth occur in three periods. Let's look at how they begin, how they proceed, and how this process can be facilitated by accelerating the opening of the cervix. Let's find out how to make the birth process quite tolerable.

How do contractions begin and progress?

First stage

The onset usually resembles the onset of menstruation. A nagging pain occurs in the lower abdomen. These sensations are also often called false contractions. But the process of the onset of contractions is very important, as it prepares the cervix for the start of dilatation.

At the first stage, the pain is not strong, occurring once every half hour or hour. Lasts only a few seconds. After which, in most pregnant women, the mucus plug comes off, which is thick mucus mixed with blood. There is no need to be afraid of this. This just means that the cervix has begun to dilate. After which pressure appears in the pelvis and perineum.

Second phase

This stage is much shorter in time. The cervix opens faster and faster, and opens by about 7 cm. During this period, the sensations can be quite painful and last up to 1 minute. And the intervals between them are only 2 - 5 minutes.

Third stage

During this period, pushing joins the contractions. The cervix opens to its maximum - 10-12 centimeters. This is quite enough for the birth of a child.

When should you go to the maternity hospital?

The moment when you need to go to the hospital is very important and responsible. In order not to miss it, you need to take into account the nature of the pain. When the moment of the beginning of the real birth process comes, the pain is no longer localized, but encircling. It is often compared to a wave. Pain sensations move from the lower back to the anterior wall of the uterus.

At this time, contractions are the longest (stage 1 of labor). In primiparous women, it can last 6-7 hours. At this time, the cervix dilates to 3-4 cm.

If this is your first birth, you can stay at home until the interval between contractions is reduced to 5-7 minutes, then you need to go to the hospital. But this is only if the maternity hospital is located next to the house. If the hospital is far away, it is better to leave early.

You should also go to the maternity hospital if the interval is still long, but the pain is very strong and long-lasting.

If the birth is repeated, then as soon as regular contractions begin, it is still better to go to the hospital immediately. The fact is that repeated births are often rapid. Therefore, it is better not to hesitate.

True or false contractions. How to determine?

Of course, you need to learn to distinguish them. Many expectant mothers, in the last weeks of pregnancy, eagerly wait for labor pains to begin. And they often confuse true contractions with false ones.

False (Braxton-Hicks contractions) - appear in some pregnant women, but not in all, after the 20th week of pregnancy. But they, unlike true ones, do not open the cervix. They represent a pulling sensation in the lower abdomen, a manifestation of discomfort in the lower back. The uterus is very tense. It can be easily felt if you place your palm on your stomach. The same sensations accompany the onset of true contractions, so first-time women often easily confuse them.

How to reduce pain during labor?

Remember that pain can be reduced even by simply changing your position. You don't have to lie down at this time. For many, for example, it is easier to be on all fours. Some people endure pain more easily by standing on their feet, while others dance a little. Find a position that will help you relax and make you feel better.

While the contractions are rare and painless, you can try to get some sleep. Sleep will help you relax.

When the pain is strong, you need to take deep breaths and then short exhalations (3-4 exhalations). When pushing, it will become easier if you breathe very often (like a dog).

For severe pain, press with your thumbs on the points located in the area of the anterior superior iliac spines. Feel the most forward parts of the pelvis. This is what they are. At this time, place your hands along your thighs.

And most importantly, get ready for childbirth. Listen to your own feelings and think about the baby. It is also very difficult and difficult for him to overcome the birth canal. But you will definitely get through it together and finally meet.

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Contractions are periodically repeated painful contractions of the uterus during childbirth, accompanied by nagging pain in the lower abdomen and/or lower back.

How do contractions begin? At the beginning, contractions are weak, last a few seconds, and the interval between them is 10-12 minutes. In some cases, contractions immediately begin every 5 to 6 minutes, but are not very strong. Gradually contractions become more frequent, stronger, longer, and more painful.

