Contents:
- Medical Video: What Are The Different Types of Contractions and What They Mean?
- Contractions during pregnancy that you should recognize
- 1. Braxton-Hicks contractions
- 2. Contraction of prodromal labor
- 3. Contractions just before giving birth (early labor)
- 4. Active contractions
Medical Video: What Are The Different Types of Contractions and What They Mean?
When pregnant, it turns out that there are several contractions that will occur until before labor arrives. From false contractions to actual contractions when approaching labor can occur. So what are the types of contractions during pregnancy until you arrive at the actual labor contractions? Check the order here.
Contractions during pregnancy that you should recognize
1. Braxton-Hicks contractions
This type of contraction is also called a fake contraction. Because, this contraction is actually not a sign that you are going to give birth. To distinguish it from other contractions, find out what happens when false contractions:
- When the irregular contractions arise
- More feels like uncomfortable rather than painful
- Bad taste in the groin area or the front of the body, not in the back of the body.
- When walking or lying down the contraction can subside.
The most important thing to remember is that these false contractions do not cause pain which is stronger like the actual contraction. You can begin to feel this fake contraction when you enter the age of 6 weeks of pregnancy.
Usually, contractions will be felt when you feel fatigue, dehydration, or too much walking.
If this happens, try to drink more water and change position like from standing to sitting. However, if this contraction does not disappear too, you should consult your obstetrician.
2. Contraction of prodromal labor
The current contraction is the contraction experienced by pregnant women in the weeks or days before actual labor begins. This contraction feels more painful than fake, more regular, and longer contractions.
Doctors suspect that during this prodromal contraction, the uterus also contracts to make the baby move to the most appropriate position before labor. Some signs of prodromal labor are:
- When lying down or changing positions like anything else this pain persists
- Over time the feeling of contraction is getting stronger
- There is no change in the cervix after the next 24-36 hours.
This prodromal contraction is not as good as the actual contraction so it does not make the cervix open or widen.
3. Contractions just before giving birth (early labor)
This contraction during pregnancy occurs just before delivery which is marked by the widening of the cervix or cervix. Usually the cervix can extend to 0-6 cm.
Basically every woman experiences symptoms or signs of contractions that are different. Some of the symptoms that usually appear are:
- Very back pain
- Difficulty breathing when contracting
- The pelvis feels a very large and full pressure
- It feels like the body hurts from the back to the front
- Experience very strong cramps
- As you get closer to labor, this contraction feels longer. The pattern of the contraction is 45-60 seconds with a pause of 5 minutes or less than 5 minutes.
It is at this time that a pregnant woman usually prepares to go to the hospital, maternity home, or contact a midwife if she wants to give birth at home.
4. Active contractions
This is the last type of contraction that occurs before the baby is born. The typical sign of this contraction is the pain that feels more intense than the previous contraction. This contraction makes your cervix widen up to 10 cm and indicates that the birth canal was opened at that time.
Usually, this active contraction will also make you feel pain in the back to the legs. This contraction generally lasts less than 1 minute, with a pause of 3-5 minutes subsides, then feels the pain again.
The closer it is to the baby's discharge, the uterine mouth will be closer to about 7-10 cm. The contraction pattern also lasts longer, ie for 1 minute to 1.5 minutes, with a pause of only 30 seconds - 2 minutes, the pain will reappear.
One characteristic of this active contraction with other contractions is that when the contractions pause, the uterus feels relaxed, it keeps tightening. It also feels as if you have to defecate but the urge is really very strong.
This pain gets worse when the baby's head starts to move down the birth canal.
