| False labor, or Braxton Hicks contractions, are uterine contractions that occur at irregular time intervals, and they work to tone the uterus. The "bloody show," as mentioned previously, is when the blood tinged mucous discharge from the vagina becomes more noticeable and red as the cervix dilates during the first phase of labor.
There is often an increase in energy level, triggered by hormones, about 24 hours before the onset of labor. This is, paradoxically, a time when the patient should rest and relax, since labor will begin soon. |