Rhythmic contractions of the uterus are felt as a feeling of pressure in the abdominal cavity, but usually do not cause much discomfort; the uterus feels heavy and pressure can be felt throughout the abdomen. And the importance of this feature is not in the fact of contraction itself, but in its rhythm. The pregnant woman herself may feel certain contractions several weeks before the baby is born, but if a regular and continuous rhythm is not established, then, as a rule, they do not mean the onset of labor.

With real labor pains gradually the intervals between them decrease until uterine contractions begin to repeat every three to four minutes. It is noteworthy that in the period between contractions, when the stomach is relaxed, no pain is observed.

The first contractions are usually felt in the abdomen, but sometimes in the lower back. It seems that the pain rolls in like a wave, originating in the middle of the back, then, dividing, spreading to the hips and connecting in the abdomen. At first they are not very strong (like light pinches), but gradually intensify, become long-lasting (6-10 seconds), occur more often, become regular, that is, they are repeated at certain intervals.

Usually Primipara contractions last 10 - 12 hours, in multiparous women - 6-8 hours.

Sometimes contractions are rare- in 25 - 30 minutes. These are not labor pains, but harbingers of labor. If they don’t tire you too much, then you can wait and not go to the maternity hospital. It's possible that everything will stop.

By frequency of contractions determine when to go to the maternity hospital. It is better to go to the maternity hospital when contractions are more frequent than once every 10 minutes. Another option for the onset of labor is the rupture of amniotic fluid or its leakage in small portions. In this case, you no longer need to wait for the contractions to start, but it is better to go to the maternity hospital right away, since the longer the anhydrous interval, the greater the likelihood of a complicated course of labor, infection penetration into the uterus and the fetus.

Amniotic sac It may leak very slowly, or it may rupture suddenly and completely unexpectedly, and then the water will rush in a strong stream. Sometimes this happens before rhythmic contractions of the uterus begin, and more often this happens with repeated births, rather than with the first. And although no pain is felt when the amniotic sac ruptures, it can frighten the woman.

If the waters will break, you must immediately notify your doctor or midwife about this. The rhythmic contractions themselves, if they are not yet present, can occur only after one to two hours. Sometimes they may not begin for two or three days; but in any case, this is an indicator that labor will occur relatively soon, so the woman must contact her doctor or midwife after her water breaks, even if there is any doubt, and then follow their advice. Doctors will tell you when it is necessary to go to the maternity hospital.

You urgently need to go to the maternity hospital without any consultation if blood discharge appears from the genital tract. 24-48 hours before giving birth, a woman experiences slight mucous discharge, often stained with blood, which is caused by the release of the mucus plug - the contents of the cervical canal. This usually occurs after uterine contractions begin to widen the cervical canal - thereby displacing the mucus plug that kept the canal closed during pregnancy. Attention: if bloody discharge from the vagina appears in the last weeks of pregnancy, you must definitely go to the maternity hospital - this is serious.

They lead to the fact that the cervix begins to actively open. At the end of the first period, as a rule, amniotic fluid is discharged. It is better to go to the maternity hospital when contractions become more frequent than once every 5-7 minutes, when they do not weaken, but intensify, and it already becomes clear that labor is beginning.

In this article:

Contractions are contractions of the uterus, which are periodically repeated and are accompanied by nagging pain in the lower abdomen or lower back. Every woman preparing for childbirth should know how to understand that contractions have begun.

At the very beginning, contractions appear weak, lasting a few seconds and with 10-minute intervals between them. But there are cases when not too strong contractions begin immediately with a small interval of 5-6 minutes.

Contractions gradually become more frequent, longer, and pain increases. A pregnant woman feels a feeling of pressure in the abdominal cavity - these are rhythmic contractions of the uterus. Usually they do not cause much discomfort. It seems that the uterus becomes heavy, and pressure is felt throughout the abdomen. What is important here is not the fact of contraction itself, but its rhythm. An expectant mother may feel uterine contractions a couple of weeks before her baby is born. But if a long and regular rhythm is not established, they do not mean the onset of labor.

