Going into labor prematurely is a fear many pregnant women feel, especially those who have faced premature labor before. Premature labor is defined as labor that starts between the 20th week of pregnancy, when the cervix to begins opening earlier than it should.

There are many signs of premature labor. If caught early enough most are premature labor is painless and it can normally be stopped with treatments that include bed rest, fluids and medications that calm and relax the uterus. The signs of premature labor include:

• Contractions or tightening of the uterus in a noticeable pattern
• Lower abdominal cramping that may feel like period cramping
• Increased pressure in your pelvis or vagina
• Increased discharge
• Leaking of fluid
• Vaginal bleeding
• Decreased fetal movement

If you are further than your seventh month or past your 30th week of pregnancy your baby will more than likely survive with a short stay in the NICU. If born before your 30th week of pregnancy your baby could survive, but will probably need an extensive stay and extra care in the NICU.

If you have signs of premature labor you should call your doctor or midwife immediately to describe to them what is going on. They will either instruct you to come in and be seen, or to lie down and see if the signs fade.

If you have to go to the hospital you will be prepped as if you are in labor, given a gown, and an IV will be started. You will also be hooked up to monitors and will probably have your cervix checked for dilation. If you are in labor and it isn’t too late to stop it, then you may be given medications to stop the contractions. On rare occasions you may be hospitalized for the remainder of your pregnancy, which could be days, weeks or months in duration.

If labor has progressed and cannot be stopped, you will probably be given steroids to help your baby’s lungs quickly mature giving your baby a better chance of survival outside the womb. You will then need to deliver your baby and trust the hospital, your doctor and the NICU staff to take care of both of you until you can both go home.

You are nine months pregnant. Your belly is huge, you are uncomfortable, you are ready for your baby to come, and voilà! Almost as if you willed it, you feel a contraction. Is this it? Are you in labor? Or is your body just teasing you, letting you hope, just to end up going to bed and trying to get to sleep again that night while you toss and turn?

What is false labor, and how will you know is the difference between the real thing and false labor? False labor can appear in many forms. Many people will feel Braxton Hicks contractions for months, and associate this as false labor. As you get closer to the end of your pregnancy, your BH contractions might come more frequently and intensify, making it very hard to determine if they are the real thing

There are several things you can do to determine if your labor is false or real. Start by timing the contractions. If they are sporadic and do not increase in frequency or intensity, it is likely to be false labor. If you begin to see a pattern in your contractions, however, where they are coming several times an hour on a regular basis, and they are lasting 30-60 seconds each, this might be a sign that labor is on its way.

If you are feeling contractions, there are things you can try to see if they stop. Take a walk, drink a couple tall glasses of water, take a warm shower or bath, or try lying down on your left side for a while. Some of these things may stop the intensity and frequency of the contractions. If they stop, then it is false labor.

If you are not yet 37 weeks pregnant and you are experiencing what you believe is not false labor, you should call your doctor or midwife to see what they suggest you do. If it is after 37 weeks then you are generally considered full term, and unless your provider has mentioned any reason for you to come in early, you will be able to stay home and at least try to relax for as long as you are comfortable.

Most women do have false labor signs several times before the real thing hits. For first time moms it can be exciting and irritating at the same time, involving many trips to the hospital, just to be sent home because the contractions stop. Moms who have been through the joys of labor may generally not be so quick to head to the hospital, but it won’t make the anticipation any less. The thing to remember is that eventually the false labor will turn out to be real labor and your baby will be arrive.

Most pregnant women experience these sometimes irritating “contractions”, and are unsure if they really contractions if they normal, and if they are dangerous? These are questions that many women ask as their pregnancy progresses past the first trimester.

In reality, Braxton Hicks contractions, named after an English doctor from the 19th Century, John Braxton Hicks, are a normal part of every pregnancy and start when a woman is still in her first trimester, at about 6 weeks pregnant into the pregnancy. However, most women don’t feel them until at least late in the second trimester, or for first-time mothers, in the third trimester.

What is a Braxton Hicks Contraction?
A Braxton Hicks contraction is a contraction of the uterus that is normally painless, but can sometimes be quite irritating. It consists of a localized tightening in your belly, which does not travel, but stays in one spot. These are considered to be practice contractions, to prepare you for the real thing when labor does start. Braxton Hicks contractions can be intense enough to take your breath away, and make you stop and take notice, but they generally do not cause any change in your cervix, nor are they a sign of preterm labor.

How Do I Know it is Not the Real Thing?
If you uterus is contracting, but there is no pain, especially prior to the last few weeks of pregnancy, it is probably just a normal Braxton Hicks contraction. If you are in the third trimester, and close to delivering, you may question them more.

To see if your contractions go away, or are the start of the real thing, try changing position in bed or on the couch. If you are walking around, sit down and rest and visa versa. Try taking a warm bath to see if that relaxes you. If your contractions are Braxton Hicks, then these tips should help them go away, for the time being at least.

When Should I Call My Doctor or Midwife?
You should always call your provider if you have questions or concerns about how your pregnancy is progressing. If you are not at the end of your pregnancy and your Braxton Hicks contractions won’t go away by trying the above methods, and are instead getting more frequent, intense or painful, you should call your doctor or midwife to let them know, and see if they recommend coming in to the office or hospital to be checked.

As you get close to 37 weeks pregnant, towards the end of the third trimester, ask your doctor or midwife when they will want you to inform them about ongoing contractions. Most providers will have a set time that they tell you, normally when the contractions are 5 minutes apart or less, and last for an extended amount of time. When in doubt, it is always best to call and ask.

Dehydration isn’t a big worry for most pregnant women, but for some women, it can become quite dangerous. Dehydration for anyone can cause weakness and sickness, but during pregnancy, it can also cause harm to your unborn baby or a spontaneous miscarriage.

Most of the time, dehydration during pregnancy occurs in the first trimester while the mother-to-be is dealing with morning sickness. When a woman experiences nausea and is unable to keep much of anything she eats down, including water, becoming dehydrated is very easy to do. Vomitting can deprive the body of the fluids and vitamins that it needs in order to stay healthy and to keep the baby hydrated.

Pregnant women will often end up in the hospital, and may need to be hooked up to an IV in order to be rehydrated when they are severely sick. A hospital stay can sometimes run to several days while the doctors try to get her vomiting under control. The biggest fear at this point is there not being enough amniotic fluid for the baby to grow in. Without enough amniotic fluid your baby could have deformities of the feet, legs and arms.

Later in pregnancy, during the second or third trimester, if a woman becomes dehydrated either from being sick, being too active and not drinking enough water, or during the summer months when it is very hot, it can cause different kinds of problems for both the mom-to-be and the baby. Dehydration often leads to premature labor as your uterus will start contracting. If you think this might be the case, try drinking at least two big glasses of water and laying down to rest to see if the contractions stop. Call your doctor or midwife as well to see what they suggest.

It is just as important to drink your eight glasses of water a day while pregnant as it is when you are not pregnant. Not only do you need to do it for your health, but you must do it for the health of your unborn baby as well.