I think I am having contractions every ten minutes that last one to two minutes each but I am not sure they are real.. I have been having these for about five hours now. Some of the seem to hurt but not all of them. I know that I am supposed to experience dull lower back pain and I have. I have been having what I think are contractions for the last five hours. I took a nap but they didn't go away. How do I better determine whether they are real or not. I haven't have any bloody show or anything either.

Hi BritBrown92,

How far along are you in your pregnancy? Try drinking a full glass of water, relaxing in a warm bath, having something to eat and see if they start to subside.

If they continue to remain about 10 minutes apart and you are before 37 weeks, contact your midwife or doctor... could be preterm labour. If you are 37 weeks or more, you can let them know the situation, and try to rest as much as you can until things start to pick up. Take care of any last minute things you need to do. If you feel rested, you could go for a walk and see if that helps get things going, otherwise it is a matter of just waiting. If it is early labour, it could go on for quite sometime. Your midwife or doctor will let you know when they would like you to come in or contact them again; it can vary from person to person as to what they are comfortable with. Often it is when contractions are around 3-5 minutes apart for at least an hour.