Contractions
Understand. Record. Prepare.
Keep start times and durations ready for your maternity team.
AI-created editorial illustrationTiming is one part of the picture
During a contraction, the womb tightens and then relaxes. Timing describes that pattern, but labour assessment also involves other signs and your circumstances. Keep your maternity team’s contact details and instructions available. The NHS signs-of-labour reference explains changes that warrant a call.
A contraction record distinguishes three intervals: the duration of one contraction, the start-to-start interval between two contractions, and the rest from one ending to the next beginning. Clear labels help communicate the times you observed.
Use the guide and timing calculator to understand the arithmetic, then use the log or paper sheet to record observations your maternity team asks for. The companion app provides timing and reports. None of these tools decides whether labour is established or when it is safe to stay home. Follow your team’s instructions and call when concerned.
Practical guides for this topic.
Detailed examples, record-keeping questions, and sources you can check. New published guides for this app appear here automatically.
Contraction patterns: what a timer cannot tell you
Understand the limits of comparing contraction patterns and prepare clear questions for your maternity team without relying on a timer to diagnose labour.
Contraction duration and frequency: two different timings
Record the start and end of each contraction, and keep the start-to-start interval separate from the rest between them.
Choose what you need today.
Browser log
Record individual entries, export CSV, or choose local saving.
Open log ↗02Printable sheet
Download a one-page A4 or US Letter PDF, or print a blank sheet from your browser.
Open sheet ↗InteractiveMaternity call notes
Keep key observations together for a call to your maternity team.
Use this tool ↓03Contraction timing calculator
Check recorded intervals using full dates and times.
Use calculator ↓Maternity call notes
Call first when you are concerned. If it is useful while waiting or during a routine discussion, collect the details below. Every field is optional; you never need to finish this form before getting help.
Your result
Read the result before sharing. Your answers and PDF stay on this device unless you choose to share them.
No labour stage, triage result or “safe to stay home” decision is produced. This list is not exhaustive.
Sources and how this tool works
Original HealthLogKit tool; source checks are not clinical validation. No diagnosis or treatment plan is generated. Sources checked 2026-09-20.
- NHS: signs that labour has begun ↗
Contact maternity services for concerns, waters breaking, bleeding, reduced movement or possible labour before 37 weeks.
Nothing you enter here is sent to analytics or saved automatically. Keep a longer record or see the companion app.
Contraction timing calculator
Calculate intervals from the times you recorded. Use full dates in the same fixed time zone, with no daylight-saving clock change. The result describes timing; it does not evaluate health or recommend a schedule.
No timing entered yet.
Do not delay contacting your maternity team to complete a calculation. No “time to go” decision is made here.
Contraction Tracker - Timer
Record contraction duration, intervals, and notes, with report features.
Features listed by the developer
- Contraction duration and intensity records
- Interval tracking and charts
- PDF reports and saved timing history
Website or app?
The website gives you free guides, browser logs, and printable PDFs, plus a timing calculator. Choose the app if its listed features fit the way you want to keep a longer record.
The website and app do not automatically synchronize. Check current in-app purchases, subscriptions, device support, and the app's own privacy details before downloading.
Published by Arda Sen. Feature descriptions checked against the App Store listing on 2026-09-20. Listing claims are not independent evidence of health benefits.
References for this resource hub
- NHS: signs that labour has begun ↗
When to contact maternity services, including concerns about waters breaking, bleeding, or reduced movement.
Educational content published by HealthLogKit with AI-assisted research and source checks. Not medical peer review. Read our editorial process.