False Labor Pains: How To Distinguish From True Labor

False labor pains refer to the painless, few and far between Broxton Hicks contractions that you might have experienced many times during your pregnancy. However, to distinguish false labor from true labor, you have to understand basic differences between two. As you get closer to your due date, false labor fools you by getting more rhythmic, closer and painful. But if there is no noteworthy and progressive dilation of cervix then it is not an indication of true labor.

False labor pains are not those symptoms of pain in pregnancy that tells you that the time of childbirth has come. Because true labor every time gets closer, stronger and longer without fail. However, when you are at early true labor stage you may find it difficult to tell apart both kinds of labor. Here are some useful hints for expectant mothers so that they can know whether it is a false labor or true labor.

False Pains Are Irregular

When you try to know about natural labor pain in pregnancy, the very first thing to understand is that false labor pains are irregular. Not only the gap between the two false contractions is irregular but they also differ in strength and length. True labor contractions may begin with irregularity but soon they keep on becoming more intense and you may experience it for a longer time.

Another important point is the place where you start feeling pain. If the pain begins in the lower back and then reaches the abdomen then it is false labor. Lower abdomen is the center of pain in case of false labor. It is possible to get the false pains to subside by changing the position or or starting some new activity. On the other hand, true labor contractions keep on growing no matter what changes you make in your position or activities.

However, we cannot generalize these indications because they change from person to person. That is why the state of affairs is different for different expectant mothers. If you feel that you can easily identify false labor because this is your second or third pregnancy, then you are thinking wrong. This is because these false indications are more realistic in second and third pregnancy so your previous experience is not going to help you much in this case. The safest way in these circumstances is to call the doctor whenever you are in doubt. Still, nobody can ignore the importance of having as much knowledge as possible about these things.

While preparing for labor pain, to measure the frequency of contractions, you should take a stopwatch and write down the time when the first contraction starts. Now keep writing down the time when you experience such contractions. Moreover, you should also note the duration of the contraction. These two factors, the gap between the contractions and the extent of contraction will help you in determining whether you are experiencing true labor or false labor pains.