I am excited to find out what our spin today is going to be
and we are going to start right here at one and see what we get let's do it
okay talking about contractions seven number two we didn't go far talking about contractions. So
contractions are the main work of labor. So when people talk about labor pains when they
talk about going into labor it's all all revolves around contractions. What contractions are is your
uterus your uterus is a muscle just like any muscle what's not just like any muscle in your
body but it is a muscle and it is contracting so like if you contracted your biceps you could feel
a change in that muscle so what contractions are doing is opening up the bottom of the uterus which
is the cervix thinning it and opening it which is dilating in a Faceman and basically just opening
up this muscle so that the baby can come out making a path for the baby and the good news is
that the uterus is designed in a way that keeps the baby super safe so usually it takes quite a
bit of work to make that happen and quite a bit of work means quite a bit of contractions now there
are a couple of different types of contractions that you'll hear about there's labor contractions
so the ones that actually make a difference in your cervix and then there are thing labor
or pre-labor contractions called braxton-hicks contractions sometimes people call them practice
practice contractions so a question that I know I hear a lot in childbirth classes what is the
difference between Braxton Hicks contractions and regular labor contractions so the main difference
is that the Braxton Hicks contractions aren't making any change to your cervix so they're not
the kind of contractions that are going to be opening up your cervix and thinning it they are
more just a tightening of the uterine muscle and the way that they if you're experiencing
them and you're wondering if they are which type of contractions are they real or they false are
they Braxton Hicks Braxton Hicks contractions generally when people say they're feeling the
contraction they kind of are pointing to the top of their belly the top of their uterus
which is called the fundus the top and they're there they generally feel the Braxton Hicks all
over it's a bit of a tightening sensation a lot of times people will make this face like that's
just really tight or maybe they'll just feel their uterus and say or feel their belly and
say gosh it's tight right now I'm not sure why but there's no painful sensation sometimes people have
described a Braxton Hicks contraction as it feels like the baby is like falling up or the baby is
doing a big turn sometimes people I've heard that it's described that way the Braxton Hicks but the
Braxton Hicks contractions generally come not close to you they think they can start in the
your third trimester it's it really varies for people how often they're feeling Braxton Hicks
or if they do but that is really almost like your uterus is practicing for the big day for
the big labor contractions so if you do find that you're experiencing a lot of those brats
din Hicks contractions definitely make sure that you stay hydrated sometimes dehydration can cause
contractions before they're before your body is ready to go into labor so if you're feeling a
lot of Braxton Hicks if it's the end of the day and you're noticing a lot of tightening in your
uterus go ahead and you know have double up on your water drink more water and see if that helps
if you're ever concerned of course call your care provider that's what they're there for 24 hours a
day give them a call but contractions when they are not Brexton Braxton Hicks when their actual
labor contractions they are going to feel usually more underneath your belly button so a lower cran
beena slower contraction feeling sometimes people experiencing them in their back or start in their
back and kind of radiate to the front but it's less of an all over your stomach feeling also
real true contractions that make a change in your cervix are ones that are going to end up being
steady they're going to be regular so they will end up being in a pattern and a lot of times they
don't start out that way that you might feel a contraction and have a long time over the next one
and in a short time but they will end up becoming on a regular pace they will end up usually having
somewhat of a regular length and most people when they feel a true contraction that is making change
in your cervix you're gonna feel it start off low it's going to have a peak and it's gonna go
down and it might be that the contraction Peaks up fast and then it has a long tail or it might kinda
have a long beginning and then a late peak but at some point that muscle contracting feeling is
gonna start off a little bit you know low soft not a lot of sensation and then really tighten
up and then start to relax again so just like a muscle if you can imagine just that slow feeling
of if you slowed that down that's what's happening in her uterus and those contractions are what we
need that's the labor that's the work that our body needs in order to open up that uterus so
that we can birth our babies so contractions a few different types Braxton Hicks and true labor
contractions contractions are the muscle doing the work the uterus doing the work to open up that
cervix and allow the birth of our baby so they are very important for labor and birth and when
they develop a pattern and they develop regularity and they develop that peak then we definitely know
that those are true labor contractions so there's other videos that you might want to look at if you
need more information or want to follow up on this we have covered a face mint is a great one
to look at which is to talk about the thinning of the uterus we also have a good one on timing
contractions and timing them is can be tricky and there's lots of good information about how
to use the app the best and I also have a blog on the best way to use the contraction timers
and picking a contraction timer app that I'll put it below so you can see the links below I
hope you enjoyed this if you did give it a like other people can find it easier that way and if
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joining me today and I look forward to the next spin of the wheel talk to you guys later bye