Timing the Contractions
Rhythm is everything during labour. You can observe how long your contractions last (this is the duration) and how they are spaced – that is, how close together they are (this is the interval or frequency).
Timing the contraction from the start of the contraction to the end of the same is the duration, measured in seconds. Timing from the beginning of one contraction until the beginning of the next shows the interval, measured in minutes.
In early labour, these may be 20 to 30 seconds at most with around a 20 minutes interval. As labour progresses the duration may increase to over 60 seconds and the interval decreases to about 3 minutes.
It would be prudent to wait and watch how this rhythm changes and evolves. Sometimes those early contractions can just stop and we could say in retrospect that this was pre-labour or practice contractions.
Using a Stopwatch or Timer to Monitor Contractions
You may need some time-telling device to observe the rhythm of the contraction. This may be a wall clock or a stopwatch. Our suggestion is that the partner takes the role of timekeeping. Birth is a primal function of the body and you need to focus on the work of labour rather than managing things on the outside. Many women find timekeeping a distraction that slows labour down or gets in the way of her surrendering to the process.
When the birth companion times the contraction, they look for cues that tell the contraction has begun. This could be her breathing in a certain way or some movement. While keeping a watch on the clock or timing device, also notice how she automatically copes with the sensation of labour. It is important we preserve the sanctity of the labouring mother’s environment so that the hormones of labour can be effective.
We suggest, partners and birth companions shift their attention to supporting the mother once they have a fair idea of the pattern. Labour will progress differently for different women. You will see this change in rhythm in many different ways, for example a woman who was gently breathing through a contraction may now get up and move her pelvis. This would show us things are changing. Sometimes waiting for the woman’s cue to check on the timing of the contractions helps with progress.
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