When real labor contractions begin, the intervals between them gradually become smaller. This continues until uterine contractions begin to repeat every three minutes. It should be noted that there is no pain when the abdomen is relaxed, in the period between contractions. Very often the feeling of the first contractions appears in the stomach, but sometimes it happens in the lower back. The pain seems to come in waves, starting in the center of the back. Then it separates and diverges along the thighs, connecting at the stomach.

The contractions are weak at first, like light pinching. Then they intensify, gradually becoming 6-10 seconds long. They appear more and more often until they begin to repeat themselves at certain intervals. If a woman gives birth for the first time, contractions usually last for 10-12 hours. For pregnant women giving birth to their second or third child, contractions last 6-8 hours. Depending on how frequent the contractions are, you can determine the time of the trip to the maternity hospital.

Time to go to the maternity hospital

The best option would be to go to the maternity hospital if contractions occur at least once every ten minutes. Another sign that labor is beginning is the leakage of amniotic fluid in small portions or its complete rupture. In this case, you no longer need to wait for the contractions to start; you should go to the maternity hospital immediately. Because the duration of the anhydrous interval may further complicate the course of labor or an infection may penetrate the fetus into the uterus.

In some cases, the amniotic sac leaks much more slowly, but it happens that it suddenly ruptures at the most unexpected moment, as a result of which the water comes out in a strong stream. During repeated births, situations occur that the amniotic sac bursts even before the start of rhythmic contractions of the uterus. In this case, the pregnant woman does not feel pain, but she may be very scared.

After your water breaks, you must immediately inform your doctor. Even if there are no rhythmic contractions, which can occur only after a few hours. In practice, there have been cases where contractions began within three days after the water broke. But, be that as it may, the breaking of water is the main indicator that labor will occur relatively soon.

Urgently, without hesitation and without consulting anyone, you need to go to the maternity hospital if blood discharge appears from the genital tract. Mucous discharge in pregnant women appears a couple of days before the onset of labor. They are not significant, but are often stained with blood. Thus, the contents of the cervical canal - the mucous plug - are released. This occurs when uterine contractions have already begun. Due to this, the cervical canal expands and the mucous plug is forced out. This plug keeps the canal closed throughout pregnancy.

Preparing for childbirth

When a woman does not know how to determine the onset of contractions, it frightens her. After all, nothing can scare a person more than the unknown. It is always better to meet an event that inspires fear halfway. That is why a woman preparing for childbirth definitely needs to learn everything about its course. In particular, what part the woman herself should take in all this.

First, it’s worth talking about the system of psychoprophylactic preparation for such an important event in life. Such training is carried out in domestic health schools. Nowadays, many commercial courses have been created in the country to prepare pregnant women for childbirth. The courses embrace Western advanced ideas in the field of gynecology. But due to high prices, they are not available to many pregnant women. Therefore, traditional courses that are conducted in antenatal clinics located in district clinics will come in handy.

The group consists of five married couples, and this training begins, which includes 4 sessions, usually at the 34th week of pregnancy. The first lesson introduces the anatomy of the female reproductive system and the mechanisms of pain. In the second lesson, the first stage of labor is discussed. Women are told about contractions and how to behave during them. Expectant mothers are taught to breathe correctly. This is necessary to ensure that the uterus and fetus are well supplied with oxygen.

Proper breathing is also necessary in order to prevent pain, since deep breathing with the stomach at the beginning of contractions promotes relaxation, and when contractions intensify, it is necessary to breathe deeply through the chest. Normal breathing should only occur between uterine contractions. Particular attention in the second lesson is paid to psychological distraction, relaxation and massage. All the skills that pregnant women learn in classes should be practiced at home until they become automatic.

The third lesson introduces the subsequent stages of labor – the second and third. It tells about the poses that will be most effective with pushing and special breathing. It can reduce pain and facilitate expulsion of the fetus. All these activities are also reinforced by regular exercises at home. In the fourth lesson, all the material covered is consolidated and questions that arose during the course are resolved.

