Pregnancy is an exciting period of waiting for some incredible miracle. But the future mother has many reasons for concern and anxiety. Among these, one can name the fear of “missing” the onset of labor. Very often, women in an interesting position rush to the hospital as soon as they feel the pulling pains in the lower abdomen, considering them the beginning of labor pains. However, not always a similar symptom indicates the imminent birth of the baby. Often these are just training
fights. The sensations in this case are very similar to those experienced by the woman in labor during the present, but the pain is less intense. Otherwise, this process is called Braxton-Hicks contractions.
The closer the birth, the more terrible it becomes pregnant, the stronger her fear of impending pain. Training fights can help to give some idea of what lies ahead. Sensations during them depend on the pain threshold of a woman. So, someone may not feel them at all, but for someone they become a real test. But as a result, the expectant mother will be able to learn how to breathe correctly in order to control pain, and this will be necessary during childbirth.
What are these false contractions? These are short-term contractions of the muscles of the uterus. Thanks to them, the cervix becomes shorter and softer, which subsequently facilitates the birth process.
How does a woman feel when training starts ? Sensations are similar to premenstrual pains. At the same time, they can be not only in the lower abdomen, but also give to the lower back. At this moment, the expectant mother feels that her stomach is stiff. This is due to uterine muscle tension.
There are times when women are concerned about the question: “What do these pains mean, is it a training fight or tone?” It is necessary to distinguish between these two phenomena. After all, uterine hypertonicity is a fairly frequent phenomenon, and as a result, the risk of miscarriage increases. In this case, the uterus is constantly in tension for some time, which complicates the access of oxygen to the fetus. Unlike hypertonicity, preparatory contractions are short-lived, that is, the muscles tighten no more than 2 minutes. In addition, they usually begin after 20 weeks of pregnancy, while hypertonicity can be diagnosed in the early stages as well.
The closer the birth, the more often the uterus begins to "train", the more distinctly the training fights are felt. At 34 weeks, for example, they can be confused with the onset of labor. Indeed, at this time, the baby may well be born.
Therefore, expectant mothers need to distinguish between labor and labor pains. The feelings are similar in both cases, but there are some differences. Firstly, as mentioned above, during the "training" the pain is much less and, unlike the birth pain, does not increase. Secondly, the Braxton-Hicks contractions are irregular in nature, while at birth there is periodicity. In addition, pain during training fights gradually disappear. To do this, it is enough to change the type of activity: to walk a bit, change the position of the body, lie down. With the beginning of labor, such manipulations will not help. In this case, it is time to go to the hospital.