Labour pains are the pains experienced by a woman when her uterus prepares to birth her baby. The normal time pains will occur is between 37-42 weeks when the birth is considered "full term". If a woman begins labour pains before she is full term, doctors may either try and stop the labour with special drugs or be forced to deliver the baby early, which can result in the baby having breathing and other health issues.
Labour pains are called contractions and usually consist of pains that start slowly, reach a peak and then ease off again. These pains are the uterus contracting in an attempt to birth the baby through the birth canal. Contractions often start at up to a half hour apart but slowly draw closer and closer together. Some women will experience contractions that begin rapidly, leading to a birth in just a few short hours, but many women will be in labour for up to 24 hours or more.
