How to recognize contractions for primiparas? How to recognize false contractions? Causes, signs and treatment of false contractions during pregnancy

The last trimester of pregnancy is the most exciting period for a woman. The closer the birth, the more questions arise. The most relevant of them relate to how contractions begin before childbirth, what sensations arise at the same time, whether pain is felt.

It is this process that the fair sex, whose pregnancy is the first, is most afraid of. You really shouldn't be nervous about this. With negative emotions, the pain can feel very intense. The less you think about it and fear contractions, the easier the birth will be.

Yes, and there are special techniques to reduce pain in this natural process.

A woman carrying a baby under her heart can be misled by false (training) contractions. They can start from the 20th week of pregnancy. False contractions before childbirth cause little discomfort, but are irregular, short-lived, and in most cases almost painless. Uterine tension and discomfort can be relieved by a warm bath or walking. It is important to remember that the temperature of the bath should be in the range of 36 to 38 degrees.

True contractions are the main harbinger of childbirth. How are contractions before childbirth and what do they look like? Every woman experiences contractions differently. It depends on the physiological characteristics of the pregnant woman and on the position of the baby in the tummy. For example, some may feel mild aching pain in the lumbar region, which, after a certain time period, spread to the abdomen and pelvis, encircling the woman.

Others note that the sensations during contractions are comparable to the discomfort that occurs during menstruation. The pain subsequently intensifies. During contractions, it may seem that the uterus turns to stone. This can be clearly seen if you put your hand on your stomach.

All of the above signs can be characteristic of false contractions of the uterus. Then how to recognize real contractions before childbirth? There are general signs of this natural process, according to which every pregnant woman can determine that she is about to go into labor:

regular occurrence;
gradual increase in frequency;
increased pain over time.

At first, a pregnant woman may feel contractions after a long period of time. The pain is not strong. In the future, the intervals between contractions gradually decrease, the pain of this natural process increases.

Based on the general signs of contractions before childbirth, we can distinguish 3 phase process:

initial (latent, hidden);
active;
transitional.

initial stage on average lasts about 7-8 hours. The duration of the fight can be 30-45 seconds, the interval between them is about 5 minutes. During this period, the cervix opens by 0-3 cm.

During active phase lasting from 3 to 5 hours, contractions can last up to 60 seconds. The frequency of contractions during childbirth is 2-4 minutes. The cervix dilates 3-7 cm.

transitional phase(deceleration phase) is the shortest. A woman can stay in it for 0.5-1.5 hours. The contractions become longer. Now they last for 70-90 seconds. The interval between contractions also becomes shorter compared to other phases. After about 0.5-1 minutes, a woman in position will feel uterine contractions. The neck of this organ opens by 7-10 cm.

Contractions in the second birth are also divided into three phases, but the total duration of each of them is shorter than in the first birth.

What to do if contractions start?

When contractions occur, a pregnant woman should calm down because vanity is not the best helper. Desirable take a comfortable position in a chair, on a chair or on a bed and begin to fix the intervals between contractions and their duration. All of this information should be recorded. No need to think about what hurts more: contractions or childbirth. Fear will make the pain seem unbearable.

If the contractions do not last long and the duration between them is long (20-30 minutes), then it is too early for the baby to be born. The woman has time to collect the necessary things, call an ambulance. At this time, with the help of loved ones, you can take a warm shower. With contractions, the intervals between which are 5-7 minutes, you already need to go to the hospital.

A trip to a medical facility should not be postponed, despite the fact that the initial phase of contractions can last several hours. Amniotic fluid may leave earlier, and at this time it is already desirable to be under the supervision of an obstetrician-gynecologist. When the waters break in no case should you take a warm or hot bath, because this may increase the likelihood of developing infectious complications, bleeding, embolism,.

How to induce contractions and childbirth?

For many women, childbirth begins at 37-40 weeks. However, there are cases when pregnancy continues at 41, 42 and even 43 weeks. Representatives of the fair sex in such situations are already beginning to worry, get nervous, because they want to see their baby faster, but he still does not want to be born. Yes, and there are cases when the child died at this time in the mother's tummy, and the contractions did not start.

