Your contractions let you know that you are progressing in your labor, and keeping track of them is one of the ways your labor coach can help. Be sure to use a watch with a second hand or a stop-watch. Many people find it easier to keep track of the contractions by writing the information down. It's not necessary to time each and every contraction, as long as your coach has a general idea of your contraction pattern and if it's changing. Your coach will be monitoring 3 things: the frequency, the duration, and the intensity of your contractions.

When your provider talks about the frequency of your contractions, they are referring to the amount of time between the beginning of one contraction and the beginning of the next contraction. Some coaches find it easier to note the start and finish of each contraction, while others may just keep track of the start times.

The duration of a contraction is the time from the beginning to the end of the contraction, usually measured in seconds. This is important information because the duration of your contractions will lengthen while the frequency will increase as you get further into active labor.

Intensity, as you might guess, is the strength or force of your contraction. The intensity is usually described as mild, moderate, or strong. This can be determined by feeling your abdomen during a contraction.

A rough guideline is that a mild contraction is short in duration and you usually don't need to use breathing techniques through it. Your abdomen will feel slightly firm, but still indentable, similar to pressing your index finger against the fleshy part of your chin.

A moderate contraction is longer in duration and you may need to use breathing techniques through it. Your abdomen will feel firmer and it's usually only slightly indentable. It may feel similar to pressing the end of your nose with your index finger.

Strong contractions usually last at least 40-60 seconds. You'll probably need to use your breathing techniques through these. You won't be able to indent your abdomen with your finger. It probably feels similar to pressing the middle of your forehead with your index finger.