False Contractions Essay
Where Do You Feel Contractions?
During labor, your uterus contracts its powerful muscles and your cervix softens and widens to allow the birth of your child. Where do you feel contractions? You feel the tightening of your uterine muscles as the uterus pulls upward and pushes your baby down your birth canal. These contractions, which consist of shortening and tightening of the muscles at the top of the uterus can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Each mother-to be may experience pain differently, depending on different factors, including her ability to tolerate painful contractions.
Part 1: Types of Contractions during Pregnancy
Not all contractions during pregnancy lead to labor. You may feel different types of contractions throughout pregnancy, …show more content…
Braxton Hicks contractions. This type of contractions occurs anytime during pregnancy and is also called “practice contractions”. However, not every woman experiences them in every pregnancy. They are usually painless or may feel like mild menstrual cramps in the middle or lower abdomen. These contractions do not lead to labor.
2. False Contractions. These contractions usually occur before your actual labor contractions begin and help your cervix get ready for your baby’s delivery. False contractions occur intermittently and stop when you change your body position. They do not cause cervical widening and effacement (thinning) and do not lead to labor.
3. Labor Contractions. Unlike false contractions, true labor contractions are intense, persistent, and progressive, becoming more regular in frequency and duration as labor progresses. They do not disappear with changes in body position, and may be accompanied by upset stomach or diarrhea. Where do you feel contractions? The uterine contractions may begin in the middle lower abdomen, but the pain may travel to the lower back and upper thighs. As labor progresses, the cervix begins to soften and wider, and bloody show (reddish discharge) and rupture of your membrane (or water break) may
During labor, your uterus contracts its powerful muscles and your cervix softens and widens to allow the birth of your child. Where do you feel contractions? You feel the tightening of your uterine muscles as the uterus pulls upward and pushes your baby down your birth canal. These contractions, which consist of shortening and tightening of the muscles at the top of the uterus can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Each mother-to be may experience pain differently, depending on different factors, including her ability to tolerate painful contractions.
Part 1: Types of Contractions during Pregnancy
Not all contractions during pregnancy lead to labor. You may feel different types of contractions throughout pregnancy, …show more content…
Braxton Hicks contractions. This type of contractions occurs anytime during pregnancy and is also called “practice contractions”. However, not every woman experiences them in every pregnancy. They are usually painless or may feel like mild menstrual cramps in the middle or lower abdomen. These contractions do not lead to labor.
2. False Contractions. These contractions usually occur before your actual labor contractions begin and help your cervix get ready for your baby’s delivery. False contractions occur intermittently and stop when you change your body position. They do not cause cervical widening and effacement (thinning) and do not lead to labor.
3. Labor Contractions. Unlike false contractions, true labor contractions are intense, persistent, and progressive, becoming more regular in frequency and duration as labor progresses. They do not disappear with changes in body position, and may be accompanied by upset stomach or diarrhea. Where do you feel contractions? The uterine contractions may begin in the middle lower abdomen, but the pain may travel to the lower back and upper thighs. As labor progresses, the cervix begins to soften and wider, and bloody show (reddish discharge) and rupture of your membrane (or water break) may