Many girls who are pregnant for the first time are afraid to miss their contractions, mistaking them for false contractions. Or vice versa, be afraid to confuse false contractions with generic ones. I propose to figure out what false contractions are, how they are characteristic and how they differ from real ones.

Approaching the appointed term of childbirth, pregnant women often feel discomfort in the lower abdomen. These may be false contractions that last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes due to contraction of the muscles of the uterus. Pregnant women feel this process as an increase in her tone. The so-called training contractions are felt after the 20th week of pregnancy. Although such discomfort has arisen before, but when a person is busy with something, he does not feel the influence of such an irritant. It also depends on the individual threshold of sensitivity to pain.

False contractions sensation

The longer the gestation period, the more often false contractions may occur. You can distinguish them from real prenatal contractions by their instability and irregularity. In time, they last less than 2 minutes and immediately pass. Feels like: the stomach slightly hardens and tenses, after a couple of minutes the tension releases.

Often, false contractions are painless and do not particularly affect the condition of a pregnant woman. But the longer the gestation period, the more noticeable the discomfort becomes. This physiological process can be facilitated by switching attention to something pleasant. You can take a walk, relax , lie down, watch an interesting program, chat with friends, etc.

Why do false contractions occur?

During pregnancy, the body needs a colossal restructuring and preparation for the upcoming birth. So, the volume of the uterus increases, the cervix shortens, later the tissues of the genital organs soften, etc. Such processes are reflected in the sensations and condition of a pregnant woman.

In order to reduce the discomfort of the appearance of false contractions, it is necessary to observe the following rules throughout the entire period of pregnancy:

1. avoid physical activity if possible;
2. do not stand for a long time, try to combine work with rest: sit or lie down;
3. try to ensure yourself a healthy sound sleep;
4. do not lift heavy weights;
5. provide yourself with good nutrition, pregnancy is not the time for diets;
6. don't experiment. For example, it is undesirable to visit a bath or sauna;
7. reduce your intake of foods containing caffeine.

And now a few recommendations for girls who are afraid to confuse false contractions with the harbingers of childbirth. After all, no one wants to go to the hospital because of the so-called training fights, and then return home.

False contractions how many days before delivery

Determine the time interval after which the spasm occurs, note its duration. If the contractions are not intense and weak, then most likely they are false. But if spasms occur after a certain time, become noticeable and painful, and their interval decreases, then this is the beginning of labor.

If you find bloody discharge on linen, leakage of amniotic fluid, abdominal tension for more than 2 minutes (uterine tone), as well as pulling pain in the lower back, you should urgently consult a doctor. Such symptoms may indicate the onset of labor or the emergence of a threat to the child. In this case, it is better to play it safe.

False contractions do not cause any harm to the fetus, this is a physiological process, while labor pains require immediate hospitalization. Therefore, it is very important to distinguish between these two phenomena.

From my own experience, I would like to note that I did not have any false contractions. When-never pricks in the lower or side of the abdomen, breath is lost, but there were no reasons to suspect that childbirth was starting. I remember then I shoveled a bunch of literature so as not to miss this moment! Remember, you will not confuse the harbingers of childbirth with anything. If you already grabbed it, it won’t let go until you give birth.

All easy and fast childbirth!