The #1 cause of Braxton Hicks contractions is dehydration. Even minor dehydration can be the cause. You are a busy woman: work, family, friends, buying baby supplies. It`s easy to face a task and not realize that they haven`t drunk a glass of water for a few hours. Especially in our Texas heat, you need to be vigilant to have enough to drink. You may also encounter Braxton Hicks if you have a cold or flu and vomit or feel nauseous. This is often related to dehydration. If you come to the hospital to report work but are not sure if you are in labor, we will first ask you to drink a few large cups of water in a short time after evaluating your baby and checking your cervix. If it`s Braxton Hicks, labor will stop quite soon after your rehydration. We give the same advice to women who call from home with the same concern. Fetal movement can also trigger Braxton Hicks. Women often say they felt a sharp kick from the baby or a lot of activity just before labor began. Their activity can also trigger contractions.
Whether you`re moving into a new home or just preparing for the nursery, additional exercises, especially lifting, can bring Braxton Hicks. For this reason, we tell pregnant women to rest often when they need to move or lift more than normal. On the other hand, some activity can also relieve Braxton Hicks contractions. When they sit down, get up and go for a walk. Sometimes it can be helpful to just change your position. You will have a few contractions when the placenta separates from the uterine wall, and your provider may ask you to push to help things. You can also put pressure on your stomach or knead it to help it detach. Tips to get out of it: Go to the hospital or maintenance first if you`re not there yet. You will feel uncomfortable during active labor, so try to change position or breathe deeply during your work. Some women opt for a shower or bath to relieve some of the discomfort. If you want an epidural, active labor is the phase in which you get it.
The precise timing of contractions can be the key to understanding your pregnant body. To time the contractions, there are a few basics: note the beginning of a contraction, note the end of this contraction, and then note the beginning of the next contraction. This will help you calculate the duration (how long each contraction lasts) and the frequency (how far are they from each other). Long before you`re ready to give birth, you may feel your uterus tightening. These contractions usually begin in the third trimester of your pregnancy. Most often, these early contractions are painless. Sometimes they can cause a violent blow. They may make you ask yourself, „Am I going to give birth?” The timing of contractions is an important element in recognizing the differences between real and false labor.
Other differences you may notice are contractions that change when you change position, such as .B such as stopping with movement or rest. The strength of the contractions is also different and the pain is felt in different places. Patients sometimes confess to me: „I hate to harass you with a false alarm. Don`t worry! If you`re not sure if you`re having Braxton Hicks contractions or if you`re really in labor, give us a call. That is why we are here. We want a healthy mother and a healthy baby, and if you don`t tell us if something is about her, we can`t help you. To calm the minds of patients when it comes to contractions, let`s talk about the 5-1-1 rule, which signals that you are in real labor: measure the frequency of contraction by noting when one contraction begins and when the next contraction begins. Some apps do this calculation for you when you work to time the duration.
If your contractions start at night, you can even try to fall asleep again in the morning (easier said than done, we know!). Try to stay hydrated and eat plenty of snacks when you`re hungry. What you may feel: In active labor, contractions will be more intense. They can become so intense that you probably won`t be able to relax or do things at home. Dealing with contractions will require your full attention. So before you take your bag and go to the hospital, learn when you have Braxton Hicks contractions and when to call your doctor. The timing of the 5-1-1 statistics is based on the frequency of contractions (especially the actual interval between the two) that are on average 5 minutes apart, the duration of your contractions, which lasts on average 1 minute, and the timing that lasts more than an hour. .