The death of a child can occur due to the fact that the placenta begins to age. The baby may already lack oxygen and nutrients. How to induce contractions and childbirth is a question that worries expectant mothers who carry a child longer than the date of the expected birth, which was calculated by the doctor.

To prevent the occurrence of negative consequences, you can cause contractions and childbirth. However, this decision must be made only doctor. If there are no pathologies, and the amniotic fluid is clean, then there is no need to stimulate the birth process. Everything has its time. If any deviations are found, the doctor will certainly suggest stimulation of contractions and childbirth. It's not worth giving up.

Contractions can also be called on their own. For example, they recommend being more upright, walking, moving, but you don’t need to provoke the appearance of fatigue, stress, as this will not be useful.

Sensations of contractions before childbirth may occur because of sex. Semen contains prostaglandins, which prepare the cervix for childbirth by softening it. Sexual arousal, orgasm tone the body and cause uterine contractions.

You can trigger contractions with breast nipple massage. It can be started from the 37th week of pregnancy. During massage, the body releases the hormone oxytocin, due to which the contraction of the muscles of the uterus can begin. Massage allows not only to stimulate childbirth, but also to prepare the skin of the nipples for breastfeeding the baby.

There are also folk remedies for stimulating labor and contractions, but you should not experience them for yourself. For example, certain teas and decoctions can adversely affect the health of a mother and her baby, because some herbs are contraindicated for pregnant women, as they can provoke a miscarriage.

How to ease labor contractions?

Doctors can help a pregnant woman reduce the pain of labor and childbirth with special medications. However, do not rely on anesthesia. There is a possibility that the drug will adversely affect the mother and her baby.

The main way to reduce pain is to correct breathing during childbirth and contractions. With it, the mother can relax. When a contraction occurs, it is recommended to focus on exhalation. At this moment, it is worth imagining that along with the air, pain “leaves” the body. A woman in labor can also “make some noise” during contractions and childbirth. Sighs, groans and cries will alleviate the condition. Proper breathing should be learned in advance and practiced more often, because childbirth is stress, because of which all poorly memorized information can be easily forgotten.

The mother can relax thanks to massage and simple gentle touches of a loved one. Contractions are the beginning of labor. It is at their onset that it is recommended to do a slow massaging of the lower back. A woman at this time can stand or sit on a chair, leaning on his back with her hands.

Massage of the lumbar back during childbirth is considered very effective. This is due to the fact that the sacral nerve passes to the spinal cord from the uterus through the lower back. If you massage this area, then the pain during contractions will be less felt. It is very good if the spouse wants to be present at the birth and help his beloved at this difficult moment.

No less important mental attitude. Positive emotions, thoughts that you will soon be able to see the baby, will help reduce pain. In order to properly respond to what is happening and not worry, a woman needs to understand how the birth proceeds and what you can feel at this time.

Between contractions no need to wait for the next contraction. This time is given to the woman for rest. With intense anticipation of the next fight, you can quickly get tired.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that contractions are a natural process. All pregnant women go through this. The question - how contractions begin before childbirth, excites many expectant mothers. It is worth noting that it is impossible to accurately describe all the sensations, since they are individual. Someone compares contractions with pain during menstruation, and someone with an upset stomach.

February 19, 2019

False contractions are also called training contractions, or (after the doctor who first described them) Braxton-Hicks contractions. These are contractions of the smooth muscles of the uterus, which do not lead to the opening of the cervix, and hence to childbirth.

Some pregnant women don't feel them at all, but most experience exercise contractions from around the 20th week of pregnancy. In fact, false contractions also occur at earlier dates, the woman simply does not identify them. It should be noted that neither the presence nor the absence of false contractions does not indicate any pathologies during pregnancy.

False contractions of sensation give not the most pleasant. Many women sometimes do not even suspect how false contractions go, because they feel them very weakly. Others are worried about how to recognize contractions from false ones, because training contractions bring quite a lot of discomfort and scare with their intensity.

The main signs of false contractions are their irregularity, short duration and relative painlessness. The difference between false contractions and real contractions lies in the fact that real contractions are so painful that they are difficult to confuse with anything else.

In order to stay calm and be able to turn the discomfort of training contractions to her advantage, a woman needs to know what false contractions look like. These are rhythmic contractions of the muscles of the uterus, which train the main organ of a pregnant woman to contract so that the cervix opens at the right time during childbirth. That is why false contractions are also called training.

Many doctors also note that Braxton-Hicks contractions enrich the placenta with oxygen and nutrients, since blood reaches the fetus more actively during contraction.

So, false contractions have come, how to determine them? The muscles of the uterus are tense, you can feel or feel how it has hardened, it does not hurt, but it can bring discomfort, the contraction lasts from a few seconds to a minute.

How to understand that false contractions have begun:

there is a feeling of constriction in the lower abdomen or groin and / or in the upper part of the uterus;
sensations extend only to some area of \u200b\u200bthe abdomen, do not give to the back or pelvis;
contractions are irregular - from a couple of times a day to several times an hour, but less than six times an hour;
contractions may be painless, but discomfort is felt;
contractions do not have a clear rhythm;
the intensity of the contraction decreases quite quickly.

Differences between real contractions and false ones:

soreness;
a feeling of contraction in the whole abdomen and the spread of pain in the lower back;
regularity, repetition of contractions every 15, then 10, 5 minutes;
increasing intensity - 5 times per minute;
growing duration of the contraction;
the presence of other signs of incipient labor (outflow of amniotic fluid, discharge of the mucous plug, diarrhea, pulling pains at the bottom of the spine).

Although training contractions occur irregularly, there are moments that can provoke them, for example, physical activity of a pregnant woman or active body movements of a child, stressful situations, strong feelings, orgasm, dehydration, a full bladder. Some of these situations can be managed to minimize the number of practice bouts. After all, frequent false contractions are still not the most pleasant prospect for a pregnant woman.

How to relieve false contractions

You can try to reduce discomfort in several ways:

drink clean water;
take a more comfortable posture;
take a warm shower or a ten-minute bath;
take a walk in the fresh air;
relax to the sounds of nature or meditative music;
do breathing exercises.

False contractions before childbirth enable a woman to practice proper breathing in childbirth:

frequent shallow "dog-like" breathing during the contraction to facilitate its passage. It is not recommended to breathe for more than 220 seconds, so that dizziness does not begin from a lack of oxygen;
exhale slowly during the contraction and then inhale deeply, after the end of the contraction, repeat a deep exhalation and inhalation;
a slow inhalation through the nose and a sharp short exhalation through the mouth.

You can practice other types of breathing that facilitate the passage of contractions.

When to See a Doctor

False contractions at 40 weeks are likely to become quite noticeable already, and if they become more regular and intense, appear more often and last longer, it may already be the beginning of labor and it's time to go to the hospital.

In some cases, training contractions can pose a threat to pregnancy if they are accompanied by such phenomena as:

bleeding (possibility of placental abruption);
watery discharge (probability of water discharge);
secretion of dense mucus (mucus plug leaves);
severe pain in the lower back, lower abdomen, tailbone;
decreased activity of the child's movements;
feeling of strong pressure on the perineum;
repetition of contractions more than four times a minute.

All these phenomena should serve as a signal to a pregnant woman to urgently call her doctor or call an ambulance. When you see your doctor, be sure to share your feelings, including if training contractions occur too often, in your opinion, and even more so if they began in the early stages of pregnancy.

When a woman has a baby, a lot of changes take place in her body. First, the systems are rebuilt for the successful development of pregnancy, and then they prepare for its completion. With the approach of the term of childbirth, a woman may experience something new that was not there during the previous period. Many feel as if contractions have begun to appear. But these are not the real contractions of the uterus that are observed during childbirth, but only training. Because of what false contractions arise, how they manifest themselves and how a woman can be helped in a position - these are the main questions that you should pay attention to.

