Contraction timer

Reading the two numbers

Duration is how long a single contraction lasts, timed from when it starts to when it eases off. Interval (or frequency) is measured from the start of one contraction to the start of the next, not from the end of one to the beginning of the next. That distinction matters, because it is the one your maternity unit will ask about.

The pattern matters more than any single contraction

Early labour contractions are typically irregular, shorter, and further apart. Established labour tends to show contractions that get longer, stronger, and closer together, and that keep going regardless of what you do. A contraction that eases when you change position or have a bath is more likely to be a practice contraction.

The commonly cited guideline

Many maternity services use a 5-1-1 or 3-1-1 guideline as a prompt to make contact: contractions about five (or three) minutes apart, each lasting about a minute, with that pattern holding for an hour. Your own unit may advise something different, and their advice takes priority over any general rule.

Call sooner, without waiting for a pattern, if

• Your waters break, particularly if the fluid is green, brown, or bloody
• You have any vaginal bleeding
• The baby's movements change or reduce
• You have severe or constant pain rather than a wave that builds and fades
• You are less than 37 weeks and having regular contractions
• Something simply feels wrong

More on this in when to go to hospital with contractions.

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