What's a regular contraction?

[staceychev]

So, one of the things I keep reading is that in "true labor" the contractions are regular. But, what's regular? How evenly spaced will they be?

I didn't time contractions for my first birth... just called my midwife hourly all night. Poor woman...

[Deir]

Hi Stacey- you know, even when I was in "false" labor-my ctrx were very regular - every 5 and then 2 minutes. The difference was they would stop after an hour or more (I can't really remember how long they went on before stopping) When they really got "real" they were 7 minutes apart but stronger and it was freakily like clockwork. We were on the way to the Birth Center and I remember talking totally normal looking at the digital clock in the car and then the second 7 mins went by- boom- contraction. Somehow I knew it was different than the 4 nights previous but I don't know how because I was having 90 second long contractions every 2 minutes.

[staceychev]

Thanks Dierdre!

These are crazy strong compared to all the false labor ctx I've been having for weeks. But, they're not clockwork yet... They were 4-5 minutes, then I took a shower, and the last timing was 6 minutes.

My midwife said to wait for "4-1-1" before coming in--4 minutes apart, a minute long, for an hour.

[limette]

I don't think I've ever had regular contractions and I've given birth twice. The midwives always complained about how irregular they were and for the first birth it was their justification for slipping me pit without my consent.

[Catherine12]

Originally Posted by staceychev

My midwife said to wait for "4-1-1" before coming in--4 minutes apart, a minute long, for an hour.

If I had followed this rule at my last birth, my dd would have been born before I met this criteria. I asked my mw to come when I had been in labor less than half an hour and my contractions were less than a minute - dd was born about 40 minutes later.

Yes, contractions usually follow certain patterns. But I think the most reliable sign of how far along you are is how you feel - are you feeling like you're in serious labor, each contraction is work to get through? Or are you in the excited/hoping this is it phase?

Good luck and hope you have a great birth.

[chandasz]

I never experience 411 either. That is just one tool in deciding where you are in labor. I think the emotional signposts are much more important and much easier to read...

My first birth-- 4 minute long contractions and then 30 second ones. Timing was all over the place. I got to the hospital at 10 and pushing

My second birth-- never had anything longer than about 45 seconds. Wasn't painful or overwhelming until transition and then just overwhelming without pain. Sensation- yes- but not pain by any definition. I drove myself in active labor from my office to my midwife's office...

[Amatullah0]

wanted to share, with DS my contractions were 2 min from start of one to start of the next before i realized i was in real labor, and these 2 min apart contractions(30-60 seconds long, maybe?) started at least 4 hours before we got to the hospital, where I found out my cervix was 5cm dialated. no pit, ds came out fine w/o any 10 and a half hours later.

goes to show that every woman, body, pregnancy, and labor are different.

I think once you can't get contractions to stop, that is true labor

[Baby_Cakes]

Timing is one thing, but what really convinced me that I was in labor was the way the ctx would start, peak, and then dissipate. BH's might come every 2-3 min and last 45 seconds or so, but they never had that wave pattern that actual labor ctx did. O