Contractions That Start and Stop: What's Happening?

The short answer: contractions that start and then stop are common at the end of pregnancy, and they aren't necessarily wasted. Your cervix may be softening and thinning and your baby may be moving lower or rotating. If you're tired, use the break to eat, drink and rest. If you have any of the warning signs below, call your provider.

This article draws on Kate Fawcett's guides, Is This Labour? and The Complete Labour & Birth Guide.

"I don't love the term false labour"

That's how Kate opens this topic. Those contractions weren't false. Your uterus was contracting. Your cervix may have been softening, shortening and effacing, and your baby may have been descending or rotating. Your body may simply have decided it's enough work for now.

Kate prefers to call it preparatory labour, "because preparation is exactly what your body may be doing."

Braxton Hicks or labour contractions?

Near the end of pregnancy it can be surprisingly hard to tell. From Kate's guides:

Braxton Hicks commonly feel like your whole belly tightening, are irregular, don't develop a consistent pattern, may appear after activity, dehydration or a busy day, and often settle with hydration, rest or a change of position.

Labour contractions, as labour establishes, tend to become more rhythmic, longer, stronger and closer together. They continue despite changing positions, need more concentration, and begin to interrupt talking, walking or whatever you're doing.

What is prodromal labour?

Sometimes contractions become regular and convincing, continue for hours, and then slow down or disappear completely. Then they start again. This is often called prodromal labour. It can happen mostly at night, stop and restart over several days, and be genuinely draining.

Kate's reframe: think of it as slow progress followed by a break, not your body starting over. Your cervix has more work to do than simply dilate. It also needs to soften, move forward, shorten and thin out before it opens. As she writes, "dilation is only one piece of cervical change," and especially with a first baby, your cervix may spend a significant amount of time becoming soft, short and thin.

"You're not necessarily starting over. You're starting from where all that previous work left you."

What to do when contractions keep starting and stopping

Kate describes two basic goals: help things organize, or help everything settle so you can rest. If you're tired, choose rest.

To rest, try:

  • Hydrating and eating something nourishing
  • A warm bath or shower
  • Massage
  • Lying on your side with the lights dimmed
  • Going to bed

If you're rested and want to encourage baby into a favourable position, Kate suggests walking, gentle lunges, pelvic movement, birth ball movements, cat-cow or the Miles Circuit. "But don't spend three days trying desperately to make labour happen. You will need that energy when active labour arrives."

The mental side

This stage can be hard. You may lie awake wondering whether this is it, how long it will last, and how you'll manage active labour. Kate's reassurance: "Don't judge your ability to birth your baby by how you feel during a long, uncertain night of early labour." As labour becomes established, many women naturally become more inward and find their rhythm.

When to call your midwife or maternity unit

Follow the plan you have made with your own care provider. In Kate's guides, the general reasons to call include:

  • You think your waters have broken
  • Your contractions have reached the pattern your provider asked you to call at
  • Your baby's movements are reduced or different from their normal pattern
  • You have bright-red bleeding (more than a pink or brown bloody show)
  • Your fluid is green, brown or foul-smelling
  • You have a fever or feel unwell
  • You have severe or persistent pain between contractions
  • You feel pressure or an urge to push
  • Something doesn't feel right, or you simply need support

Labour signs before 37 weeks are a reason to call your provider or go to the nearest emergency department. As Kate writes: "You are not bothering your midwife by calling too soon or for needing reassurance."

Keep reading

This article is general education from The Midwife Box and is not a substitute for individualized medical or midwifery advice. Every pregnancy and labour is different. Always follow the recommendations and calling instructions from your own midwife, doctor or maternity unit. If you believe there is an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

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