Contractions..?

Question

This is our first baby, the wife is not sure how "contractions" feel like, is it painful or painless, when is the best time to bring her to the hospital? Yesterday the doctor said that she 's 1 cm. Thank you very much

Answer 1

Contractions vary for each person. Some experience severe menstrual -like cramping. Others have a very sore back. Still others have just a bit of a light cramping in their lower abdomen. Unfortunately being dilated to 1 your wife may have a long way to go yet. I was dilated 1 for almost 3 weeks. I have also known people who go into the doc to be checked and are dilated to one and later that night end up giving birth. The best thing to do is time the contractions. When they are 5 min apart, lasting for 1 min, and going on for one hour it's time to go to the hospital. Congratulations and good luck with the little one.

Answer 2

I love it when women who have never been pregnant try to give advice!

I've had 4 kids and I can say that while each one was different, none of them was really painful and the last one popped out like butter off a hot knife. Pain is often a result of fear. Expect pain and you will probably get it.

Contractions begin with a feeling of squeezing or maybe tightening. They are short, painless and 15 minutes or more apart. The best thing to do is to keep on with whatever you were doing - just pausing to smile when one comes. Stay active, walk around. You are not an invalid! It's time to notify your doctor and go to the hospital when they are 5 minutes apart.

If there is going to be pain, it will come during "transition" - when the cervix has finished dilating and the real labor of pushing the baby out begins. If it hurts, remember that it's only temporary and you can put up with anything temporarily. Refuse pain medication even if offered: it affects the baby too. Once the real labor begins, it feels great, almost orgasmic. You don't want to miss that! It's the best part of childbirth - well, until you hold the child in your arms!

Answer 3

Everyone is different with my first child I did not really have bad contractions...and my water broke while I was at home.. but it di not break all at once it seeped all night long as if I just needed to use the restroom even more than normal when pregnant... When you do go to the hospital if she has them natural it will go faster the medication they give you just prolongs the labor I had no medication except a local when they cut me and I had all mine within an hour or so after being admitted...Well with my first I almost did not make it to the hospital I was admitted at 10:25 and had him at 10:41. Walking does help with the pain of contractions and they feel like really bad cramps and when they are 5 to 7 minutes apart I would get to the hospital well depending on how far you live from it. You could also call the doctor and ask him or her when you should go...some doctors tell you differently....congrats on your little one and enjoy it while it is little because they grow really fast.

Answer 4

The baby will come out if shes 9cm.. usually if you can see a blood it means baby will come out.. contractions are severe pain like lbm or dysminorhea but the rythm of contractions will determine true labor...

Call your doctor anytime contractions are:

1. Accompanied by lower back pain

2. Coming at regular intervals

3. Accompanied by watery or bloody vaginal discharge

4. Are very frequent (more than four per hour)

Any or all of these can be signs of premature labor and require immediate medical attention. If you are past 37 weeks gestation and have had no other complications throughout your pregnancy, the call to the doctor can wait until contractions last 60 seconds each and are five minutes apart. In this case, you are going to have a baby, and yes, you'll know how real labor contractions feel very soon!

Answer 5

I was 3cm a week before I went into labour, so it may not happen for a while yet, but she is definitely on her way!
The majority of women's contractions are painful, to start of with when labour begins they will be uncomfortable but as time goes on they will become quite painful, there's no need to go to the hospital straight away if the contractions are mild and not coming regularly, but call the hospital to let them know whats going on and they will tell you and your wife over the phone what to do. I would say your wife will DEFINITLy know when the labour is for real, most women will get sent home from the hospital if they are too early.
Congrats and good luck

Answer 6

Sounds like Braxton Hicks contractions. If they look to be common, you must leisure and drink a few water. The extra hydrated you're the fewer you're going to have them. If you have been in early hard work, the contractions would not stop, they might simply maintain getting more potent. As a ways as the release, so long as there is not any scent or something, it is natural. Your frame raises vaginal discharge in training for supply, it is going to occur by way of the leisure of your being pregnant. The diarrhea was once most often whatever you ate.

Answer 7

You will have some mild contractions throughout the pregnancy.
My wife did and they were painless. but the BIG contractions are painful. All of the womans abdominal muscles contract like how the heart contrats. First the top muscles then the bottom ones.

Answer 8

congrats on the baby. contractions are a periodic tightening of the uterus. it'll feel somewhat like the baby balling up into a ball. the initial braxton hicks contractions are painless contractions prepping the uterus for the real thing. the real contrations are painful. they will graduate in intensity and become very painful as labor progresses. the smallest tasks will become impossible. this is when you ask for the epidural. lol

Answer 9

The pain is different per each individual. Mine was like sharp cramps from my cycle. Walking helped with those. The doctor should tell you how to time the contractions and at what time to make your journey. Call him back if you have any questions. Good Luck and Congratulations on your new baby.
What a joy!

Answer 10

Depending on your wifes due date, you can be 1cm for weeks, of course if she is at the end of her pregnancy, it won't be that long. Sometimes you can start dialating very quickly and other times days or weeks.
If her contactions are starting, she will know, they will be sharp pains, almost unbearable and once they are about 5 mins apart, you better start heading to hospital. I definately recommend the drugs, Epidural is a Pregnant womens best friend. I hope this link helps you. Good luck for healthy happy baby.
http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/laboranddelivery/labor/ld_contractns.html