Tool 05 · Built for 3am
Contraction
timer
One button. Press when it starts, press when it stops. Everything else is worked out for you, including the only question that matters: is this it yet.
Ready
0:00
Kept in this browser only. Closing the tab does not lose it.
- Last 5, length
- —
- Last 5, apart
- —
- Timed in the last hour
- 0
- Total logged
- 0
The 5-1-1 rule
Contractions five minutes apart, each lasting one minute, holding that pattern for one full hour. That is the usual point to call, for a first baby. If it is not your first, or you live far from the hospital, your practice may have told you 4-1-1 or even earlier. Theirs beats this page.
Every one you have timed
| # | Started | Lasted | Since the last one started | Gap between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing yet. | ||||
"Since the last one started" is what midwives mean by how far apart they are. "Gap between" is the rest you actually get, which is the smaller and more useful number at 3am.
How to time a contraction
Press start the moment the tightening begins and stop the moment it lets go. The length is that gap. How far apart they are is measured from the start of one to the start of the next, not from the end of one to the start of the next, which is why the two columns in the table above are different numbers.
Braxton Hicks or the real thing
Braxton Hicks are irregular, do not get closer together, do not get stronger, and usually stop if you change what you are doing. Get up, drink a glass of water, lie down, and they fade. Real contractions keep a rhythm, get longer and stronger, and carry on regardless of what you do.
That is the test, and it is why timing helps: a pattern you can see on a table is much easier to read than a feeling at 3am.
Call sooner than 5-1-1 if
- Your waters break, whether or not contractions have started
- There is any bleeding
- The baby's movements change or reduce
- You are under 37 weeks and contractions are regular
- You had a fast labour last time, or the hospital is far away
- You are worried. That is a sufficient reason on its own.
This is a stopwatch with arithmetic attached. It cannot tell you whether you are in labour. If something feels wrong, call your midwife or maternity unit. They would much rather hear from you early than late, and they will say so.