Contraction Timer

Two taps per contraction: one when the tightening starts, one when it has fully faded. The button changes its label after every tap, so you always know which one comes next, and a partner can take over halfway without getting the order wrong.

From those taps the page works out the two numbers a midwife or labour ward will ask for:

• How long each contraction lasts, from your start tap to your end tap
• How far apart they are, counted from the start of one to the start of the next, not from the end of one to the start of the next

That second point trips people up. A contraction lasting a minute with four minutes of rest after it is “every 5 minutes”, not every 4.

The 5-1-1 rule, and how this page checks it

Many US providers ask first-time parents to call when contractions come every 5 minutes or closer, each lasting about 1 minute, and the pattern has held for 1 hour. The page checks all three parts:

• each start no more than 5.5 minutes after the one before, which allows half a minute for tapping;
• an average length of 55 seconds or more, for the same reason (most people tap a little late at the start);
• an unbroken run of that pattern covering at least 55 minutes.

One longer gap restarts the hour. That is deliberate: early labour often runs at 5 minutes for a while and then loosens again, and a pattern that loosens is exactly what the hour is there to filter out.

If this is not your first baby, labour is often faster, and many units ask you to call sooner. Follow what your midwife or doctor told you over any rule of thumb, this one included.

Call straight away, whatever the timer says, if your waters break, there is bleeding, the baby is moving less than usual, the pain does not ease between contractions, or you are under 37 weeks pregnant and the contractions are regular. Before 37 weeks that can be preterm labour, and it should not wait for an hour of timing.

The timer runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere, and refreshing the page clears the history, so screenshot the table if you want a record. Undo last takes back one tap, so a double tap or a forgotten end costs nothing.

Prefer one tap per contraction? The Contraction Frequency Timer counts starts in rolling 10, 30 and 60 minute windows instead, which is easier for a partner doing the tapping.