During pregnancy, a woman may have several episodes of contractions, but not all of them represent the onset of labor, being able to identify contractions is very important for the woman to know when to go to the hospital or not.
Pregnancy contractions are characterized by:
- Contractions during the gestational period are important for the uterus to be born at the time of delivery.
- But intensity and frequency determine whether these are contraction workouts after 20 weeks gestation or work-specific after 37 weeks.
Braxton Hicks contractions are training contractions, in which the belly or part of it is momentarily very hard, usually this type of contraction appears around the 20th week of pregnancy, to prepare the uterus and body at the time of delivery.
Braxton Hicks contractions usually occur 3 to 4 times a day and can occur when the baby moves or kicks, decreasing with the mother’s rest or change of position, lasts less than 60 seconds, and has no rhythm or pain.
In addition, these training contractions can cause mild discomfort in the pelvic area that does not extend to the back or other part of the body.
Pregnant women should call their obstetrician or go to the hospital in case of severe, frequent and rhythmic contractions, especially between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy or if these contractions are accompanied by pink or red discharge.
In these cases, your doctor may indicate rest and prescribe magnesium to prevent contractions from working in advance.
Contractions that indicate the onset of labor are always accompanied by pain and do not decrease with rest, can occur from 37 weeks of gestation, are regular and rhythmic, increase in intensity and appear first every 20 minutes, progressing to a shorter interval of 15 minutes and then every 10 and 5 minutes.
Pregnant women should go to the hospital when contractions last about 1 minute each and occur every 5 minutes, as this is a sign that the baby will be born.
Find out if you’re in labor.