As I announced yesterdayToday we are going to talk about contractions in pregnancy: they are movements of the uterus, which as a muscle contracts and then relaxes; They occur throughout pregnancy, although they are not all the same. And although towards the end of pregnancy doubts may arise regarding them, it is said (and it is true) that a woman knows when she goes into labor, of course, for this she must be connected to her body, know it, so she can live a pregnancy more or less conscious.
Gestation has an average duration of 40 weeks, counted from the first day of the last menstruation, but from week 37 it enters the last phase: five weeks (until 42) in which it is called in different ways between ' term early 'and' post term '. The baby born earlier is premature. As I have commented, the contractions begin months before, although in the first weeks they are characterized by their lightness.
As the weeks go by, they are more intense, very noticeable (tightening of the abdomen) and occur more regularly. You will think that they are annoying, and - depending on the moment - they will be painful, but do you know that they are very functional?
For example, at the end of pregnancy their mission is to modify the cervix, to make it possible to dilate, but also:
- They intervene in the blood circulation through the placenta.
- It is easier for the baby to settle in, and move down the birth canal.
- They thin the lower uterus to help deliver the baby during labor.
But this is all very general, so I'll explain a little more about contractions.
Contractions during pregnancy
Before delivery
- Up to 28 months: contractions A appear. Little intense and infrequent, the pregnant woman does not realize that they occur.
- Generalized: they are caused by some effort or change in position of the mother, although they are also attributable to movements of the baby. They usually spread to the entire uterus after starting at a specific site.
- Focal: they also occur due to movements of the baby, but they are much more localized in different areas of the organ.
- Braxton Hicks: You have surely heard of them: they are sporadic, and although they are early on, you probably won't notice them until the middle of your pregnancy (20 weeks). Its name is attributable to the doctor who described them in the XNUMXth century (Johan Braxton Hicks). They will be more followed the more advanced the gestation is, although they are usually irregular and painless (at least until the last weeks).
During the delivery
On the one hand we can talk about the 'prepartum', which will appear a few days before. The cervix should soften, that's why they are intense and more regular.
In childbirth: you already know them if you have given birth, if we don't tell you (although your reality may not be like the story here). They are painful, and very intense, regular (in 10 minutes can occur from 3 to 5) and also rhythmic. They will last much longer than in previous phases of pregnancy.
What are labor contractions really like?
Beforehand, be clear that theory is one thing, and your experience is another. Also that one thing is the measurement of contractions: the intensity, the frequency, the interval, the activity of the uterus (there are parameters that you can control); and another the effectiveness of the same.
Although it is the mother who knows her body best, the gynecologist can examine you. In a normal situation there is no reason to be alarmed, even if the contractions are very annoying, they do not stop and they occur every five minutes. I remember that during the childbirth classes of my first pregnancy they told us that when you have 30 minutes with contractions every 5 minutes, you should go to the hospital, but there are other symptoms to know that you are in labor, and we will explain them in another post. With exceptions, the fact that you have been with long and regular contractions for 30 minutes does not mean that you are going to have the baby at home if you do not rush to be treated. In fact, in theory, it could take several hours before you need attention, but you should follow the advice of the person who takes care of you, and make your own decisions.
When I tell you that everyone's experience is decisive, I mean that situations are different: for some mothers the contractions have been colic, others have suffered moderate pain, there are those who report a lot of discomfort in the back and hips ...
As you have verified the presence of contractions is completely normal in pregnancy, although (yes) sometimes there are very early prepartum contractions, we'll talk about it another day.