When labor starts and you begin feeling those early contractions many of us grab for the stop watch and a piece of paper so we can begin timing those contractions.  By the end of pregnancy we are so ready to see our little darling babies that we want to see that pattern develop on our contraction logs.  This whole pregnancy process has been leading up to this moment.

Keeping track of your contractions is important for a couple of reasons.  Knowing how far apart your contractions are and how long they are lasting helps you gauge how your labor is progressing.  Timing your contractions will help you determine when it is time to call the doctor and head to the hospital.

To help time your contractions many online tools have been developed.  Here are a few good contraction timers.  Each creates a log for you so you can see how far apart your contractions are, how long they are lasting, etc.  When you call your doctor he or she will want to know this information to help determine if you should head to the hospital or not so be sure you have it handy.

• Contraction Master
• Pregnancy and Baby: Contraction Timer
• Friends and Family: Contraction Timer

When I went into labor I used the traditional stop watch and piece of paper.  I wish I had thought to look for these tools before hand.  I definitely would have used an online contraction timer instead.