Photo By: Maggie Cuprisin
Every pregnancy and labor is different! The most important thing is talking over goals with your birth team and finding what works best for your birth goals and health history. These are some general rules for low-risk first time parents!
The how!
-first off how to time a contraction: your health care provider times contractions from the start of one to the start of the next. If you’re contracting every 5 min and they’re 30 seconds long that means you have a 30 second contraction and then a 4m30s break.
-using an app, like Fullterm, is a great way to time your contractions. You hit start when it starts and stop when it ends. This will time them correctly and keep a log.
When should you time your contractions? If you’re before 37 weeks timing any noticeable uterine activity is recommended. Once full term
-when you notice more then 7 contractions in an hour time 5 of them, see what the pattern is.
-if the pattern is irregular, take a break from timing and start again when you notice them more often
-if contractions are patterned time them for 30-60 min, note any changes and then set down the timer until they feel stronger, longer or closer.
What to look for?? This is where things can be different person to person.
-If you’re planning a low intervention delivery (no epidural) most people will labor at home for an extended period of time. A good general rule is 3-1-2. This is contractions 3 min apart or less, lasting over 1 minute in duration for at least 2 hours that you can’t talk or walk through.
-If your plan is to get an epidural 3-1-1 to 4-1-1 is a good rule. This means contractions 3-4 min apart, lasting over a minute for one hour or more that you need to engage coping techniques for.
Other physical signs to consider in addition to contraction timing are:
-vaginal bleeding
-leaking of fluid
-increase in rectal pressure
-intensity of contraction (can’t talk or walk through them)
Calling your midwife or OBGYN if you experience these no matter what your contraction pattern is, is recommended.