Tips for Timing Contractions

by Kim Neyer | More from this Blogger

28 Aug 2010 09:14 PM

Timing your contractions is a good way to track your labor progress. Once labor is rolling, you can get a good idea how close to delivery you are by the length of each contraction and the space in between. When contractions are less than five minutes apart and a minute or more in length, it's time to head to the hospital. When they seem as though they are completely overlapping, delivery is very near. (Transitional labor is the most difficult and is generally when you dilate the final three centimeters.)

There are lots of different tools for timing contractions, though the method is always the same. Always time the space between contractions from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next. The reason for this is that it is easy to tell when a contraction begins, but the ending is too ambiguous. It can trail off and it's hard to tell when it's truly over.

You can use something as simple as the second hand on a clock and a pad of paper, to something a little more advanced like a specialized app on your smart phone. There are also contraction timers that work within your internet browser if you want something in between.

If you start feeling contractions, don't rush to time them right away, since it might be a waste of your time and it could stress you out if you are not in active labor yet. Make sure they are consistent and here to stay before you go through the trouble of timing them. Try lying down for 30 minutes on your left side and see if they persist. If they do, then begin to time them to see how close they are. Often if you are experiencing false labor, the contractions will stop once you rest for a period of time.

Learn more about Kim Neyer

Kim is a freelance writer, photographer and stay at home mom to her one-year-old son, Micah. She has been married to her husband, Eric, since 2006.

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