One of the issues that most worries pregnant women is knowing when the big moment arrives, when the delivery begins and that it does not go ahead. Among the fairly clear signs that the baby wants to be born is the increase in frequency and intensity of contractions, and to distinguish and control contractions during pregnancy a new device has been invented.
In fact, there are contractions called Braxton Hicks, "false" contractions that are felt in the last months of pregnancy and that prepare the uterus for childbirth. When it approaches, we approach the true contractions, more painful, rhythmic and more frequent, that is, the true labor of labor begins.
The simple intensity of these contractions will indicate that the baby is ready to be born, but For those pregnant women who want to control their Braxton Hicks contractions in a kind of home monitoring, this device called Bloomlife can be useful. In this way, they will be able to know if the frequency of contractions increases and distinguish the different types. This is the motto:
"Every baby and every birth is different. We can suffer from small contractions, to those that indicate that we are going to give birth, how do you know its importance?"
The invention is from the Bloomlife company, which has been testing this device with hundreds of women in four different clinical studies for nine months. Its operation is very simple: it adheres to the woman's belly during the third trimester, under the navel, thanks to a patch that lasts for seven days (the device is delivered with replacement patches). In this way the device records the signals produced by the uterine muscle, both day and night. Then send the collected data to a Bloomlife application available for both Android and iOS.
Registered data shows all information on contractions: intensity, duration, time between them... Accessing the history you can see the evolution and understand how the bodies are preparing for childbirth and can be useful for the gynecologist in pregnancy reviews.
The Bloomlife device that controls pregnancy contractions It has been rented in the United States and its price is around 140 euros to change. After the baby is born, the device is returned, which according to the company could not be sold individually since the high technology used would cost several thousand dollars for each. In this way, the "flexible rental" system allows more women to access it.
The company emphasizes that it could prevent premature births, and although it could indeed be useful to realize that a preterm or premature birth will occur if we go from the "false" contractions to the real ones before the 38th week of pregnancy , we are not sure that they serve to prevent them. In any case, in front of these signs you have to go to the hospital.
Differentiate "false" contractions from birth
As this device is not yet available worldwide, and as we believe it is not an essential device if you follow your gynecological exams, in addition to the body being wise and we can learn to "listen" without the need for such a device, we will remember next how to differentiate Braxton Hicks contractions from birth.
The first contractions are irregular, usually occur at the end of the day or after some effort, are not very painful and last a short time. It feels like the tummy tightens and some women remind them of cramps or menstruation, but mild. They can be noticed from the second half of pregnancy, although for many women they will not be noticeable until the end of pregnancy.
As the day of delivery approaches the body is preparing better and the frequency of contractions increases, without becoming regular or very intense, although they can cause some discomfort.
Contractions that indicate delivery is already hereThey are more painful and, above all, regular. Labor contractions are stronger, do not disappear when resting, last longer and longer (between 30 and 70 seconds) and are perceived as cramps in the lower back or as intense menstrual cramps. These labor contractions are usually accompanied by other signs that indicate the baby is about to be born, delivery symptoms such as the expulsion of the mucous plug, the rupture of the amniotic sac and the dilation of the cervix.
Remember, if you have rhythmic, progressive and intense contractions that arrive at a rate of two or three contractions every ten minutes, it is time to go to the hospital, since normally the cervix must have begun dilatation (which has to reach ten centimeters in order for the baby to pass through it) and labor begins.
Official Site and photos | BloomLife
In Babies and more | Why many midwives do not talk about 'contractions' and call them 'waves' or 'bursts', How to differentiate false contractions from labor contractions, Labor is approaching and these changes happen to you: calm, they are normal
