Am I in labor?

Clinic: 319-356-2294 Labor and Delivery: 319-356-2615

• Early labor
• True labor
• False labor
• Timing contractions

Labor is a normal process that occurs for most pregnant women after the 37th week of pregnancy. Six to eight percent of pregnant women will develop labor between the 20th and 37th week. This is called early labor or premature labor.

You should be aware of the signs and symptoms of early or premature labor. Early treatment can prevent an early delivery.

Listed below are signs and symptoms of early labor, true labor and false labor.

Early labor 20 to 37 Weeks

• Uterine contractions or tightening of the abdomen that happen every 10 minutes or more often. (Some women will have a contraction now and then that is normal.)
• Menstrual-like cramping in the lower abdomen that may be constant or may come and go
• Dull backache felt in the lower portion of the back. (Below the waistline.) It may be constant or may come and go
• Pelvic pressure that feels like the baby is pushing down. It will come and go (not constant).
• Abdominal cramping - with or without diarrhea
• Increase or change in vaginal discharge may be watery (with or without blood) and may have a foul odor

True labor 37 - 42 Weeks

• Uterine contractions or tightening of the abdomen. They usually come and go and then become more constant.
• Contractions may start in the lower back and move to the abdomen
• Some women will feel either back or abdominal labor but not both
• Contractions will increase in how long they last, how often they occur, and how strong they feel
• Walking may cause the contractions to come more often
• Rupture of membranes (leakage of fluid from the vagina)

False Labor 32 - 42 Weeks

• Uterine contractions or tightening of the abdomen that come and go. They are not constant.
• Contractions are felt in the right and left lower abdomen and pelvic region
• Contractions do not increase with walking
• No rupture of membranes
• Contractions do not increase in how long they last, how often they occur, or how strong they are

Timing Contractions

Contractions are timed from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction. When timing contractions:

1. Write down the time the contractions begin
2. Note how many seconds it lasts

Contractions rarely last more than 60 seconds. This information will help us determine if you are in labor.