Causes

False or training uterine contractions are also referred to as Braxton-Higgs contractions. They are not accompanied by the opening of the cervical canal, which means that they do not lead to childbirth. Therefore, many expectant mothers who are faced with a similar phenomenon want to know what causes it. In modern medicine, there are several points of view on the expediency of pseudo contractions:

Preparation of the muscle layer for childbirth.
Increased uteroplacental blood flow.
Correction of the position of the fetus.

Therefore, do not be afraid of them. False contractions during pregnancy are not only completely normal, but also very important. The uterus, like any muscular organ, needs to undergo training from time to time. Indeed, at the end of pregnancy, she will have serious work to expel the fetus.

Symptoms

Pseudo contractions occur in any woman, but each pregnant woman feels them differently. Someone does not notice at all, and for some they become a source of obvious discomfort. It all depends on individual sensitivity. As a rule, training contractions occur from the second half of pregnancy, when the uterus is already noticeably enlarged. But start times vary from 20 to 36 weeks. They can occur earlier, just a woman does not feel it. And the very presence, as well as the absence of false contractions, cannot be a sufficient criterion for assessing the normal course of pregnancy.

Recognizing training bouts is easy. Most women feel them by compression or tension in the upper body of the uterus, in the lower abdomen or in the groin. But there is no pain involved. There is only discomfort, which can increase as the gestational age increases. Some women say that at this time the stomach becomes hard and some parts of the fetus are visible through it. You need to pay attention to other signs:

Lack of regularity - no more than 4-5 times per hour.
Short-term - last about 30 seconds (less often up to 2 minutes).
Weak or moderate intensity.

Such contractions can occur at rest or under the influence of some factors: physical activity, sexual intercourse and orgasm, psycho-emotional experiences, fetal movements, an overflowing bladder, and flatulence. They disappear on their own. But in order to speed it up, it is enough for a woman to walk around the room or change the position of the body.

Symptoms of false contractions during pregnancy should not be alarming. It is only important to be able to distinguish them from the real onset of childbirth. Unlike true fights, training fights are irregular, do not increase in frequency, duration and intensity over time. They gradually disappear and are not accompanied by pain. And the discomfort does not extend to the entire abdomen and lumbosacral region. In addition, false contractions never lead to the opening of the cervix and, as a result, the outflow of amniotic fluid.

Braxton-Higgs contractions are easy to distinguish from generic ones. You just need to watch them for some time.

Events

Having dealt with the signs of false contractions, we should mention some recommendations created to help expectant mothers. After all, the sensations may not be the most pleasant, and I would like to get rid of them as soon as possible. To alleviate her condition, a woman can do the following:

Take a different, more comfortable position.
Relax (meditation, musical relaxation).
Stroke your belly.
Drink some water.
Take a walk in the fresh air.
Take a shower or warm bath.
Massage your lower back.
Empty your bladder more often.

This will help relieve not only mental stress, but will also help stop pseudo-contractions. In addition, a woman has a great opportunity to prepare herself for childbirth, for example, by doing breathing exercises:

During the contraction, breathe often and superficially.
Exhale slowly at the height of tension, and then inhale deeply. Repeat at the end of the fight.
Slowly inhaling through the nose, exhale sharply through the mouth.

Performing these simple techniques will make it possible to reduce physical discomfort and spend time with benefit by learning how to breathe during real contractions in the first stage of labor.

Anxiety manifestations

Each woman should be guided by her own condition during pregnancy. If any symptoms appear that cause concern, you should immediately consult a doctor. Maybe the specialist will not confirm the fears, but in any case it will not be superfluous. Especially if we are talking about late pregnancy, when you are about to have to give birth. In order not to miss this moment, as well as to suspect obstetric pathology in time, it is necessary to pay attention to the following signs:

Regular contractions with increasing intensity and frequency.
Spasmodic pains in the abdomen extending to the back.
A sharp increase in the number of discharges.
Bleeding from the genital tract.
Decreased frequency of fetal movements.
Any deterioration in general condition.

The appearance of alarming symptoms should be a signal for a mandatory visit to an obstetrician-gynecologist. Maybe the due date has already come, but there are situations associated with the pathological course of pregnancy. Then the doctor will prescribe the appropriate correction.