If contractions start at home

So, if a woman is getting ready to give birth soon, she needs to know what to do if contractions start. If the cervix has opened slightly and pushed out a mucus plug stained with blood, there is no need to panic and call the midwife. This may happen several days before contractions begin. Therefore, after the mucus plug comes out, you need to wait until the pain in the back or stomach becomes constant, and the interval between contractions is regular. Or wait until the amniotic fluid recedes.

After the water breaks or breaks a little, you must immediately call an ambulance. Even if uterine contractions have not yet begun, hospitalization will be safer. While waiting for doctors, you need to put a waffle towel to absorb. If you experience dull pain in the back and hips, gradually developing into abdominal pain, similar to painful menstruation, you need to know that these are signs of the onset of contractions.

It is necessary to record the interval between contractions when they become regular. If it becomes clear that contractions have begun, call an ambulance or midwife. As long as the interval between them is up to five minutes, there is no need to rush to the maternity hospital. Since the first birth usually lasts about ten hours, it is better to stay at home during this time. Walk slowly, stopping periodically to rest. Until your water breaks, it may be helpful to take a warm shower or eat something light.

We must not confuse contractions with harbingers. Precursors of contractions can occur throughout pregnancy. But closer to the onset of labor, in about a few weeks, they may become more intense and more frequent. When such contractions are felt, you need to pay attention to whether the intervals between them become smaller, since the warning signs are usually not regular. You need to monitor the dynamics of contractions for an hour, recording the beginning and end, how often and stronger they become. The duration of regular contractions should be at least 40 seconds.

At the stage of the first period, the muscles of the uterus contract to open the cervix and allow the passage of the fetus. It is possible that during this period the first-time expectant mother may panic, but she needs to remain calm. Upon arrival at the maternity hospital, the pregnant woman will undergo examinations. Her pulse, blood pressure and temperature are taken. An internal examination is performed to determine how dilated the cervix is.

They will determine what position the child is in by palpating the abdomen. Listen to the fetal heartbeat with a stethoscope. Next, you need to follow the instructions that were given in courses or on the advice of a doctor and midwife, right up to the start of pushing and the birth of the child. Before labor begins, it is necessary to maintain strength, as it will be greatly needed during childbirth.

Useful video about the beginning of labor

When is it time to go to the maternity hospital?

False and real contractions. How to distinguish?

Throughout the third trimester of pregnancy, a first-time mother is concerned with one important question: “How to recognize contractions?” It seems that such a moment is difficult to confuse with anything, but it is not so.

Starting from the second half of pregnancy, a woman may experience some discomfort associated with so-called “false contractions.” They are not, but only in a unique way train the body of a pregnant woman before real labor pains or warn the expectant mother about her incorrect behavior. are irregular, and in most cases do not cause the woman much pain.

How do you know when contractions have started?

Most often, training contractions begin at 30 weeks of pregnancy. This is where the question arises, how to recognize labor contractions, distinguishing them from false or training ones. Labor pains have their own regular cycle. The uterus becomes toned for up to 15 seconds, after which it relaxes for 15 minutes. In this case, the woman in labor, as a rule, feels a nagging pain, which goes away along with the tone. Except for the uterus, and in the lumbar region. The pain can be either “aching” or like a sharp outbreak. Further, the duration of the contraction increases, and the interval between them decreases.

It is worth noting that the transition from a short-term contraction to a full-fledged labor can take about 16 hours for a primigravida woman. Therefore, if a pregnant woman feels a nagging and regularly recurring pain, then she should not neglect to visit an obstetrician-gynecologist, who will accurately determine the nature of the contraction.

Signs of the onset of true labor pains.

The process described above is not the only sign of the beginning of the first stage of labor. There are two more signs of how to recognize contractions.

The first of these is the release of a plug - a mucous transparent clot with possible blood inclusions. However, the plug may come off a week before the start of contractions. Therefore, if this happens and contractions do not begin, you need to consult a doctor.

