Are contractions normal at 35 weeks?

The 35th week of pregnancy is approaching the late stage of pregnancy. At this time, it is less than a month away from the expected date of delivery, so pregnant women are particularly prone to uterine contractions. However, this kind of uterine contraction is different from the uterine contraction during actual delivery, so it is called false uterine contraction. In my country, 90% of pregnant women will have false uterine contractions in the late stage of pregnancy. So is it normal to have uterine contractions at 35 weeks of pregnancy?

Is it normal to have uterine contractions at 35 weeks of pregnancy?

You will often hear the word "uterine contraction" during pregnancy. Some people think that uterine contraction only occurs before delivery. In fact, false uterine contractions begin to occur after 6 weeks of pregnancy. It is normal for false uterine contractions to occur after 35 weeks of pregnancy. False labor is an occasional uterine contraction that begins around 6 weeks of pregnancy but is generally not felt at that time. If it can be felt (some pregnant women can't feel it at all), it will not be until the second half of pregnancy. Uterine contractions become more frequent during pregnancy, usually after 7 or 8 months of pregnancy.

In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, as the enlarged uterus begins to descend and the fetal head descends, the pressure on the pelvis increases, and pregnant women often experience symptoms such as "feeling like their belly is falling and they can't straighten their backs." Starting from the 28th week of pregnancy, "false contractions" will often occur in the abdomen. If a pregnant woman stands or sits in the same posture for a long time, she will feel her abdomen getting harder (i.e., tight stomach), which is called "false labor". Its characteristics are that the time of occurrence is irregular and the degree varies from time to time. Before delivery, "false labor" will become more and more frequent due to the traction stimulation of the lower part of the uterus caused by the descending fetal head.

If the frequency of contractions during pregnancy is irregular and they occur only once in a long time, and can be improved through rest, then pregnant mothers do not need to worry too much! The most important thing is to adhere to regular prenatal check-ups. As long as you don't have more than 10 contractions a day, it's okay and it will get better with some rest.

What are regular uterine contractions?

The main sign of labor is regular uterine contractions, and the speed at which the uterine opening opens is closely related to the strength of the contractions. If there are regular and gradually increasing uterine contractions, lasting 30 seconds or more, with an interval of 5 to 6 minutes, the upper abdomen feels more comfortable than before, the amount of food intake increases significantly, the breathing is lighter than before, and there is a small amount of vaginal bleeding, these are all signs of delivery.

The entire delivery process for a first-time mother takes about 12 to 18 hours, and for some mothers it may take even longer due to certain reasons. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the fact that delivery is a process that requires waiting. Uterine contractions play a key role in shortening this waiting process.

As the uterine contraction intensifies, on the one hand, it can promote the expansion of the cervix and speed up the progress of labor; on the other hand, it also brings heaviness, soreness or tearing pain in the lower abdomen or lumbosacral area to the mother.

You should know that every contraction is accompanied by the dilation of the cervix and the descent of the baby, but these progress very slowly. Generally, it takes a long time for the cervix to dilate to 3 cm. Once it reaches 3 cm, the progress of labor will be much faster. Therefore, as long as the mother has confidence and tries her best to realize her potential, she can complete the entire delivery process smoothly under the guidance of the midwife.

Pain during childbirth is a natural physiological phenomenon, and current medical analgesics cannot solve the fundamental problem. Therefore, the best way to relieve pain is for the mother to have a correct understanding of the delivery process. When the mother feels the abdominal pain getting worse, she can try to take deep breaths or change her body position to distract her attention from the pain.

The discomfort before delivery varies from person to person, but most of them start with uterine contractions. 12% of pregnant women experience early rupture of membranes before delivery. No matter under what circumstances the membranes break, you must go to the hospital, because rupture of membranes may sometimes cause umbilical cord prolapse, especially when the presenting part is not huge or has not descended to the pelvis. Therefore, pregnant women should come to the hospital for prenatal examinations in time to ensure the safety of mother and baby.