Contractions are quite common during pregnancy. The discomfort caused due to contractions may vary between pregnant women and also between the pregnancies. The discomfort caused due to contractions would be something similar to the pain or the discomfort in the back and abdominal area caused during the regular menstrual cycle. It is essential for pregnant women to know the signs of real labour or warning signs from her doctor so that right action can be taken.
Reason for Contractions Occurring during Pregnancy
Contractions in pregnancy are the symptoms that prepare or alert the body of the pregnant women about the labour and child birth. The main reason for the contractions occurring during pregnancy is that the body of the pregnant woman releases two chemicals called oxytocin and prostaglandin. This happens only when the true labour starts and the pregnant woman is likely to deliver the baby. Once these chemicals are released, the contractions start and the labour is onset.
After the contractions start, the body of the pregnant woman becomes ready for participating in the labour and giving birth to the child, the most expected event.
Braxton Hicks Contraction Occurring during Pregnancy
Just like the onset of pain in the back and lower abdominal area during the menstrual periods, the
Braxton Hicks contractions occur during pregnancy. These contractions are actually practice contractions that may occur anytime during pregnancy and may fade away on changing the body position or eating or drinking something. These types of contractions may not be observed in all women. The frequency of these contractions may not be the same for all pregnant women and do not occur in all pregnancies for the same pregnant woman.
False Contractions Occurring during Pregnancy
Braxton Hicks contractions are also referred as false contractions. They occur just before the actual contractions occur during the labour. The false contractions or pain may occur a few days or hours before the actual contractions start. These false contractions actually help the body and the mind of the pregnant woman to be ready for the
labour as the actual contractions may start at any time later on.
During the
false contractions, the pain or the discomfort would not last for a longer duration of time or in other words would not persist. This pain is also not as intense as real
labour pain. When the pregnant women change their body positions or postures, the false contractions would vanish.
Symptoms of Actual Contractions in Pregnancy
Actual contractions occurring during the last phase of pregnancy indicate the onset of labour. The pregnant women start experiencing moderate to severe back and lower abdominal pain in very frequent intervals of time indicating the onset of labour. One of the major indications for actual contractions is that these contractions do not vanish as the pregnant women tend to move or change the postures or positions. Along with the pain and discomfort caused, watery liquid oozes out and changes in the feeling in the vaginal area of the pregnant women confirming that the contractions are actual or true contractions.
What Should be Done When Actual Contractions Occur in Pregnancy?
Once the actual contractions begin, it is the right time for seeking the intervention of the doctor. Doctors observe the intensity of the actual contractions and depending on the severity of the labour that is onset, the doctors take the pregnant woman to the labour room and prepare her for the actual labour. The doctors guide and support the pregnant woman throughout the process of labour so that the pregnant woman gives birth to the child safely.
The pregnant women who have taken the antenatal exercises under the supervision of certified trainers properly would easily overcome the discomfort and pain caused due to the actual contractions taking place.
The
breathing exercises learnt in the antenatal classes under the supervision of a certified trainer can be done even when the contractions are taking place, which will definitely provide the required relaxation to the pregnant women. Moreover, the antenatal exercises practiced under the supervision of certified trainer during pregnancy also provide the mental confidence required to withstand the actual contractions occurring during pregnancy.