The second sign may be the rupture of amniotic fluid. During the period from 37 to 42 weeks of pregnancy, this process is physiological. As a rule, in this case, the period of contractions described above begins. When the labor begins before contractions begin, the woman in labor feels them more strongly afterwards. In this case, the duration of the contraction can immediately begin from 30 seconds, and the interval between them can be reduced to 5 minutes.

Some caveats

Many fear that they will not be able to answer the question in time: “How to recognize contractions?” However, the fears are to some extent justified. The pain that they bring allows you to feel contractions. But for some women in labor it is quite high, and they understand that contractions began when it is from 5 to 8 cm.

In addition, the passage of the plug, as well as the rupture of amniotic fluid, can occur when the woman in labor is in the shower. In this case, how to recognize contractions? Everything is quite simple. Being in the last trimester of pregnancy, the expectant mother should clearly listen to her body, noting the slightest changes. Labor contractions are inevitably accompanied by a gradual increase in pain at its peak, and the uterus contracts more strongly. This means that recognizing contractions will not be difficult for both a first-time mother and a woman giving birth again.

As a rule, the question of how to find out that contractions have begun arises only during the first pregnancy. The female body will remember all the sensations that it experienced during the first birth, and subsequently it will be easy to distinguish labor pains from false ones. Therefore, during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, it is advisable to familiarize yourself or refresh your memory with information on how to recognize contractions. Only in this case will the first stage of labor be perfect.

The expectant mother has been waiting for nine months to meet her baby. What will it be like? Who does he look like? Will he be calm or moody?

Many questions begin to swirl in a pregnant woman's head as she approaches 38 weeks.

But, perhaps, the main ones are: How will the contractions go? Is it painful to give birth? And when is it time to go to the maternity hospital?

Norms and numbers for pregnant women

During an observation with an obstetrician-gynecologist, every pregnant woman hears from the doctor the expected date of birth.

As a rule, it is calculated based on the date of the first day of the last menstrual period, adding 38 weeks to it. This is the most common method, although there are others. That is, a woman must prepare to become a mother at a certain time.

But why exactly 38 weeks?

A pregnancy is considered full-term at 38 weeks. Starting from 41.5 weeks, pregnancy can already be called post-term.

Delivery should ideally occur between 38 and 41 weeks, but many women give birth to healthy babies at both 36 and 42 weeks.

Therefore, we need to talk not about a specific date of birth, but about expected interval.

The first swallows are the harbingers of childbirth

So, the woman calculated for herself the interval of dates on which childbirth should occur.

Confidence in an early delivery can be given by the personal feelings of the expectant mother.

They are called harbingers of childbirth. This:

Dropping of the abdomen;
Expansion of the pelvic bones;
Braxton Hicks contractions (more on that below);
Removal of the mucus plug;
Discharge of amniotic fluid;
Lower back pain;
Change in appetite.

Precursors may not necessarily all appear, and some of them may well occur even 2 weeks before the onset of labor.

Noting changes in well-being characteristic of precursors, a woman should understand that childbirth with contractions and other delights is just around the corner.

What are contractions?

Real labor begins with contractions. They are contractions of the muscles of the uterus, which are accompanied by aching pain in the lower abdomen or lower back. The pain can also be irritating.

A woman feels something similar during her period.

During contractions, the uterus becomes toned, that is, it becomes rigid and elastic. When the contraction ends, the stomach relaxes. Women with a high pain threshold may not even feel pain at the very beginning of labor. They can only be noticed by the periodically tense stomach.

Contractions do not cause constant discomfort to a pregnant woman; they are periodic.

At first, pauses between contractions range from 15-20 minutes. Then they become shorter and shorter (3-5 minutes), and contractions become more intense. During contractions, the cervix dilates. Obstetricians monitor the correctness and stability of the process of its opening.

How do you know when contractions are starting?

Typical story: a woman arrives at the maternity hospital, screams that she is having contractions, and after some time calmly goes home. It underlies more than one comedy about childbirth and the life of pregnant women.

What makes an expectant mother rush to the maternity hospital with insistent demands for an immediate birth?

These are false contractions or Braxton Hicks contractions.

