The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary. Formerly, gl’ was used before words beginning with i, however it is no longer in common use. In general, it’s best to use your own judgment when deciding if contractions are appropriate for a particular piece. You may want to start timing your contractions when you think labor has started to see if there is a pattern.

Contractions are now powerful and efficient, so this phase is usually quite short (less than an hour). This combination is what can make the pain of labor contractions reach levels of extreme discomfort. However, if a woman was having full on, strong contractions for a prolonged time (actual time would depend on her individual circumstances ie. previous baby, etc.) and no signs of progress – I would be asking the question ‘what is going on’.

Words in parentheses are no …