I’m 28 weeks and have been having contractions. Is my baby going to come early?
From early pregnancy, the uterus ‘practises` contracting in preparation for labour. A mother is usually unaware of these practice contractions, known as “Braxton Hicks”, until later in pregnancy, when they can be felt as a hardening of the “bump’ Each contraction lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes before the uterus relaxes and becomes soft again. These contractions are painless (although they can feel quite uncomfortable!), follow no regular pattern, and having them does not necessarily mean that your baby is going to be born early However, if you experience painful contractions -described as being like strong “period-type” pains -and they seem to increase in strength and frequency, you should contact your hospital as you could be going into labour.
