Nope, I Don’t Want You To Time Your Contractions
You feel signs of labor beginning - it’s so exciting! You remember hearing from your providers that they want you to come in when contractions are a certain timing apart. Not wanting to miss it, you grab that popular contraction timing app. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? You wouldn’t want to miss anything or not be able to relay the timing to your provider.
Shhhh, lean in a little bit closer. I’ll tell you a secret.
You don’t need to time your contractions.
Whoa, what? Everyone says to time them! How will you know when to go to the hospital or birth center, or to call your midwife or doula? What if you miss something??
You won’t miss active, progressive labor. I promise you. It’ll happen. It will call all of your attention and strength to keep yourself comfortable during it. You won’t need to speed it up, you won’t be able to slow it down. It’ll move forward, increasing in intensity and duration, over time and build. Even without timing them, you’ll know that this is happening.
So when do you go to your birth location?
When you are having consistent, close contractions that are long, strong and have you laboring and focusing on them in a way that you wouldn’t be comfortable letting neighbors see as you’re walking down the street, it’s probably a good time to go! Even slightly before that is fine if you’re unable to relax and let your body assist contractions. This timing is different for everyone, but if you’re laboring strong and consistently over at least an hour of time, and want to go in, it’s not too early!
Why shouldn’t I track contractions?
Early labor is probably, in my opinion, the hardest part of all labor. The emotions are high; you’re feeling new sensations and thinking they might begin to pick up, this might be it! You might be meeting your baby soon, after all the preparation and waiting!
Many parents start timing at this point, and over the course of early labor, which can last anytime from 12 hours up to a day, they dutifully clock 4-5 contractions an hour and wait and wait. They forget to eat, they forget to sleep. They forget about anything other than analyzing the pattern they’re seeing on the app timer that is slowly and steadily moving towards active labor.
The problem is, by not taking care of yourself when you have the strength and ability to eat, sleep and go about your day, you’re completely depleted emotionally and physically by the time you need the strength to roll with labor.
If you truly MUST track them, time one or two when you notice a change, and only then. When you think contractions are longer, time a few. When you think they’re closer, time a few. When you feel an increase in intensity, time a few! Then put the timer down and focus. If it’s early, sleep, eat, finish emails, do a labor project with your partner to help you get into a relaxed mindset.
Labor will come. With or without the clock, it will come.
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