False contractions do not need to be afraid. This is normal for the body when the uterus is preparing for the upcoming birth. A woman should know what pseudo contractions are characterized by, how to reduce the discomfort that accompanies them and not to miss anxiety states. Any doubts will be resolved by the doctor, therefore, for all questions, you must contact him.

Toward the end of pregnancy, a woman begins to be tormented by fears. She alternately: either she is afraid of childbirth, then she fears that the process does not start for too long, then she worries that suddenly something will go wrong. At a period of 36-37 weeks, at 38 weeks, unpleasant sensations in the abdomen appear more and more often: it seems to harden, there is some soreness.

The expectant mother is trying to determine whether she has real contractions or is it just preparing the uterus for difficult work - childbirth. During the second birth or in the third pregnancy, a woman is a little easier: she already imagines what true contractions are and does not confuse them with real ones. But it is difficult for first-timers. What are the contractions, what do they look like, how do their symptoms differ during pregnancy? Let's try to understand how the training ones differ from the real ones. What are the differences?

What is the difference between false contractions and real contractions?
Symptoms
How real fights start
True or false contractions: what is the difference between sensations
When do contractions start?
True contractions after training: is it possible
Self-help measures

How do you know if contractions are real?

The first sign of real contractions is regularity. Uterine contractions, starting with not very pronounced discomfort, gradually become more frequent, the intervals between them are reduced. If you feel a growing wave of pain 8 times in 2 hours or more, this is a sign that it's time to prepare for a trip to the hospital. If pain bothers you once an hour - are contractions felt false or not? Most likely, this is just training.

Real contractions usually appear around 40 weeks (if everything goes well) - sometimes earlier, sometimes a little later. How to determine that the baby is about to be born? You can understand this by the following signs:

the intervals between the waves of pain are getting shorter, the stomach tenses more than 5 times per hour, and then more and more often;
contractions are rhythmic - you can calculate the frequency by seconds;
the process is very painful, can begin in the evening and go all night;
cork comes off;
bloody discharge from the genital tract appears;
water pours out (they can leak a little).

Does the baby move during true contractions? Nature wisely arranged everything: she provided the baby with an unconditioned reflex, which helps the mother to “push” him out of the womb as soon as possible. During each real contraction, the child rests his legs against the bottom of the uterus and pushes away from him. This reflex persists for some time after birth: if you put your hand on the heel of a newborn, he will try to push off from this support.

Because of the pain, the mother does not feel these movements. Just before the onset of childbirth, on the contrary, it seems to her that the baby is somehow too quiet: he begins to move much less often than before.

How to distinguish practice contractions from real ones

The main difference between Braxton-Hicks contractions and true contractions is that they occur at different intervals. The difference between false contractions and real ones is also manifested in the fact that they are much less painful. Normally, pain as such should not be at all - the pregnant woman only feels that her stomach is very tense (as if stoned).

All day or night, such contractions do not last. Usually they stop within an hour and then they can start again - after a break.

A woman can influence such a fight - for example, by taking no-shpu or papaverine. The medicine has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the uterus, and the contraction stops. There is no discharge from the genital tract.

On examination, the doctor will note that the cervix is still closed. There are no signs of childbirth. This is a sign that the woman’s body is not yet “planning” to start labor.

False contractions during pregnancy: symptoms

If you know the symptoms of false contractions, then you don’t have to worry: it will be possible to distinguish from generic ones even without the help of an obstetrician.

So, false contractions have symptoms:

Gradually increasing feeling of contraction of the uterus in the fundus, on the right or left, in the lower abdomen or inguinal region.
The most memorable symptom is irregularity. Therefore, when contractions appear, you need to arm yourself with a watch with a minute hand or a phone with a timer. Within an hour, false contractions occur no more than 6 times.
Their appearance is characterized by suddenness and unpredictability.
They are painless, the characteristic is suitable for them - discomfort in a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe uterus.
Decrease gradually, and then completely disappear.

