False Labor or Something Else?

You can always call your health care provider if you have questions. It sounds like they are nothing to worry about yet since they stop. They don't sound regular either. Check for other signs of labor like losing the mucus plug or breaking water. But overall it sounds normal.

it sounds like you are having "false" labor. There is nothing false about the contractions. In fact they are probably doing some dilating for you. However, true labor doesn't technically start until they are much closer together (every 5 min for at least an hour). The good news is that labor is just around the corner. At some point the contractions will not stop. They will just get stronger, closer together, and more intense. Until then, if they go away when you lay down or take a bath, you can rest assured knowing that your body is warming up for the real deal. Exciting! Best wishes. (I am due in 3 weeks. Our babies are the same age!)

I remember having more at night and my OB mentioned that it's common for contractions to get going at night - just a funny FYI - in the wild it's safest for animals to have babies in the night as they are out of predators way. But, at 37 weeks I had two evenings (dinner - bed time) of more intense Braxton Hicks (which I had been having since 25 weeks and had been on meds, bedrest, etc - they never backed off) where I wondered if I was heading into labor. Well, in the middle of the night after the 2nd evening of that, my water broke at 3am in bed and my 2nd son was born by 9:20 that morning. From my experience I think your body is getting ready for labor - get your bags packed!

I was like that for four weeks before I finally delivered my son 8 days late. I was miserable and it was frustrating because I knew I wouldn't get much sleep once I had a newborn around, but then I figured maybe it was his way of breaking me in a little. Good luck, and believe me when I say, you'l definately KNOW when it's for real.

When I was pregnant and only 30 weeks along, I was having contractions. I called my doctor who said she was sure it was only Braxton Hicks, but I could come in and check it out...mostly to calm my own nerves. Anyway...it was NOT braxton hicks, but real labor. I was dialated to 4cm already and had to check into the hospital. I think you should have it checked out. One excellent way to determine the difference between real and false contractions is when you are walking. If walking causes the contractions, they are more likely to be real. The false contractions will be stopped by walking. Good luck!

I have 5 kiddos and while I have heard of women not realizing that they were in labor etc.. with all of mine, you get to a point where you just know it is time. When changing position, getting a drink or other activity does not stop them or you are walking to get a drink or something and the pain stops you in your tracks and you have to wait for the contraction to stop before you can walk more or you have to hold the wall to stay upright- it is definately time to head to the hosp. If you are not sure, it is probably not time.. but then again with my last 2 we barely made it to the hosp, before they were born...

It sounds like you're experiencing prodromal labor. I had this with both my girls. With my first labor, it lasted 2 days and I was able to sleep between contractions to prepare for labor - when I could no longer sleep between contractions, we called my midwife and she came over and confirmed that I was in active labor at that point.

With my second, I had prodromal labor for two weeks. I had between 1 and 4 contractions an hour on average and was able to be up and doing things with my mom and sister who were visiting from out-of-town for the birth. After two weeks of that and one night of thinking that I was in actual labor I then went straight into transition one night and my daughter was born an hour later.

Prodromal labor is sometimes known as false labor, but it's not really "false" since your body is working on dilating to let the baby out. This labor can last anywhere from days to weeks so it's best to just keep busy, rest a lot, and pay attention to how close together your contractions are.

One way that I found during my first pregnancy to discover whether or not my contractions getting closer together were actual labor was to get into a nice, warm/hot bathtub. If the contractions slowed down, then I wasn't in true labor and would go back to sleep. When they didn't slow down, I knew I was in labor and we called my midwife!

If your water breaks then you should call your doctor, of course :)

Best wishes! You're getting close!
~B.

It sounds like false labor with just 5-6 contractions over a 2 1/4 hour timeframe. If you are more than 20 weeks but less than 36 weeks, you need to be concerned if you get a bunch of contractions that are less than 10 minutes apart. You can always call the labor/delvery department for advice, but usually the instructions for contractions that are less than 10 minutes is to drink a quart of water, and lie on your left side for about an hour and if they don't slow down and/or get farther apart to at least more than 10 minutes you should call your doctor(some doc's prefer you call them to save you an unnecessary trip to the hospital in the middle of the night) or be evaluated at the hospital. Retired(2 yrs ago)L&D nurse. Worked full time L&D for 28 years.

This happen to be and it turned out I was slowly dilating. On like the third night I decided to see my midwife to just "check" because it finally dawned on me "what if I'm further along than I think". I still was not having regular contractions and I would go hours or more between them. In fact it turned out I was 9cm when I got there and so I spent the rest of the night marching around my hospital room trying to get some kind of regular pattern-as it turned out my water was just holding me back and once broken he was born in ten minutes.

So, had my water broken at home my midwife said we probably would have had an "unplanned home birth" because I never had regular contractions.

So, my advice stay at home and when your intuition strikes go get checked, OR get checked now to get an idea and then go home and do some work. Also, don't read the internet. Every site i looked at said I was in False labor. I never displayed symptoms of "true" labor except maybe the last 20 minutes before he was born.

good luck!

If the contractions don't come at regular intervals then they are probably false labor. I have been getting them since 5 months along when I am really tired or when I don't drink enough water. If it scares you, call your on-call doctor. Better to be safe than sorry.

Your body is just preparing for your baby's birth. Just keep tracking your contractions. Your body is working, that is a good thing. Contractions starting, becoming regular and then stopping are all normal things.
Best wishes
D.

I'd call, if just to update your chart, and relieve your mind :) Oh, charts. They're such great excuses. Anything that is that much of a pain, you should at least be able to put to good use once in a while ;) Besides, OB offices are used to EVERYTHING. You'll be a breath of fresh air.

If you're not already coming in for weekly exams, it can also put them on the alert that you should be.

Excited for you!
~Z.

J.,

My first thought is Braxton-Hicks contractions. I'd make a call to your OB to get their opinion, but I think your body is getting ready for the big day.

I dilated to 6 at home feeling like I was having really bad cramps with my son, and was having contractions as they were prepping me for the planned C-section for my daughter. Never felt any of them with her.

In this case everyone and every situation is so totally different.

Best of luck and congrats!
Melissa

if you are not comfortable with your own decisions it never hurts to call the advice nurse. I had contractions with my third child for almost two months before i had him. even though i was not concerned i still disscussed it with my midwife. they were considered braxton hicks contractions but they were still noticeable and sometimes hurt. everyone is different and every pregnancy is different. just call your doctor that is why they are there. they will give the only advice you should follow in regards to this.

Definitely mention it to your doctor. It's probably fine, but just in case it's a good idea. Preterm labor has too many complications. There's alot you can do to stop it if you catch it.

Take care! J.

Braxton Hicks! They're basically practice contractions. Anytime you have contractions that go away, they're false. If you have any sort of fluid leakage with them, you need to call your doctor and probably go to the hospital.

With both my labors they always told me to wait until my contractions were 5 minutes apart, painful and lasting at least 30 seconds a piece. Of course with my first son I never felt those contractions and during a check the doctor had to tell me I was contracting normally and would be having a baby that day. With my second I would get bouts of normal contractions and right when we were either pulling into the hospital or on our way or about to leave, they would stop.

I would suggest if you are worried just make a call to your OB's office and a nurse can tell you wether or not you should come in.