The 5-1-1 rule for contractions

What 5-1-1, 4-1-1 and 3-1-1 mean, how to check them with a timer, and why your care team’s advice comes first.

The 5-1-1 rule is a rule of thumb many care teams give for when to call: contractions about 5 minutes apart, each lasting about 1 minute, for at least 1 hour. “Apart” means from the start of one contraction to the start of the next.

4-1-1, 3-1-1 and other versions

Some teams use 4-1-1 (every 4 minutes) or 3-1-1 (every 3 minutes), for example depending on whether this is your first baby or how far you live from the hospital. Others give different advice altogether. The rule that counts is the one your midwife or doctor gave you.

Checking a rule with a timer

1. Time each contraction from start to stop.
2. Look at the intervals over the last hour, not a single one.
3. Check that the durations are around a minute and the intervals are at or below the number in your rule.

A rule is not a diagnosis. Timings can match a rule before labor is established, and labor can progress without matching one.

Do not wait for the rule

Call your midwife or maternity unit straight away if your waters break, you have vaginal bleeding, your baby is moving less than usual, you are less than 37 weeks pregnant and think labor has started, a contraction lasts longer than 2 minutes, or you have 6 or more contractions in 10 minutes (NHS). If you are unsure what to do, call (ACOG).

Rules in Birthtide

In Birthtide you pick 5-1-1, 4-1-1, 3-1-1 or a custom rule, or turn the rule off. The rule band shows when your recent timings match the pattern you chose. Birthtide never tells you whether labor has started.

General information, not medical advice. Written by the developer of Birthtide; follow the advice of your midwife or doctor. Checked 29 October 2026.

Sources

• NHS — Signs that labour has begun
• ACOG — How to tell when labor begins

Other guides

• How to time contractionsMeasure duration and frequency the way care teams ask for it: frequency from the start of one contraction to the start of the next.
• Baby movements and kick countingGet to know your baby’s usual pattern, how a kick count works if your care team asks for one, and when to call straight away.
• How to choose a contraction timer appNine things to check before labor: start-to-start timing, one-handed use, saving offline, no pop-ups, privacy, a rule you choose, reports for your midwife and the price.