Lower back pain during contractions

Before giving birth, women will have obvious abnormal reactions in their bodies, and these reactions are all signs that they are about to give birth. In particular, uterine contractions are the most obvious reaction before a woman gives birth. Pregnant women can also record the frequency of their uterine contractions to determine whether they can go to the hospital to give birth. However, some pregnant women experience lower back pain during uterine contractions. So what causes lower back pain during uterine contractions?

Why does my back hurt during contractions?

In the weeks before delivery, the uterine muscles are more sensitive and irregular uterine contractions will occur, lasting for a short time, being weak, or limited to the lower part of the uterus. It stops after several hours and cannot cause the cervix to open, so it is not labor and is called false labor. The contractions of the uterus during labor are regular. Initially, the interval is about 10 minutes, and pregnant women feel abdominal pain, and then the duration of the pain gradually increases to 40 seconds to 60 seconds. The severity increases and the interval shortens to about 3 to 5 minutes. When the uterus contracts and abdominal pain occurs, the lower abdomen may feel hard.

False labor, also called prolonged labor, is an occasional uterine contraction. Its characteristics are that the time of occurrence is irregular and the degree varies from time to time. False labor begins around 6 weeks of pregnancy, but you won't feel it until the second half of pregnancy. A gynecologist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital said that frequently touching the belly in the late pregnancy can cause false labor and lead to premature birth.

Is it normal for a pregnant woman to have a hard belly?

If the expectant mother stands or sits in the same posture for a long time, she will feel her abdomen hardening from time to time. This false labor contraction is a normal phenomenon.

When you're just a few weeks away from your due date, these contractions may become stronger, more frequent, and uncomfortable. Those painless, occasional false labor contractions in the early stages will not cause obvious changes in the cervix, but the contractions at this time may help your cervix become "mature" (the cervix gradually becomes softer and thinner). It may even cause your cervix to start opening slightly. Therefore, this period is also called the pre-labor period. These are all rehearsals and preparations for the expectant mother's future delivery, which is a normal physiological process.

Before delivery, that is, in the late pregnancy, false labor contractions will become more and more frequent due to the traction stimulation of the lower uterine segment caused by the descending fetal head. As long as it's not accompanied by pain, there's no need to worry.

As long as the prenatal check-up is normal, there are not 4-6 consecutive contractions within an hour, and there is no severe abdominal pain, hard stomach and abdominal distension, the expectant mother does not need to panic too much. Just pay close attention to the fetal movement and see if there are any abnormalities.