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To remember the difference between true vs. false labor, think of the woman showing signs of true labor, and her husband showing signs of false labor, because he’s a man.&nbsp;Labor is characterized by contractions and cervical changes. Effacement refers to thinning and shortening of the cervix, and dilation refers to widening of the cervix. Cervical changes can result in the expulsion of cervical mucus known as the bloody show, represented by the blood-drop show. This typically occurs during true labor, however can sometimes occur in false labor if early cervical changes have occurred. In true labor, the woman will experience&nbsp;regular, strong contractions, shown by the regular-intervals on the strong contracting-muscle. There will also be progressive effacement and dilation of the cervix, shown by the progressive e-face and dyed-dilation. Another sign of true labor is&nbsp;engagement of the presenting part, which refers to the head of the fetus passing and engaging with the pelvic inlet, which is shown by the engagement-ring the newborn is holding. On the other side of the image, we have depicted false labor. In false labor, there are irregular contractions, which occur at intervals and often stop when the pregnant woman changes positions or walks, and this is shown by the irregular-intervals of the contracting-muscle. In false labor, the cervix is soft, shown by the soft-and squishy cervix-certificate. There is significant dilation or effacement. Lastly, when false labor occurs, the fetus does not engage with the pelvic inlet so there is no engagement of presenting part, shown by the no sign on the engagement-ring.So think of true and false labor like opposites. The bloody show most often occurs during true labor. True labor includes regular, strong contractions, progressive effacement and dilation, and engagement of the presenting part. False labor involves irregular contractions, a soft cervix, and no engagement of the presenting part.&nbsp;

educational

story

true and false labor.png

true vs. false labor.png

True and False Labor

True vs. False Labor

Normal Labor

True Labor 

regular intervals of strong contracting muscle.png

Regular-intervals of Strong Contracting-muscle

Regular, Strong Contractions

When assessing a patient in true labor which of the following is most likely to be seen?

progressive e face and dyed dilation.png

Progressive e-face and Dyed-dilation

Progressive Effacement and Dilation

blood drop show.png

Blood-drop Show

Bloody Show

engagement ring of newborn.png

Engagement-ring of Newborn

Engagement of Presenting Part

False Labor

irregular intervals of contracting muscle.png

Irregular-intervals of Contracting-muscle

Irregular Contractions

When assessing a patient in false labor which of the following is most likely to be seen?

soft and squishy cervix certificate.png

Soft-and-squishy Cervix-certificate

Cervix Soft

no more engagement ring.png

No-more Engagement-ring

No Engagement of Presenting Part

Maternity and Women's Health Care, 11th Edition (Elsevier)

PANCE Prep Pearls: 2nd Ed, 2017

We updated this Picmonic to indicate that "bloody show" can occur during both true and false labor. In the process, we remastered both audios.

For True vs. False Labor, imagine a woman being assessed by a doctor as having all the true signs of labor. &nbsp;And then imagine her fiance right beside her, acting like he knows what it's like for a woman in labor, but his doctor is marking his labor as false, because he's a dude, and there's no way he knows what true labor is like. &nbsp;It all started while the couple were enjoying a live show, a blood-drop show that is. While in the audience, the woman in true labor is holding her fiance's hand, and she's having contractions of increasing strength at regular-intervals, crushing her idiot fiance's hand all the more each time. &nbsp;The woman looks down to find her cervix peeking out from between her legs with a worried look on its e-face. &nbsp;Its face progressively gets thinner and thinner and its dilated mouth opens wide. &nbsp;Something starts coming out and she's hopeful it's the baby. &nbsp;But then "Pop!" &nbsp;The little baby jumps right out to see what the commotion is about. &nbsp;Apparently, he's a fan of dancing and offers of the dancers an engagement-ring. &nbsp;Meanwhile, the woman's idiot fiance is still trying to act like he's in labor. &nbsp;"Uggggghhh! &nbsp;Look, doctor! I'm getting contractions! &nbsp;Does that mean I should push?" &nbsp;But the doctor takes one look at the irregular-intervals of his weak contracting-muscle and just shakes his head. &nbsp;"Uhhhgggg! &nbsp;What about my cervix? &nbsp;Feels like it's gonna explode!" &nbsp; So the doctor reaches for where the cervix would be, if the man had one, and raises an eyebrow. &nbsp;"Sir, I'm not sure what this soft, squishy thing with the certificate is, but it's definitely not a&nbsp;cervix. &nbsp;Just what is this? &nbsp;A chew toy or something?" &nbsp;"Uggghhh, be gentle with my cervix doc. &nbsp;Got a lot of nerve endings down there if ya know what I mean. &nbsp;All in all, not too sure what the old lady is talkin' about. &nbsp;Labor ain't so bad." &nbsp;And with that final comment, the woman had heard enough. &nbsp;The engagement was off. &nbsp;So she kicked away his ring. &nbsp;There would be no engagement for the man in false labor.

Irregular contractions for the past 6 hours.

Picmonic uses mnemonics to help you develop NCLEX mastery so you can pass the NCLEX exam the first time. Free question for 11/2021/14

Picmonic NCLEX Question of the Day 11/2021/14

Picmonic NCLEX® Question of the Day

A pregnant woman comes into the hospital yelling, "I'm having my baby!" What are the signs that would indicate she is in true labor? Select all that apply:

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