To avoid unnecessary worries, not to frighten relatives and not to rouse doctors for no reason, you need to be able to distinguish false contractions from real ones:

False contractions are not periodic.
False contractions do not intensify over time.
The pain from false contractions goes away when you change body position, take a bath, etc.
With false contractions, the cervix does not dilate. Even if it is slightly dilated, false contractions do not provoke its further expansion.
To understand that real contractions are beginning, you need to time the intervals between them. At first they can be 15-20 minutes, then reduced to 5 minutes, later to 3 (at this time the woman should already be in the maternity hospital).
Also, real contractions may be accompanied by bloody discharge - this is the mucus plug coming off.

Pain during contractions

It so happens that women give birth to children in suffering. The most severe pain is during contractions that accompany the first stage of labor. Their result is the opening of the cervix, through which the child will subsequently emerge.

Pain during contractions increases gradually.

At first, the intervals between contractions are long, and the pain is practically not felt. Over time, the intensity of contractions intensifies and the intervals become shorter.

However, no matter how strong the pain is, nature organizes everything in such a way that a woman can easily rest in the short time when the contraction subsides.
If you look objectively at the nature of pain during contractions, it becomes noticeable that only 30% of painful sensations have a real basis.

When passing through the birth canal, the fetus puts pressure on the soft tissues, ligamentous apparatus of the uterus, and perineum; when the uterus contracts, the nerve endings burst, which provokes severe pain.

The remaining 70% is caused by fear of childbirth. The expectant mother is afraid of suffering, fears for her life and the health of the baby. “Horror stories” told by more experienced friends also play a significant role.

So one of the most important things before giving birth is correct emotional state.

Help during contractions

Every woman dreams of painless childbirth. How nice it would be if a good doctor gave an injection at the beginning of labor, and the child was born without pain and suffering!

To be honest, there is this kind of pain therapy, but it should only be used in emergency cases as prescribed by a doctor.

And for women in labor whose physiological process of childbirth proceeds without problems, there are methods of self-anesthesia:

Breathing techniques.
Special positions practiced during active labor.
Massage.

Self-anesthesia techniques are quite simple to perform. Their implementation does not require special abilities, but you still need to practice before giving birth.

Pregnant women can become familiar with these techniques in classes at maternity schools, which are often held at antenatal clinics, or in specialized centers for effective parenting.

When to go to the maternity hospital

So, it’s time to answer one of the main questions: when is it time to go to the maternity hospital.

You can’t be late here, but going to the maternity hospital early is also undesirable.

Firstly, scary stories from roommates are not good for a pregnant woman about to give birth.

Secondly, constant anticipation of childbirth negatively affects the emotional state of a woman.

Third, it is quite possible that doctors will begin to stimulate labor with the help of medications.

You need to go to the maternity hospital in one of the following cases:

When regular contractions occur.
From this moment on, a pregnant woman can already be called a woman in labor. As soon as the intervals between contractions have reached 10-15 minutes, you can get ready for the maternity hospital.

We talked about contractions in detail above.

When bleeding occurs.

The appearance of bloody discharge may indicate the passage of the mucous plug, which accompanies the opening of the cervix. However, blood in the discharge may also indicate placental abruption, which is life-threatening for both mother and baby.

Therefore, in this case, contacting the maternity hospital should be immediate.

When amniotic fluid breaks.
In this case, you should not wait until contractions begin, as any delay can be dangerous for the child’s life.

The discharge of amniotic fluid should occur when the cervix is dilated by 4-5 cm. However, in 15% of pregnancies it occurs even before the onset of contractions.

You should remember the time when your water broke and immediately go to the maternity hospital. A long period without water is dangerous for the baby due to the development of infections.

In fact, it is very difficult to be “late” for the maternity hospital - rather, this is the lot of third-rate Hollywood comedies. Your body itself will give a clear signal to your mind!

Mommies, remember that childbirth is a normal physiological process. With proper theoretical, physical and emotional preparation, childbirth will take place without problems.

Childbirth is just the road leading to meeting your child - the most beloved person in the world!