Contractions occur when the uterus tightens and relaxes, helping your baby travel through the vagina.
At 39 weeks, contractions could be the real thing, but some may be Braxton Hicks contractions—also called false labor—which help your body practice for the real thing.
Contractions occur when the uterus tightens and relaxes, helping your baby travel through the vagina.
At 39 weeks, contractions could be the real thing, but some may be Braxton Hicks contractions—also called false labor—which help your body practice for the real thing.
In most women, uterine contractions get closer together, become more intense, and last longer as childbirth approaches. But sometimes contractions stop altogether.
You can use a stopwatch or clock to time the contractions when they start. Call your doctor when they occur closer together, intensify, or last longer.
During a contraction, you will feel pressure and pain in your lower back and abdomen, and your abdomen will tighten.
Between contractions, your abdomen and uterus will relax.