How to recognize real contractions

At 38-39 weeks, a woman notices that more and more sensations began to appear, as if her stomach were hardening. She may be overwhelmed by anxiety: what if it’s time to pack a bag for the hospital? You can distinguish them by the sharpness of sensations: if the training ones are almost always tolerated quite easily, then the true ones literally exhaust the woman. Less and less every time she has the opportunity to rest before the next attack. Contractions are frequent.

Contractions: how to understand that they are real? The pain grows rapidly, and many women compare the nature of their sensations with a wave; it grows, becomes unbearable and then recedes.

You can also determine such signs: no matter what the expectant mother does to alleviate her condition, the pain does not decrease. She may try to do what she did earlier with Bregston-Higs contractions and which helped her completely stop the process:

change your posture - stand up if you were lying down, walk around if you were sitting;
move around, do household chores;
take a warm shower;
drink a pill no-shpy or put a candle with papaverine.

With true contractions, this will not give any effect. Only a massage of the lumbosacral zone and proper breathing, which the pregnant woman had to learn at the school for expectant mothers, can bring a little relief. But the relief will be insignificant.

A real fight usually starts from the back and gradually moves to the stomach. Sometimes it seems to women that their whole body hurts, that they are literally torn apart from the inside. Someone who usually has very painful periods draws a parallel between contractions and this pain.

Does the stomach turn to stone during real contractions

When a pregnant woman, closer to the time of birth, becomes increasingly stony in her stomach and pulls her lower back, she can ask the doctor a question: “If the stomach becomes stony, are these painful false contractions or are they already real?”

Usually, with true pain, the pain is so intense that all other sensations - including the feeling that the stomach has become hard - lose their meaning and become secondary.

What happens in a fight? The uterus tenses under the influence of special hormones, "pushing" the fetus to the exit. The cervix opens more and more over and over again, reaching such a width that it becomes able to skip the baby's head. While the cervix is closed, this - that is, the beginning of labor - cannot be allowed. The most painful and difficult is just the process of disclosure. With false contractions, disclosure does not occur.

How long do false contractions last? Their average duration does not exceed a couple of hours. Most importantly, their intensity is not growing, but, on the contrary, is weakening.

False contractions: how many days before childbirth?

How long before birth do contractions start? The first signs of Bregston-Higs contractions may appear as early as 20 weeks. But in the second trimester, they usually do not bother the expectant mother too much.

A few days before the birth, they can intensify. However, in some women, on the contrary, there is a “calm” before childbirth.

Appearing at a period of 20 weeks or at 21 weeks - long before the birth, Bregson-Higs contractions become more pronounced by 38 weeks. The process is somewhat different in multiparous and primiparous: in the second case, they begin later. Although each case is individual, it is impossible to determine in advance when training bouts will appear and how long they can last. After how much childbirth will begin, if false contractions are in full swing, it is also unknown: after all, this is just a preparatory process. The uterus is straining, training for difficult work - the time is not far when childbirth begins.

Can false contractions turn into real ones?

We have already found out that the answer to the question of whether real contractions can be irregular is, in this case, negative. But it is known that false contractions can precede true ones. It is impossible to say exactly when real fights begin after training fights: you need to observe the appearance of other signs. Increased pain, the direction of the "wave" from the back, and most importantly - the established periodicity - will tell the expectant mother that the "hour X" is already close.

It happens that childbirth begins prematurely: at 31, 32 weeks, contractions began and turned into true ones. You need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. The child can be saved!

At the beginning of the birth process, the doctor asks the woman about the frequency of contractions, clarifies what pains she has, wonders if the cork has come off, if there was an outpouring of water. He looks at the opening of the cervix - this is how he determines the readiness of the mother for childbirth. To understand whether the child is ready, a woman undergoes CTG. How to determine on CTG if everything is in order with the baby, is emergency help needed? Doctors are guided by the fetal heartbeat - if it is from 110 to 150 beats per minute, everything is in order. If the figure rose sharply to 160 and began to fall, the child does not have enough oxygen. The doctor chooses the method of delivery. A caesarean section may be offered.

