Understanding different labor patterns can help you and your birth team respond appropriately during labor.
This guide from Spinning Babies illustrates the various patterns you might experience:
- Steady, Progressive Labor - Contractions that gradually get longer, stronger, and closer together
- Prodromal Labor - Start-and-stop labor that may continue for hours or days before active labor begins
- Back Labor - When the baby is in a posterior position, creating intense back sensations
- Coupling Contractions - When contractions come in pairs
- Plateau Labor - When labor seems to pause or slow down
Each pattern tells us something about the baby's position and the progress of labor. Understanding these patterns can help you work with your body and baby during birth.
For more information about optimal fetal positioning and techniques to support labor, visit Spinning Babies.