Janine Gard: What do labour contractions feel like?

Labour contractions feel different for each person.

Janine Gard is a diploma-qualified birth educator (2005) and founder of Bellies to Babies antenatal and postnatal classes. She has helped more then 3700 parents prepare themselves mentally, emotionally and physically for their journey to parenthood and loves what she does. This week, Janine talks about what labour contractions feel like.

As you near your due date, you're probably starting to worry that you're not going to know a labour contraction when it happens. We have the answers to all your most pressing questions about what contractions feel like.

What is a contraction?

A contraction is tightening of your uterus. The uterine muscle can contract any time from mid-pregnancy on, and those contractions might feel like nothing at all, or they might be completely overwhelming.

Your uterus is a large muscle, and just like any other muscle in your body, it will flex when it's stimulated. Hormonal changes can start contractions, but how you experience contractions depends on your pain threshold and what type of contraction you're actually having (yep, there's more than one kind). In the first stage of labour, your contractions gradually open your cervix. In the second stage of labour, they ease your baby down through your vagina and out. In the third stage of labour, they dislodge your placenta and seal off blood vessels as your uterus contracts down.

What causes labour contractions?

Well, the potentially disappointing truth is that the precise cause of labour is one of the many medical mysteries that scientists still don't have a real answer to. The best we can do is share a few theories that scientists are considering for possible causes of labour.

Researchers have found there is something that tends to be present in a greater quantity in the amniotic fluid as a woman starts labour: telomeres. These are a part of our DNA that respond to ageing and could potentially work to signal to a fetus that it's time to be born.

Another theory has to do with fetal lung development. At around 32 weeks of pregnancy, your baby's developing lungs start to produce something called surfactant protein (SP-A), which helps your baby breathe once it leaves your uterus. During late pregnancy, SP-A activates immune cells that are busy clearing the uterus of viruses and bacteria. Those immune cells, also called macrophages, make their way over to the uterus wall, where they stimulate an inflammatory response that is thought to begin the process of labour.

What do labour contractions feel like?

Ask several people this question and you're likely to get a variety of answers, as everyone experiences pain differently.

This is when your body works to open up your cervix so that your baby can come out. This happens when your uterus presses down on your baby, whose head then presses down on your cervix. This, and the release of the hormone oxytocin, will trigger contractions. Contractions will probably feel like physical discomfort, a dull ache and pressure in your pelvis, back and lower abdomen. A lot of people compare them to strong period cramps. Generally, near the beginning of labour, they'll start out as weaker, shorter, and farther apart from one another. As you progress, they'll become longer, stronger, and more frequent.

How long and intense the contractions are, and what phase of labour you're in, can affect your overall perception of the pain, too!

Where do you feel contractions?

Once again, there's no definitive answer. You may feel labour contractions in a variety of places, including your abdomen, back and pelvis. Many people compare them to menstrual cramps, while others liken them to bowel movement cramps. The pain can extend through your thighs and down your legs, and some mums even report feeling contractions throughout their entire body. Suffice to say, the pain might be localised or it could be all-encompassing.

How long do contractions last?

The length and frequency of your labour contractions are often determined by the stage of labour you're in. Labour contractions can last anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds, and their frequency will increase as you get further along and closer to the birth of your baby.

First stage early labour contractions: Also known as "latent phase" contractions, these are felt at regular intervals in the initial stages of labour.

Active labour contractions: Typically happening five to seven minutes apart, at most, they're associated with your cervix thinning and dilating.

Transition contractions: These contractions are the ones often mimicked on TV. These contractions are hard and fast, usually lasting around 70 - 90 seconds. They mark the end of the first stage and the beginning of second stage.

Second stage contractions: The contractions of the second stage of labour have a different feel to them because they have a different purpose. You may feel a strong urge to bear down as the contractions force your baby down to be born. These contractions last around 60 seconds.

Third stage contractions: Contractions during the third stage of labour detach the placenta so that it can be pushed out. These will be less powerful than labour contractions - but you'll still be aware of them.

■ Bellies to Babies Antenatal & Postnatal Classes, baby massage courses and baby and infant first aid courses. 2087 Pakowhai Rd, Hawke's Bay, 022 637 0624. www.hbantenatal-classes.co.nz.

Medical disclaimer: This page is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians.