What is 511 Contraction Rule and How to Know You're in Labor

Table of Content

• What is a Contraction?

• What is the 511 Contraction Rule?

• Braxton Hicks Contractions

• How to recognise Braxton Hicks Contractions?

• Prodromal Labor vs True labor

• Labour Contraction and Stages

• How to tell if you're going into true labour?

• How to time a contraction?

• When to visit the Hospital?

• FAQ on What is 511 Contraction Rule

Introduction

When you're in your pregnancy, you might go through several changes in your body and find this period quite difficult to deal with. Often you may also feel labour like pain which is also described as a sharp pang and may confuse it with actual labour. Though this may seem a bit tricky, don't worry, we're here to help. Although we cannot help you completely, in this article we will provide an insight into this matter and what to do in such conditions.

What is a Contraction?

When you are pregnant and are about to deliver the baby (or often before that too), you would feel a certain tightening around your uterus area, this tightening (be it painful or painless), is known as contractions. These contractions can be regular as well as irregular depending on the type of conditions. They feel like the clenching of a fist and then a slow relaxation.

Contractions in early labour are just like a stronger version of menstrual cramps. They arrive at a time interval of 15 to 20 minutes and stay for 30 seconds. If labour progresses, the pain increases in intensity as well as time interval and it may become more frequent.

However, contractions may occur both in labour and as early as the beginning of your third trimester. Such contractions that appear during the early times of pregnancy are often termed as Braxton Hicks Contractions. These differ from actual labour in the manner that Braxton Hicks Contractions are less painful and do not increase the size of cervix and normal labour contractions are very painful and increase the cervix size.

Though, this is just a mechanism that prepares your body for the delivery.

What is the 511 Contraction Rule?

Just to rule out any more confusions regarding this matter, we'll be explaining the 511 contraction rule. Even though your doctor might have already familiarised you with this rule, you must go through this section for basic knowledge. Here are a few symptoms that you might experience in case you're having true labour :

• You might get contractions at regular 5 minute intervals.

• The contractions would stay for a whole minute or 1 minute.

• The contractions would continue appearing and disappearing for 1 hour.

During true labour your cervix might begin thinning and several changes may occur for which you would need guidance and support. So in case you experience such symptoms then get ready to visit the hospital as your doctor would need to examine the cervix and how far it might have opened and prepare for your delivery.

Braxton Hicks Contractions

Your obstetrics specialist would have already familiarised you with the 511 rule. Surprisingly, people in the ancient times also knew about true and false labour. In the year 1872, Braxton had devised this method to differentiate between true and false labour by studying contraction of the uterus in women who weren't even about to deliver their baby. However, he said that such contractions might be due to improving the blood and fluid circulation in that region. Hence, he made the 511 rule. Most doctors rely on the explanation that these contractions occur to improve the flow of blood and strengthen the uterine muscles.

In fact, when you are in your third trimester of pregnancy you may begin feeling certain contractions in your uterine region which might confuse you into thinking that you are going into labour. Some patients even describe it as a sharp pang-like pain.

How to recognise Braxton Hicks Contractions?

By now, we know, you must be confused about this topic and must be wondering how to deal with it in real life. There might be times when you feel contractions that would trick you into thinking that you might be going into labour, but it isn't necessary at all to feel pain and get to the conclusion. Here are few symptoms that would help you find out whether what you might be experiencing is false labour :

• Pain is less frequent than four times in an hour.

• Pain intensity would remain the same.

• Pain is irregular.

• Pain stops when you change position.

False labour may also occur due to dehydration, as when you're exposed to prolonged heat and even if you've caught cold or have flu. Furthermore it may also occur due to strenuous physical activity such as exercise, when your bladder is full or even in intercourse. Thus, it may be quite helpful if you drink lots of water, take rests and minimise the intensity of your training, pay frequent visits to the washroom or change positions.

Another helpful trick to differentiate between true labour and Braxton Hicks Contractions is if you determine the region of contractions. If it would be Braxton Hicks Contractions then the pain would be localised and focused majorly in a certain area in the front of the stomach and if what you're having is true labour then the pain would be in the entire region of the abdomen mostly beginning from the back.

