A gush of water, being doubled over in pain, the head of your baby crowning. These are things many women picture when they think of labor. However, for most laboring women, these things take time and ...

Labor contractions are the physical way your uterus tightens to promote delivery of your baby. All body muscles tighten and shorten (contract) when they’re being used. And the uterus is one of the ...

Contractions are when the muscles of your uterus tighten and relax to get ready for childbirth. These muscles help push your baby down the birth canal. Once you reach week 37 of your pregnancy, it ...

Muscle contraction is the tightening, shortening, or lengthening of muscles when you do some activity. It can happen when you hold or pick up something, or when you stretch or exercise with weights.

When muscle cells are viewed under the microscope, one can see that they contain a striped pattern (striations). This pattern is formed by a series of basic units called sarcomeres that are arranged ...