In the beginning of the second or third trimester or at least in a 12th week of pregnancy, uterine
contractions happen throughout the pregnancy and the pregnant woman may be able to feel
contractions when there is tightening feeling across her abdomen and it is important to the
mother to identify what kind of contractions she may be feeling by its frequency and duration.
Most of the cases, pregnant women especially when she is a primigravida normally get worried
since she has not experienced and determined the differences between false labor and true labor.
Braxton Hicks or False labor may be experienced by the mother before the true labor. During the
false labor, the mother may feel the tightening in her abdomen which gives an uncomfortable
feeling and the contractions are usually mild but not painful and they don’t come closer together
nor they don’t have a pattern wherein, they come and go and it can be diminished by doing some
activities such as walking. As for the cervix, it doesn’t dilate yet and it is still closed..
Nevertheless, the contractions tend to get stronger in the last month of pregnancy which
sometimes can be mistaken for the true labor. To differentiate with the true labor, there is a
pattern in which the mother should take note of it for her to detect that it is a contraction of true
labor, by knowing it’s timing which is the 5-1-1 rule wherein they come in 5 minutes and lasted
for 1 minute each for at least 1 hour and when that happens it is recommended for the mother to
proceed to the hospital as the true labor begins. True labor contractions radiate pain and cause
discomfort in the lower back to the abdomen and also to the lower extremities. Unlike with the
false labor, activities or even changing positions won't diminish the contractions and the
discomfort. These contractions during true labor are pushing down the uterus in preparation for
the baby to come out by giving a pressure on it and when that happens, the cervix will starts to
dilate from 0-3cm and so forth and the effacement begins because of the contractions that are
helping in thinning of the cervix.
Although contractions are always present throughout the pregnancy starting from at least the
12th week, it is important to determine whether it is true or false labor because when true labor
happens before the last month of pregnancy, preterm birth may occur.