What to do with false contractions

So, your period is 36-39 weeks, the doctor performed an examination, made sure that there was no dilatation, reassured you, saying that these were Bregston-Higs contractions, and sent you home to “walk”. How to help yourself if the contractions become noticeable and even painful, feel like a strong tension and interfere with a night's rest? First, you need to tune in to the fact that everything is going fine: like false, like true, contractions shorten the cervix and soften it, gradually preparing for childbirth. Secondly, there are a number of steps you can take:

take a shower - not hot, but warm;
walk around the apartment;
take an antispasmodic.

For some, it even helps to simply roll over to the other side. A light massage of the lower back can also smooth out the discomfort. Can training bouts last 3 hours? How many hours do they last? Normally, tension worries a woman for several minutes, after which there is a break. Uterine contractions are spontaneous, and during the day and night they can also be repeated, but they never have a clear periodicity and do not look like very painful.

Now, knowing what false contractions look like and what are the symptoms of real ones, you will feel more confident. You should not panic during training fights - but you need to tell the gynecologist about them. The doctor will assess the situation and develop a further strategy for managing the pregnancy.

Have an easy pregnancy and painless delivery!

Actual video

False contractions during pregnancy

How to understand that false contractions have begun, when should the birth be expected after this? This phenomenon is the preparation of the uterus for future delivery. The so-called Braxton Higgs contractions appear in some women very early, as early as 20 weeks. And many doctors regard this as a threat of a late miscarriage. In fact, this does not provoke the threat of spontaneous abortion. Except a little embarrassing. A woman feels how her uterus periodically becomes hard, there may be slight pains of a pulling nature. But all this is not so often in a short time. Is it possible to assume, if false contractions have begun, when will the woman give birth?

To make any assumptions, you need to know the gestational age. If it is 38 or more weeks, then the answer is obvious - in the very near future. Usually, if false contractions appear, then even before the birth begins, their precursors appear. These include:

discharge of the mucous plug from the cervical canal, where this mucus performs a protective function, serves as a barrier to prevent various infectious pathogens from entering the uterus, and frequent false or training contractions sometimes contribute to its relatively early discharge - a week or more before the onset of labor;
the level of the uterus becomes lower, visually the stomach drops, this is due to the fact that the child sinks lower into the pelvis, closer to the exit;
weight decreases slightly, most women quickly gain weight in the last weeks of pregnancy, but mainly due to fluid retention in the body, and closer to childbirth, this excess fluid comes out, and the weight, respectively, decreases;
and if false contractions a few days before childbirth can directly appear, then a day or even less before the onset of real labor, the woman’s body is “cleansed”, she may have repeated stools, frequent urination is observed without signs of an inflammatory disease of the genitourinary system, less often vomit;
pain, a feeling of fullness in the perineum, if this symptom appeared along with uterine spasms, then this is one of the ways how to distinguish false contractions from labor, since these sensations very often appear in the first stage of childbirth.

Directly, a woman whose uterus is excitable, that is, prone to come into a state of hypertonicity at the slightest impact, will surely be able to distinguish real labor contractions from this most notorious tone. There is no single correct answer how many days before birth false contractions begin, although in primiparas, preparation for the birth of a child begins earlier than in multiparous ones. But they have a difference from real fights - this is their regularity. If they have already begun, they will not stop and will only intensify, despite the measures taken in the form of taking antispasmodics, a warm bath, walking, etc.

And yet, how long do false contractions last before childbirth, what can you be prepared for? Non-intensive ones can last the entire third trimester, but by the end of it they are gaining strength. It is possible to diagnose real contractions, strong contractions of the myometrium, which even the expectant mother herself may not pay attention to, on CTG. This is a fairly accurate research method that allows you to get reliable information not only about uterine contractions at the moment, but also about the condition of the fetus, which is even more important. On CTG, you can diagnose him with hypoxia - a lack of oxygen. It is most informative to do the study in the morning, when most children are active.

Also, dynamic observation of a woman is used to determine contractions. Contractions are characterized by significant tension of the uterus. The cervix reacts to it. It first smoothes out, and then begins to open up. And the more intense the contractions, the faster the birth process proceeds. Usually, in multiparous women, both false and labor pains take shorter periods of time, lead to childbirth faster.