Family Birth Center > Preparing For Childbirth > When To Go To The Hospital > Timing Contractions

Timing contractions

You will find it helpful to time your contractions periodically. Their frequency is a good indicator of when to go to the hospital. Use a watch or clock with a second hand.

When a contraction begins, write down the time it started. When the contraction ends, note how many seconds it lasted (duration). The length of time between the beginning of one contraction and the beginning of the next is called frequency.

The rule of thumb in timing contractions is "beginning to beginning."

Phases of labor and what you can do for each phase.

Common breathing techniques for labor.