Contraction Timer

Press Start when a contraction begins and Contraction Ended when it finishes. This tool records duration, the interval between recorded starts and arithmetic averages. It does not diagnose labor, score a 5-1-1 pattern or decide when to go to hospital. Follow your maternity team's instructions and contact them with concerns without waiting for the timer.

NHS guidance advises contacting the midwife or maternity unit if you think you are in labor, have regular contractions every five minutes or more often, or are unsure. Its urgent advice includes situations where waiting for an hour of timing would be inappropriate. NHS signs of labor and contact guidance

How to Time Contractions

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Key Takeaway: Duration is start to end of one recorded contraction. Start-to-start interval is from one beginning to the next. The interval includes the earlier contraction; it is not just the resting gap. These are time measurements, not assessments of cervical dilation or fetal well-being.

Step 1: Select Start First Contraction when the tightening begins. The display says “Timing...” while an entry is active. It is not a live diagnosis or a countdown to seeking care.

Step 2: Select Contraction Ended when that contraction finishes. The entry becomes complete and its measured duration can appear in the history. An unfinished entry is not included as a completed contraction in the average.

Step 3: Start another entry when the next contraction begins. The history shows the start-to-start interval between completed records. Do not subtract the duration and then enter the resting gap as though it were the same interval.

Step 4: Share the record with your maternity team if useful, but follow its contact plan regardless of how many entries are present. There is no requirement on this page to time for one hour before calling.

Arithmetic example: A contraction starts at 10:00 and ends at 10:01. The next starts at 10:05. Duration is one minute, start-to-start interval is five minutes and the resting gap is four minutes. This invented example explains the labels; it does not establish active labor.

The 5-1-1 Rule: When to Go to the Hospital

“5-1-1” is shorthand for a pattern described as five minutes between starts, one minute of duration and an hour of repetition. This page does not endorse it as a universal clinical threshold or claim ACOG endorsement for the timer. It is not a test that establishes cervical change or excludes a problem.

Number in the shorthand	Time being described	Limit of the description
5	Five minutes between contraction starts	Does not measure dilation
1	One minute of contraction duration	Does not prove fetal well-being
1	One hour of a repeating pattern	Does not make it safe to wait with warning signs

Ask your own maternity team what should prompt a call, where to call and whether any instruction depends on your circumstances. Do not replace that plan with an internet mnemonic or an automatically assumed “7-1-1” rule for a subsequent pregnancy.

NHS guidance says to call for regular contractions every five minutes or more often and to call if worried. It does not require satisfying all three parts of 5-1-1 before seeking guidance. This is UK advice; follow your local maternity service's instructions. NHS contact guidance

511 Contractions: What That Pattern Looks Like

The numbers describe timing, not a particular feeling or a guaranteed labor stage. Two people with identical timer records may have different clinical circumstances. This tool has no examination, pain assessment or fetal monitoring input.

A worked record: Starts at 10:00, 10:05 and 10:10 produce two five-minute start-to-start intervals. If each entry ends one minute after its start, average recorded duration is one minute. Three such entries describe only those records; they do not demonstrate an hour of repetition or diagnose active labor.

A different record: Starts at 10:00, 10:04 and 10:10 produce intervals of four and six minutes. Their average is five minutes, but neither interval was five minutes. An average can conceal variation, so preserve the individual records rather than reporting only the average.

A missed entry: If a contraction is not recorded between two starts, the displayed interval spans those recorded starts. The timer cannot recover an unrecorded contraction or determine whether the longer interval represents a real change in the pattern.

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Tip: Tell the maternity team what was actually recorded and whether entries were missed. A timer result is a record to communicate, not a reason to postpone a call when you are concerned.

Braxton Hicks vs. Real Labor Contractions

NHS guidance describes Braxton Hicks as practice tightenings that are usually painless, do not last long, do not occur frequently and do not build up. As labor progresses, contractions tend to become longer, stronger and more frequent. These are descriptions, not a home diagnostic score. NHS contraction descriptions

Observation	How to use it
When the tightening started and ended	Record the actual timing
Whether the pattern seems to be changing	Describe it to the team
Whether you have other symptoms	Report those separately from the timer
Whether you are uncertain	Call for advice rather than self-diagnosing

This tool does not label a contraction Braxton Hicks because it eased after rest, water or a position change. Nor does it guarantee that a painless or irregular pattern is harmless. You do not have to prove that contractions are “real” before asking for help.

