During your first pregnancy, it’s hard to know what to expect. And if you’re like many new parents, you’re very concerned about the safety of the baby. You monitor every ache, pain, and butterfly in your tummy. And Braxton Hicks contractions may drive you crazy.

“How will I know the difference between ‘false labor’ and the real thing,” you wonder?

 

“Should I worry about the practice contractions? Can I be sure that my body isn’t going into labor too early?”

 

Braxton Hicks contractions tend to be a source of annoyance at best and worry at worst.

So here are a few things to know.

These practice contractions are the body’s way of warming up.

We think that they happen throughout pregnancy, but aren’t felt until you’re close to full term. Braxton Hicks are likely the body’s way of tonight the uterus- a muscle that we don’t use that often over the course of our lives. And eventually, in some pregnancies, these smaller movements do begin to soften the cervix and prepare your body for birth.

You’ll be able to tell the difference.

A good childbirth education class always helps, and one of the things we tell every student is how to recognize labor. Contractions that bring a baby to you will get longer, stronger and closer together. Practice contractions don’t.

Characteristics of Braxton Hicks include being:

• Infrequent & unpredictable
• Becoming less intense and stopping altogether
• Being more uncomfortable than painful

Braxton Hicks may be related to dehydration.

Midwives, OB/GYNs and childbirth educators often tell you to drink lots of water and see if the practice contractions go away. This is because, during pregnancy, you have a higher blood volume than usual. If you get dehydrated, and this blood volume decreases, then the concentration hormones that are naturally floating around increases.

One of these hormones is oxytocin, which contributes to uterine contractions and getting labor going.

So drink up, and see if your contractions subside.

While you can expect these practice contractions to become more common in the third trimester, there are a few things that often bring relief.

• Take a warm bath for about half an hour

• Drink plenty of water

• Change position or activity level. If you’ve been lying down, move around a bit, and if you’ve been active, rest.

• Call your doula and talk about what’s happening. We can help keep you calm and BRAIN the situation.

If none of these stop the contractions, or they increase in intensity or frequency, please get in touch with your medical provider. You’re smart, and you should trust your instincts and your doctor or midwife more than a blog. When something is up, you’ll know.

Want more tips like these, and live in DC, Maryland or Virginia? We’d love to have you at our Pregnancy Glow-up class. We’ll talk all about how to have a healthy happy pregnancy, and not let your uterus get you down.