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Day 274 of 280 · 39 weeks + 1 day

Sixty seconds, every five minutes

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 8 sources · Plain-text version

Thirty-nine weeks and one day. The NHS's rule is simple: call when contractions last a minute and come every five. Today you practise timing them.

Size this week
about the size of a watermelon
Length this week
around 50.7 cm from head to heel
A South Asian couple on a sofa, her in a loose kurta with a full bump and one hand on it, him holding a phone stopwatch and watching her face, late afternoon window light.

Thirty-nine weeks and one day. Most people's first question about labour is "how will I know?" Part of the answer is a stopwatch, and today you practise using one.

Your baby

A single small watermelon on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around now your baby is around 50.7cm long from head to heel, about the size of a watermelon (NHS). Their skin is coated in vernix, a white, waxy layer that protects it and helps them move down the birth canal. Some babies are covered in it at birth; for others it's mostly gone (NHS).

Your body

Practice contractions, Braxton Hicks, are painless. Contractions that become painful may be real labour, and the NHS's rule is to contact your hospital or midwife if they last at least 60 seconds and come every 5 minutes, or at any time if you're worried (NHS). Real labour contractions are painful and followed by the muscles relaxing (NHS).

MedlinePlus describes true labour this way: contractions come regularly, about 5 to 10 minutes apart, last 30 to 70 seconds, get longer over time, spread to the lower back and upper belly, and get strong enough that you can't talk or laugh through them (MedlinePlus). Early labour can be slow: contractions every 5 to 20 minutes, and it can last up to 20 hours, especially for a first birth (NICHD).

Try today

  1. The sixty-and-five rule

    Time: 10 minutes

    1. Open the stopwatch on a phone. How long a contraction lasts is from the moment it starts to the moment it eases.

    2. How often they come is from the start of one to the start of the next. That's the number people get wrong, so say it out loud.

    3. Practise three in a row, on Braxton Hicks if you have them, or on your partner squeezing your arm for a count.

    4. Write the rule on your card: "At least 60 seconds long, every 5 minutes: call" (NHS).

    Make it work:

    Let the partner hold the phone. Breathing through a contraction and doing arithmetic at the same time is too much to ask of anyone.

Watch for

  • Normal

    irregular tightenings that fade when you change what you're doing (OWH).

    Call your provider

    right away for regular, painful contractions every 5 to 10 minutes for 60 minutes, or contractions lasting 60 to 90 seconds (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    movements that feel different as space runs out.

    Call your provider

    if the baby's movement suddenly decreases; MedlinePlus suggests a snack and a few minutes lying down first, then a call if it's still low (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    getting out of breath on the stairs, common in the third trimester (OWH).

    Call 911

    for severe chest pain or shortness of breath that doesn't go away (MedlinePlus).

For you

The most useful test at 3 a.m. is a change of activity. Braxton Hicks tend to fade when you get up and walk or lie down (OWH); true labour carries on regardless (MedlinePlus). If they keep coming and you've lost count, call anyway: MedlinePlus says to make contact for any reason if you're unsure (MedlinePlus).

If you're the partner: keep the phone charged and your voice quiet. Read her the numbers. Don't announce "it's not real yet".

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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