How to tell the difference between Labor Contractions and Warm-Up Contractions (sometimes referred to as Braxton-Hicks contractions)
Some questions that I get a lot as a Childbirth Educator and Birth Doula are:
What does a labor contraction feel like?
How will I know if I’m in labor or just having “practice”, “toning”, “warm-up” or “Braxton-Hicks” contractions? These are all terms for the same thing. I try not to use the term Braxton-Hicks, because I’m not a fan of men naming actions of a uterus after themselves, but it’s a term that most people know, so I feel I should at least give it a note.
Question number one can be a bit difficult to answer definitively, because it changes so dramatically throughout the course of labor and because it will feel different from person to person and from labor to labor. So I will skip to question 2 which encompasses what a labor contraction *might* feel like at the beginning of labor.
But first, a few things to make sure we are all on the same page:
What exactly is a contraction? Well, the uterus is a muscle, and as a muscle, it has the capability of contracting and relaxing. That’s it. It’s very simple!
A pregnant person will have toning contractions throughout their ENTIRE PREGNANCY.
Most people will not notice those toning contractions until very late in pregnancy, especially if it is a first pregnancy. With second, third, etc pregnancies a person might feel the contractions earlier in the pregnancy. I have had *many* clients over the years tell me that they’ve never had a contraction, but when they go in for monitoring the nurse points out 2 or 3 contractions that they’ve just had. Usually the person is so surprised!
A way to tell if what you’re feeling is a toning contraction or just the baby moving is to place your hands on your belly and palpate, push gently, around. If it feels like it is firm everywhere (no squishy spots!), it is likely a contraction. Your baby may have moved as well, but what you’re feeling most is probably a contraction.
So, once you do feel these toning or warm-up contractions they can feel a bit uncomfortable. It often feels like pressure, tightness, or like you suddenly have to pee! However, as you go about your regular activities you will probably notice that the sensation has gone, only you couldn’t say when it eased up.
A labor contraction, however, usually feels quite different, even if it is mild. It is usually felt acutely in the very low belly, just above the pubic bone. It can feel warm as it starts out and then distinctly begins to intensify, reach a peak, and then begin to subside. After some seconds of the sensation decreasing, it’ll often feel like *POOF* it’s entirely gone. The big difference is that you can easily feel the start and the end of the contraction and in the middle it feels like a wave that grows and then retreats.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Some people will have contractions that subside, but linger for a longer time before they completely go away. Some people will first have general crampiness which can be a sign of prelabor, but the uterus hasn’t yet begun to organize into distinct labor contractions.
But for the most part the way you can tell the difference between a labor contraction and a “practice” or toning contraction is whether you can clearly feel the start, the change in intensity, and the end of the contraction.
I hope that helps!
