Q&A with Henci: How Long Can Early Labor Last

The Lamaze website for parents, www.lamaze.org, offers a free ask-an-expert forum hosted by obstetrical research expert Henci Goer. The Ask Henci forum answers your questions thoughtfully, with research-supported information, and generally within 1-3 days. You can browse the existing topics or post one of your own. One of the hottest threads on the forum asks the question "How long can early or "false" labor last?" Several women chime in with their own experiences of labor that starts and fizzles or mild contractions that last for several days. Among the many helpful responses, Henci says:

Penny Simkin recommends calling what you are experiencing "prelabor" rather than "false labor" because while they may not immediately lead to progressive labor, they are certainly real contractions! And yes, you can go on for days in this way, which is frustrating -- but harmless -- and yes, being under a lot of stress can make it hard for your body to let go and let labor happen.

I hear your frustration, but impatience is your enemy. It can lead to medical interventions you don't really need. The problem with intervening when you don't really need to is that all interventions have harms as well as benefits. (Inducing labor, for example, roughly doubles the likelihood of labor ending in cesarean surgery in first-time mothers, and agents to soften the cervix don't reduce the excess.) When interventions are used when there isn't a problem or the problem can be solved by simple means or just by having more patience, then you and your babe are exposed to the risks with no counterbalancing benefits. It does sound like your body is gearing up to have this baby. This article I wrote some years back can help you decide whether to head in to the hospital.

Accept your feelings of frustration and irritation. This is making your miserable, no two ways about it. So have the occasional pity party if you need to but then allow yourself to move on without dwelling on your feelings or trying to push them away. Dwelling on them just intensifies them while telling yourself you "shouldn't" feel this way is like saying, "Don't think about pink elephants." It then becomes the only thing you can think about. Substitute positive thoughts. Remind yourself that this is how your body wants to do things this time. There's nothing wrong, and eventually labor will begin and you'll have your baby.

"When the fruit is ripe, it falls from the tree." No one stays pregnant forever.

For more on this topic and others or to get answers to your own questions, visit the Ask Henci forum.