Labor contractions are painful and you can't ignore them. If they are not painful then they are just Braxton Hicks.
painful
Labor contractions might be the best term but not all contractions are painful.
A tightening of the uterus during pregnancy. Contractions may or may not be painful and may or may not indicate labor.
I have heard that raspberry tea will bring on strong (painful) contractions. I don't know if it will necessarily mean that you will go into labor. At this point, we are desperate to try anything, though!!!!
You know you are in labor if you have contractions that you can time. This means any regular contractions that have a certain amount of minutes between them. If you have these for over 2 hours, and they get closer together but remain regular, you are in labor.
The strongest indication that contractions are occurring in association with true labor is that the contractions begin to occur at regular intervals. This is contrary to Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are spontaneous, random uterine contractions that do not occur with actual labor.
Braxton Hicks Contractions are false contractions. They can be painful or you may not feel them at all. Your stomach muscles contract and will fill like your stomach is getting tight then they will release. Your stomach will feel hard during one. You can get them all the way through pregnancy but probably won't feel them until later in your pregnancy. They don't mean you're in labor but if you get one and they feel really painful I would call the doctor just to be safe. In late pregnancy they can become very close together and very painful and feel like the real thing. They can even thin your cervix. When this happens it's called false labor. If you have close painful contractions and think your in labor go to the hospital to be sure.
In this phase, contractions are longer and more regular, usually occurring about every two minutes. These stronger contractions are also more painful.
Contractions
You could be having what they call braxton hicks contractions...this is your uterus preparing for your baby to be born...Congrats on your pregnancy! Or you could be going in to Labor!
You know a cat's labour is over when the kitten is born. The contractions stop. The last things is when she stops panting.
Oxytocin