Having contractions can be a bit scary if you do not know what to expect. You may feel alarmed if you start to experience them several weeks before your baby is due. In order to understand the difference between true and false labor, here are 3 false labor signs to be aware of.
Lower Abdomen Contractions
First, you will probably have contractions throughout most of your pregnancy whether you notice them or not. Many women do not notice them until their babies are bigger and their uteri have expanded.
When you start to feel contractions, you may not know if they are signs of real labor or false. One way to tell is by where you feel the contractions.
For example, if you feel them in your lower abdomen and they do not go up above your belly button, then this is usually false labor or Braxton-Hicks contractions. Some women feel these contractions after they use the restroom and empty their bladders. Others experience them when they stand a lot or at random times.
Each women is different, so you cannot expect to feel them in the same ways as your pregnant friends.
No Rise and Fall of Contractions
Second, false labor is usually far less intense than true labor. What this means is that you will not feel a rise and fall in the contractions.
A better way of looking at this is to think about a song that starts out slowly and quietly, and then the music builds to a really intense point before ending. True contraction will be mild, then intense as they build, and then they will fall and disappear until the next one.
Frequency of Contractions
Lastly, you should not experience Braxton-Hicks regularly or close together. It is okay if you have a couple of contractions within a few minutes, but you should not experience several more in a short period of time because this could be a sign of preterm labor or a problem.
If you start to have tons of contractions, even if they are just in your lower abdomen, then call your doctor to find out what to do.
Also, see if you can move into a different position, such as sitting, laying, or standing to see if this makes the contractions stop. Real contractions will continue no matter what position you are in, so this can be a good indicator of what is happening.
By understanding these 3 things, you can know if you are having false labor or if you are truly going into labor. Be sure to keep the number of your doctor of obstetrics on hand in case of any problems.
Share19 January 2015
When I first got married, I didn't think twice before swiping my credit card. Unfortunately, this attitude caused my spouse and I to get into serious financial trouble early on, especially after a medical situation. Soon, we found ourselves struggling to pay the bills, even though we both worked full-time. After a financial intervention from a few of our family members, we learned ways to save money on everything from groceries to medical equipment. Because the cost of healthcare can be staggering, we decided to create a website dedicated to helping you save money on your medical expenses. I hope that as you peruse the articles on our website, you can find a few tips to save some cash.