Some pregnant women by the middle of the term or by 34 weeks experience a temporary tension of the muscles of the uterus, lasting no more than a minute.
This can be observed several times a day or even an hour. This painless phenomenon is called training contractions.
There are different opinions about the importance of training fights. Someone believes that this is a futile process. However, the vast majority of experts agree that in this way the woman’s body trains the muscles and cervix for labor.
What causes contractions?
Usually this question is asked by women bearing a first-born. Training fights can be triggered in different ways and some of them are simply impossible to avoid. So, even the necessary physical exertion of the expectant mother and the active activity of the baby in the womb can provoke the appearance of short-term muscle tension.
In addition, training contractions can be caused by unrest or anxiety of the pregnant woman, fullness of the bladder, orgasm and dehydration. In rare cases, the result of training fights can be a hand placed on the stomach. To minimize this phenomenon, it is necessary to drink a sufficient amount of purified water, without gas, and also empty the bladder in time.
Signs of training fights
The main characteristics of such contractions are:
- Irregularity, that is, they are repeated no more than 6 times in an hour.
- The concentration of contractions occurs in a separate area of the abdomen.
- Compressed sensations in the lower abdomen, in the groin or in the upper part of the uterus.
- Lack of rhythm.
- Unpredictability.
- Painlessness.
- Muscle tension does not last long and gradually disappears.
At the end of pregnancy, it seems that to distinguish real contractions from training is difficult. It feels like they are alike. However, all doctors agree that the true beginning of labor can not be confused with anything.
What to do during training fights?
To help yourself in training fights, you need to study the current situation and try to determine the cause of its occurrence. Their presence at 36, 37 weeks of pregnancy is quite normal. However, if possible, they should be avoided by taking the measures listed below.
This is especially true for those women who have training contractions appear in the middle of pregnancy.
The following steps can be taken:
- Walk at a slow pace. Walking is known to help relax the smooth muscles of the uterus.
- Take a warm bath, shower. Muscle spasm is quickly removed in warm water.
- Changing the position of the body will eliminate the inconvenience if a woman carrying a child lies or sits for a long time.
- You can replenish fluid reserves by drinking juice, water, fruit drinks.
- To increase the amount of oxygen needed by the fetus, breathing exercises can be done.
- Relax with light music or the ability to lie with your eyes closed.
The above items will help a woman relieve the discomfort that training fights can cause.
When is it necessary to see a doctor?
Particularly noteworthy are women at 38 and 39 weeks of gestation, when the period is nearing its end. During this period, in principle, special control by a specialist is needed. If a woman experiences painful training fights, accompanied by pain in the lumbar region, then it is better not to hesitate to visit the doctor leading the pregnancy.
It is also important to consult a doctor if there is a watery or bloody discharge from the vagina. Any bleeding or a decrease in the intensity of fetal movements should be alarming, as this is unnatural. You can call the doctor, it is not necessary to come to the reception. This will save the time and strength of the pregnant woman.
If a woman has lost water, and her gestational age is about 39 weeks, then it is better not to risk it and seek help from specialists. Particular attention must be paid to determining the nature of contractions. For example, if they are regular, frequent, intense and prolonged, then this may be a sign of the onset of labor. It is necessary to detect the interval between fights and their frequency, because training fights at a later date may resemble real ones.
It is important to know that, a sign of abnormal development of the child are not training fights. Most likely, the body of the expectant mother begins to prepare for labor and you should not worry about this. Indeed, in this way, a woman can mentally and emotionally prepare for childbirth. However, you should not think that it is wrong to consult a doctor in case of any strange behavior of the body. If the problem is identified in a timely manner, its consequences will be much easier to eliminate.