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Warning: NHS urgent advice is to contact the maternity unit for waters breaking, vaginal bleeding, reduced baby movements, possible labor before 37 weeks, a contraction lasting over two minutes, or six or more contractions in ten minutes. Do not wait for the next day or a timer pattern. NHS urgent contact advice

Labor Stages and What Your Contractions Tell You

NHS describes a first stage in which the cervix opens, a second stage involving birth and a third stage involving delivery of the placenta. The latent phase may take hours or days. Your care team assesses progress; this timer cannot identify any of those stages from intervals. NHS stages of labor

Clinical topic	What the timer records	What requires clinical assessment
First-stage progress	Durations and start intervals	Cervical change and overall progress
Whether birth is approaching	No predictive output	The maternity team's assessment
Baby's condition	No measurement	Appropriate fetal assessment
Placenta delivery	No stage identification	Care after birth

The software cannot map a three-, five- or ten-minute interval to a centimeter measurement. Its history does not determine whether it is appropriate to stay at home, travel or begin pushing. Those decisions belong to the maternity plan and clinical assessment.

Keep the team's instructions accessible separately from the timer. In the UK, NHS says to call 999 for an ambulance if you think the baby is coming now and have a strong urge to push. Elsewhere use local emergency services. NHS immediate action guidance

When to Call Your Provider (Even Before 5-1-1)

Call according to your maternity team's plan, when you think labor has begun or whenever you are worried. Report urgent symptoms separately from contraction frequency. A short or empty history does not downgrade those concerns. NHS when to contact the maternity unit

Waters breaking: Contact your maternity team, including when contractions have not started. Tell them what happened and follow their instructions; do not wait for a five-minute pattern. NHS waters-breaking advice

Regional contacts: In the UK, the cited NHS page directs people to 111 if they cannot reach their maternity unit and to 999 for the immediate-birth emergency described above. These numbers are not global. Use your own service's contact and emergency numbers outside that setting.

A practical phone summary: “I am at the gestational age recorded by my team; tightening began at this time; these are the durations and intervals I recorded; I also noticed these symptoms.” This is an unscored communication aid, not a triage algorithm. Give the team its requested information and follow its directions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 5-1-1 rule for contractions?

It describes five-minute start intervals, one-minute duration and an hour of repetition. It is not a diagnosis or a universal instruction to wait. This timer does not score that pattern; follow your team's contact instructions. NHS contact advice

What does "511 for labor" mean?

It is another spelling of the same timing shorthand. A mathematical average near those numbers does not confirm an hour-long pattern, labor stage or safety of waiting.

How can I tell if contractions are Braxton Hicks?

NHS describes practice tightenings as not building up, in contrast with contractions that tend to become longer, stronger and more frequent during labor. Descriptions alone cannot settle an individual diagnosis; call your team if uncertain. NHS descriptions

How often do Braxton Hicks contractions happen?

This page assigns no fixed daily frequency or timing cutoff to diagnose them. The timer records entries without naming their cause. Discuss uncertainty or a changing pattern with your maternity team. NHS guidance

Should I go to the hospital if my water breaks?

Contact your maternity team promptly and follow its instructions. NHS lists waters breaking as an urgent reason to call regardless of the contraction pattern; the timer cannot select a location or care plan. NHS urgent advice

Is there a contraction timer app I should use?

The timer on this page records duration, completed entries and start-to-start intervals without an app download. It does not determine labor or when to seek care. Record or share useful entries before Reset or leaving the page; there is no saved-history account here.

Sources

NHS: Signs that labor has begun, contraction descriptions and contact instructions.
NHS: The stages of labor and birth, stage descriptions. Sources accessed October 5, 2026; UK guidance is labeled. Timing examples are invented arithmetic illustrations, not clinical thresholds.

This tool is informational and does not replace medical evaluation. If you are unsure whether you are in labor, contact your healthcare provider.

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