What are exercise contractions? | Contractions

What are exercise contractions?

The term “active labour” refers to the contractions of the uterus that occur during pregnancy but whose strength is not yet sufficient to induce labour. Exercising contractions occur from about the 20th week of pregnancy. Strictly speaking, the so-called Alvarez waves are not real contractions, as they do not contract the entire uterus, but only a small part of the uterus.

Nevertheless, these localized contractions are also very important because they improve the blood circulation in the uterus. The Alvarez waves get their name from the specific form of recording in the contractions, the so-called tocogram. The contractions recorded there present themselves with a low amplitude, i.e. low intensity, as well as at a fairly frequent frequency and therefore often occur about every minute.

Thus, the contractions are recorded in a wave-like manner. Towards the end of the pregnancy, the Alvarez waves appear at greater distances and with greater intensity. The Braxton-Hicks contractions belong to the actual exercise contractions.

Here, not only a part of the uterus contracts, but the entire uterus. These contractions are stronger, slightly longer lasting and less frequent than the Alvarez waves. The aim is to train and build up the myometrium, i.e. the muscular part of the uterus, in order to be able to provide the necessary strength for the child’s expulsion at birth. The Braxton-Hicks contractions also increase in intensity towards the end of pregnancy and become more frequent. More information about this: Exercising contractions

What are sink pains?

Lower labour pains are contractions of the uterus which have the aim of positioning the unborn child in a position where it can be born. This involves the gradual descent of the preceding part of the child into the mother’s pelvis, usually starting about three to four weeks before birth. Often these contractions are clearly noticeable, but not seldom painless.

Many pregnant women describe sink pains with an unpleasant feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen or pulling pain in the back, while other women hardly feel the sink pains at all. The changed positioning of the child can also often be understood visually. If you look at the pregnant woman’s abdomen in profile, it reaches its highest point in about the 36th week of pregnancy and descends as the pregnancy progresses. This makes it easier for many pregnant women to breathe and eat, since the lungs and stomach gain more space as the preceding part of the child begins to sink into the mother’s small pelvis. However, the baby also presses more on the bladder in this way, which usually results in more frequent visits to the toilet by the mother.