Contraction duration and frequency: two different timings

Write the start and the end

Use a clock or timer and note when a contraction starts, then when it finishes. If you missed the beginning, mark the duration as approximate rather than recording false precision.

A support person can help with recording if you want that. The goal is to communicate with your maternity team, not to produce a perfect spreadsheet during labour.

Do not confuse frequency with the gap

The rest between contractions runs from the end of one to the start of the next. That is different from the start-to-start interval. Label the columns so your record can be understood quickly.

Keep your maternity team’s instructions nearby

Ask your team how they want timings described and when you should call. Generic timing rules may not fit your pregnancy, birth history, or distance from care.

You can print the free sheet or use Contraction Tracker - Timer for recording. A timer does not determine whether labour is established or whether it is safe to remain at home.

Follow three timestamps through one example

Take the first contraction's start, its end, and the next contraction's start. You can calculate three different intervals from those same observations. Keeping the raw times means someone else can check the calculation rather than relying on an unlabeled number such as “five minutes.”

For a contraction starting at 10:00:00 and ending at 10:00:45, followed by the next start at 10:05:00, the duration is 45 seconds. The start-to-start interval is 5 minutes, and the rest is 4 minutes 15 seconds. The timing calculator on this hub shows all three. It does not interpret the pattern or tell you whether to travel.

Mark a missed tap rather than manufacturing a time

If you start a timer late, label the duration as approximate. If you miss an end time, keep the known start and say the end was not recorded. Do not copy the preceding contraction's duration into a blank field. A support person can help record times if you want, but the purpose is communication, not a complete dataset at any cost.

Keep dates when a sequence crosses midnight. The calculator requires the next start to be after the previous end; an impossible order may be a date-entry error rather than a meaningful pattern. Correct only what you can establish from the original observations. An uncertain sequence can remain uncertain.

Prepare a short call description without delaying the call

If your maternity team asks about timing, describe whether your numbers are durations or start-to-start intervals and whether they were recorded or estimated. You can say, “I have three start times and two end times,” rather than presenting an incomplete sequence as a precise average. Keep the team's own instructions available.

The log is optional preparation, not a screening questionnaire. It does not decide whether symptoms are urgent or contact the maternity service. Contact your team for concerns such as waters breaking, bleeding, reduced movement, or possible labour before 37 weeks, as described in the cited NHS guidance. Do not wait to fill the form, collect more contractions, or satisfy an internet timing rule before calling.

Call when you are concerned, not when the chart is complete

NHS guidance says to contact maternity services for concerns including waters breaking, vaginal bleeding, reduced baby movements, or possible labour before 37 weeks. Follow your local team’s instructions and contact them when unsure.

Do not delay calling in order to collect more entries or meet a timing rule. In an immediate emergency, use your local emergency number.