Contractions timing app how to#

Take heart, however, because once you hit 6 cm things typically start to go faster. Just as all women and pregnancies are different, it will take a different amount of time for each woman to arrive at 6 cm, the textbook definition of active labor. Once parents move past active labor, things generally move rather quickly! How Many Centimeters Is Active Labor? Everybody is different!Īctive labor is typically longer than all the other parts of labor combined – early, transition, pushing, placenta, etc. On average, a first time mom’s labor is around 15-17 hours, however, many women experience labors longer or shorter than that, while still being in the range of normal. (Active labor is defined by contractions that have caused the cervix to at least dilate to 6 cm.) bloody show, light pink spotting and/or mucusy discharge (head on over here to see what a mucus plug look like).feeling emotional, or unsure about what’s ahead and “if I can do it”.a need to settle in to the birth space, wherever that may be.don’t space out, fizzle out or go away during a shower, bath, after a glass of water or rest.Īlso, during active labor parents may notice….require the use of pain coping practices, such as breathing techniques, shower, tub, massage, etc.require intense focus and concentration.

are timeable and predictable, whereas in early labor maybe they were every 5, then 7, then 4, then 10 minutes apart.

In early labor maybe they were more like 5-7 (or greater) minutes apart

have an average length of around 60 seconds.

get longer, stronger and closer together.

Active labor comes after early labor but before transition. Just like early labor and transition, active labor is part of the first stage of labor. If you’re wanting to know how labor generally unfolds, you’ll definitely want to check it out.

Contractions timing app how to#

These questions and much more are discussed in this blog post, which is one of a three part series called The Stages of Labor: How To and Helpful Tips. What can I do to cope through active labor? What are some signs that labor is nearing? Many parents have a lot of questions about active labor. Active labor happens when contractions become longer, stronger, and closer together and, if they haven’t already, when parents begin to make their way to the hospital. Think of it as having an extra set of expert eyes in the room with you when your care provider is out of the room.Active labor is part of the first stage of labor, and where parents spend the bulk of their time in the birthing process. If you’re in hospital and being induced or having your labor accelerated with Pitocin or Syntocinon our timer will also keep an eye on those breaks and will suggest you notify your careprovider about the labor pattern you’re experiencing. If the time between your surges is less than 1 minute we’ll suggest you notify your careprovider. A one minute break of resting time between surges is recommended. If you’re being induced with a ripening medicine at home it’s important that your uterus has time to rest between surges so your baby is gets plenty of oxygenated blood. Read Next: 8 Early Signs Of Labour Suitable for Use During Induction Too! You’ll also receive reminder ‘nudges’ midwives and doulas around the world use in labor to remind you to stay hydrated, change position and go to the bathroom during the audio guidance based on how long you’ve been tracking surges. Once in an established pattern of labor you can skip this feature if you’ve found your rhythm. This ‘rating’ feature also tailors your surge audio guidance based on the intensity so as your surges change in intensity - so does your audio guidance. Use the simple rating scale to see if the strength of those sensations is increasing and whether they seem to be warm ups or the real deal. Read Next: Pain Relief Options in Labour Knowing If It's The Real Dealįor most people Braxton Hicks (warm up) surges don’t intensify over time. If you miss a contraction your partner can manually add it in.You can share your progress through the app with your midwife, consultant and doula.Parents can set notifications based on their personal preferences such as the 5-1-1 rule if you plan to stay at home for as long as possible.You can capture important information such as when your waters break and record anything unusual such as meconium (the app will also advise you to contact the hospital).Maybe you prefer the soothing background music, naturescapes or silence. You can choose tailored audio guidance for every contraction.The GentleBirth Contraction Timer includes the following special features. Dublin Midwife Tracy Donegan has taken the basic features and created an app with advanced features to help you not only time your contractions but also to track their intensity to help you make decisions about when to go a lot less stressful.