What do the contractions say?

On the one hand, contractions can be determined clinically, i.e. by means of the visible contractions and the determined temporal pauses in between. A more precise and above all objectifiable method of contractions and their intervals is cardiotocography. Contraction intervals can provide a rough orientation as to which phase of the birth the pregnant woman is in and what the further course of the contractions will possibly be until the child develops.

It should be emphasized, however, that the significance of contraction intervals is to be evaluated very individually, since numerous influencing factors, such as the number of previous births, are known and therefore a precise prediction of the further course of birth is never possible purely on the basis of contraction intervals. Physiologically, i.e. naturally, the intervals between contractions become smaller during birth and thus the number, i.e. the frequency of contractions in a defined period of time increases.

In addition, the intensity of the uterine contractions increases sharply during birth and reaches its peak in the expulsion phase, which serves the development of the child. When the contractions begin, the pregnant woman should present herself in the delivery room as soon as possible, since it is not possible to reliably estimate how soon the birth will occur on the basis of the intervals between contractions. Even if the contractions are rare at the beginning, a rapid change to more frequent contractions and shorter intervals with soon following birth is possible at any time.

Can you also feel contractions in your back?

Where contractions radiate during birth is different for every pregnant woman. Some report a localized pain in the abdominal area without back involvement. Other women complain of severe back and lower back pain during the contractions, which exceeds the pain in the abdomen or even occurs completely independently. In the case of sole, newly occurring and severe back pain, it is important to clarify whether it is a matter of frequently occurring, harmless back pain in connection with pregnancy or real contractions. As a further subform, contractions can be felt in a belt-shaped manner, in which pain occurs in both the abdominal and back areas.