Is This Really Labor?

First babies are notoriously slow about being born, so plan to monitor your first few contractions in the comfort of your home. You should prepare to leave for the hospital when your membranes rupture or when your contractions are from five to seven minutes apart. Prepare to leave earlier if you live quite a distance from the hospital. We recommend that you not eat or drink anything if you think you are in real labor. An empty stomach is much safer for you since many women get nauseated and vomit during labor. Also, on occasion, a gen­eral anesthetic is needed for a specific medical situation.

False labor is a common phenomenon and unless you want to get all excited and run to the hospital needlessly several times, it is important to know the difference between real and false labor. False labor involves cramps or contractions of the lower abdomen, similar to real labor, but there is a vital difference. False labor does not cause a change in the cervix, it doesn’t come in regular intervals, and it may disappear altogether if you change positions or walk around. Time the minutes from the start of one contraction to another for several con­tractions. If you have one contraction now and one forty-five minutes later and another three hours later, then you are having false labor, especially if you walk around during these con­tractions and they seem to ease up or stop.

On the other hand, if you time your contractions and find they are evenly spaced, and are coming closer and closer together, and do NOT go away if you change position or walk around, then you are possibly experiencing real labor. Some real labor contractions cause back pain and some cause lower abdominal pain. When you think you are in labor, sit down and time your contractions. There isn’t any need to immediately panic and rush for the phone, especially if this is your first baby. Labor usually takes a while.

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