Everything You Need To Know About Exercise Contractions

With childbirth imminent, all sorts of symptoms appear that are thought to anticipate that important moment. Discomfort, pain, and contractions are signs that childbirth is near. However, the mother can easily think of exercise contractions as signs of the onset of childbirth. Today we tell you everything you need to know about exercise contractions.

Often, mothers, especially those who are expecting their first child, mistakenly think of exercise contractions as contractions related to the onset of labor, and they want to see a doctor to make sure. False alarms are quite common in hospitals.

Next, we tell you how to identify exercise contractions.

Everything you need to know about exercise contractions

Exercise or predictive contractions are preparatory, irregular contractions of varying intensity and often quite painless. They usually pass in a few minutes at rest or by changing position.

Exercise contractions disappear and reappear until about two weeks after delivery. Their frequency can vary as they do their job, namely, exercise contractions prepare the cervix for childbirth.

While still attached, the size of the cervix is ​​about 2.5 cm. During contractions, the uterus softens, shortens, and expands. At this point, the cervix begins to shorten. During the opening phase, the cervix may open by 2.5 cm.

Signs of exercise contractions

There are contractions that precede childbirth, or exercise contractions, and then there are contractions related to childbirth. Exercise contractions, called Braxton-Hick contractions, also begin to appear at 20 weeks of gestation and are not related to childbirth. Cervical contractions begin to occur with childbirth contractions.

As significant changes begin to occur in the cervix, exercise contractions begin to occur. The defining sign here is the descent of the baby’s head as well as its attachment to the birth canal. For this reason, a woman may feel an uncomfortable feeling in the lower abdomen and groin area.

However, there are no clear factors as to why exercise contractions begin. However, they are accompanied by more frequent and stronger contractions. Vaginal secretions increase, a woman starts urinating more often, and in some cases, the mucus plug may also come off.

It is good for you to know that exercise contractions last for an average of 30 seconds and occur about every 5-20 minutes. A woman can live a normal life even if she has exercise contractions. Rest may even help stop contractions. Appetite also remains unchanged.

Differences between exercise contractions and real contractions

Although exercise contractions can cause discomfort, they are often not painful. Their intensity can vary and they can occur every ten minutes.

Exercise contractions begin to occur at week 20 and sometimes even earlier, and affect much of the uterine muscle. Sometimes exercise contractions may occur if a woman is stressed or tired.

In later pregnancy, exercise contractions may cause pain in the hip veins, making it easy to make the mistake of starting labor. In this case, however, there is no cause for concern. On the contrary, they show that the body is starting to prepare for childbirth because they help soften the cervix.

Differences between right and exercise contractions are seen in the intensity and regularity of the contractions, and in the weeks of pregnancy when they occur. Actual labor contractions last about a minute, come every three minutes, and intensify all the time. However, if the intervals between contractions increase, they will still occur regularly.

The real difference between predictive and postpartum contractions is that during actual contractions, the mother is unable to do anything else. That’s when a woman’s whole body focuses on the childbirth experience.

When the unborn mother’s amniotic fluid passes, the opening of the cervix stimulates the production of oxytocin – a hormone that the body also produces during orgasm and breastfeeding – and begins to flow into the mother’s bloodstream.

How to identify exercise contractions?

You should know that it is not advisable to go to the hospital when you experience exercise contractions, as childbirth may not start for hours or even days. You may notice several days before giving birth that a pale or pinkish mucus plug comes off because your panties are stained.

A woman may also feel as if her period is about to begin or she may experience a strong feeling of pressure in the pelvic area. Exercise contractions occur every 5-20 minutes. If it is less than a month from the calculated time, you should visit the hospital to check the situation. However, if this is not the case, you may want to stay home.

It is good to remember that in childbirth, calmness, controlled breathing, and support are of great importance. The onset of labor is accompanied by regular, intense contractions that last longer and do not stop even if you rest or change your posture.

If you are a first-time mother and you notice contractions coming every five minutes, they last a minute and come for two hours, it is worth going to the hospital. If you have previously experienced labor, contractions will last for at least an hour and occur every ten minutes.

When you know how to identify contractions associated with childbirth, you can avoid unnecessary hospital visits and unnecessary procedures, such as artificial perforation of fetal membranes and intravenous administration of oxytocin. The more naturally childbirth is allowed to proceed, the better.