What Types Of Uterine Contractions Are There? How To Distinguish?

Not all uterine contractions signal premature birth, threatening miscarriage or labor. Mother learns about the different mounds to distinguish and give timely treatment.
What is uterine contractions?
During pregnancy, the fetus will "live" and is wrapped in the mother's womb. Usually, in the last months of pregnancy, the mother will often see the uterus contract, sometimes accompanied by the feeling of tightness like menstruation. These are uterine contractions

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Uterine contractions do essentially push the fetus into the right channel to prepare for the birth of a pig. However, it is not only when the mother is going to go into labor that it can come earlier, from mid-pregnancy.
3 types of uterine contractions are common
There are many different types of uterine mounds Here are 3 basic mounds pregnant women need to know to distinguish correctly.




Physiological barrier (Braxton - Hicks)
Physiological contractions are uterine contractions that occur around the fourth month of pregnancy. These mounds occur infrequently and irregularly. They are but a pre-workout for mothers to prepare psychologically for the stage of labor actually.
Physiological contractions often have the following characteristics:
- Usually painless
- Feeling of lower tummy tummy
- If the mother changes her posture, the mound will disappear
- Each mound does not last, only about 30 seconds to less than 1 minute
- There is no fixed frequency
When you see the appearance of such mounds, pregnant women do not need to worry, she just needs to lie down or sit down to rest, relax the mound will disappear. These mounds appear more often when the mother is tired, dehydrated or walking too much, so she should pay attention.
Uterine contractions that can be normal physiological phenomena can also be a sign of labor
Early uterine contractions
These bumps usually appear before 37 weeks of pregnancy. It can be a sign of premature birth, so you should be very careful The early uterine contractions appear regularly on a regular basis, every 10 to 12 minutes there will be a bout and there will be no signs of decline even though the pregnant women have changed positions and rest.




Early uterine contractions not only make the mother feel tummy tense but also lead to the feeling of dull abdominal pain and pressure in the pelvis. When these bumps appear, especially if there are symptoms of premature birth such as amniotic fluid, bleeding, pregnant women need to go to the hospital immediately.
Uterine contractions during labor
When the baby is ready to be born, uterine bumps will appear to push the baby out. These mounds tend to increase gradually in intensity, duration and distance between mounds.
Labor contractions are divided into 2 phases:
Early labor
These bumps are usually mild, the mother only feels tense or lower abdomen. Each mound lasts from 30 to 90 seconds and repeats after about 5 minutes and then gradually increases in both time and intensity. At this stage, the mother should pay attention to the signs of labor such as leakage of amniotic fluid, pink mucus flowing out ..



.
Real labor
Now the mound appears more, longer and thicker than the previous period. During labor, the cervix will expand about 4 - 10cm to prepare the baby to go out.
Besides the bouts of abdominal and back pain, pregnant women may have leg cramps. Go to the hospital as soon as you see the mounds lasting from 45 to 60 seconds and the frequency of repetitions every 3-5 minutes. Even the mounds can be continued, overlapping to push the fetus out.
When you see a physiological mound of pregnancy, pregnant women should lie down and relax
Why are there uterine contractions?
The uterus is capable of dilating and changing its volume in line with fetal development. Therefore, most uterine contractions are a normal phenomenon during pregnancy, helping the uterus to prepare for the moment of labor.




Thanks to uterine contractions, the fetus can gradually move down to the pelvis and cervix as well as to lower its head to come out of the womb.
How to handle uterine contractions?
The physiological uterine contractions or labor contractions will have different approaches to ensure the safest for both mother and fetus. Mom can refer to some tips below to feel most comfortable when the mound appears:
- If it is a physiological mound (Braxton Hicks), you can use a warm water bottle wrapped in soft towels to apply on the abdomen or bath in a warm bath or shower to feel more comfortable. Mom just needs to rest, keep relaxed, the mounds will disappear.
- When there are signs of labor, the mother should be hospitalized immediately. Even if your baby is not full term, you will need to be hospitalized in case of premature birth. At this time, do not be alarmed, mom should drink a glass of warm water and breathe slowly, deeply.
When to see a doctor?
Dồn A contraction of the uterus that lasts for a few minutes, accompanied by severe abdominal pain, vomiting and back pain.



This is a sign of miscarriage or premature birth.
- If the uterus is seen to contract at times when it is strong or weak at irregular times, the baby does not move and the abdomen gets smaller, the fetus may be stillborn.
Pregnant women need to know how to distinguish the mounds to take timely management measures
- A contraction of the uterus with abnormal vaginal discharge, the fetus may have had amniotic sac or rupture of the placenta. B.

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