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The beginning of labor is considered to be the moment of regular painful contractions of the uterus, accompanied by changes in the cervix, mainly its shortening and “diminishing”. But how do you distinguish labor contractions from Braxton-Hicks or Alvarez contractions?
Labor contractions they mainly serve to shorten and open the cervix. The first ones appear regularly and in cycles, usually every 10–30 minutes, each lasting about 40 seconds. In some cases, it happens that the membranes are ruptured at this stage and amniotic fluid flows out through the cervix. After the first contractions, pain increases. The first phase culminates in their regular occurrence every two minutes and their duration from 70 to 90 seconds.
In time contractions the muscles of the uterus, which are elongated during pregnancy, begin to contract, thus reducing its size. This process usually begins at the top of the uterus, slowly widening downward. After each contraction the muscles relax partially, but each time they get shorter. This causes the cervix to dilate more and more. Cyclical contractions usually lasts until the cervix reaches 10 cm in diameter.
The woman should go to the hospital in the described first stage of labor so that she is under medical care, which minimizes the risk of complications and possible threats to the fetus. According to gynecologists, it is worth going to the hospital when contractions will begin to repeat regularly every 5 minutes and become more and more painful. But for security, it’s not worth waiting until the last minute.
Contractions they are a sign of the body’s preparation for childbirth, although they occur long before it. Before the actual labor contractions a woman feels Alvarez contractions, which are caused by the stretching of the uterine muscle fibers – they do not cause pain but only a feeling of discomfort, they are irregular and appear most often with rapid movements and physical exertion. Another type of contraction, Braxton-Hicks, occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. These contractions are designed to strengthen the muscles of the uterus as it prepares itself to the right place labor contractions. These are usually painful contractions that can last up to several minutes and are often accompanied by low back pain. They worsen as the due date approaches – after 36 weeks they are treated as predictive contractions.