Prodromal Labor vs True labor

There is a significant difference between Prodromal Labour and True Labour. Prodromal Labour will have irregular contractions which might stop with movement and will usually be felt around the belly button and abdominal region. True labour, on the other hand, would be more intense as time passes, and would not stop even on movement. It will be more regular and will be felt at the back which will gradually spread towards the front region.

Labour Contraction and Stages

Labour contractions can be experienced throughout the pregnancy by the lady. They can experience it during labour and even in the third trimester of pregnancy. The contractions taking place in the third trimester are known as Braxton Hicks Contractions. These should not be confused with True Labour Contractions. There are in fact, 3 stages of labour:

1. Contractions

• Early Labour : Contractions are regularly appearing at a time interval of 15 to 20 minutes and lasting around 30 seconds.

• Active labour: Contractions are longer and more intense, and appear more frequently.

2. First Stage

• Early labour : Contractions are regular and mild. These contractions help to dilate and soften the cervix.

• Active labour : Contractions become more intense and dilate the cervix further. Thus, preparing the body for delivery.

• Transitional labour : Contractions become more intense and appear more frequently. The cervix is more dilated. You might even feel an urge to push.

3. Second Stage

• Contractions : Contractions in this stage will be accompanied by an urge to push. This stage is all about delivering the baby, therefore, you might feel an urge to push the baby out. This stage will last from a few minutes to even a few hours.

4. Third Stage

• Contractions : This stage will have milder contractions as compared to the previous one. Contractions in this stage will be more focused on delivering the placenta.

How to tell if you're going into true labour?

Just because you feel that you might be having Braxton Hicks Contractions doesn't really mean that you rule out all chances of any actual labour. This section will further clear your doubts regarding true labour. Here are some symptoms you might face in case you are having true labour :

• Contractions get more regular and closer to each other.

• Pain intensity becomes stronger each time.

• Even if you quit doing all activities and change positions, the pain stays the same.

• Pain begins in the back region and then slowly spreads towards the whole of the abdomen.

Apart from the listed symptoms, few more points that point out if it's true labour would be :

• Mucus discharge, which may be bloody ( not always though).

• You may have your feel thsf your water's broken.

• Nausea

• Vomiting

How to time a contraction?

There's no need to time every contraction. Focus on a few in a row (around 5) to establish a pattern. To do this:

• You would need a timer, like the one on your phone or a stopwatch.

• You would also need a pen and paper to note down the times.

• When you feel a contraction begin, start the timer.

• Once the contraction subsides completely, stop the timer. This is the contraction's duration.

Now you should track the frequency: Note down the time when the next contraction starts. This is the interval between contractions.

When to visit the Hospital?

Be it true or false labour, you must always always trust your best instincts and be ready to tackle any situation. Even if you don't feel the need and rather consider it as a hassle to go to the hospital before true labour, you must always have someone knowledgeable, trustworthy and experienced by your side and also get ready to contact your doctor any minute if in case, things might start getting out of hand.

However, at certain cases it is well advisable to visit the hospitable, such as:

• You can't feel your baby moving.

• Bleeding is more frequent.

• You start experiencing vision changes, dizziness and breathing issues.

Many women have undergone the problem of false labour since a long time. Plus, it's never wrong to get confirmed. After all, you are in charge of your and your baby's health. Even if you feel it is false labour, you must visit the hospital and yourself and your baby checked by the doctor to ensure safety. If everything seems normal and in control then your doctor would advise you to rest and you may return home after that. This would also bring peace to your

mind. Everybody's body is built different and so they may feel varying symptoms, therefore, instead of reading articles, watching videos regarding this matter and diagnosing yourself , it would be highly recommended to visit your doctor or any recommended health professional to get assurance about your health.

Take-Home Points

So now you know about the 5-1-1 rule (contractions every 5 minutes, lasting 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour). It is a helpful guideline to distinguish between true labor and false labor. However, it's important to remember that labor progresses differently for everyone and that you should discuss all the possibilities of your pregnancy with your obstetrician. If you are experiencing labour pains, you must visit your doctor or the hospital as soon as possible as they can assess your condition and determine the best course of action for you.