Labor

When You Think You Are In Labor
Labor, the bane of pregnancy. Maybe that's not quite the right way to put it. The awful, simple truth of the matter is this: it hurts, bad. The good news, however, is that you can make it through! Here's what happens when labor strikes.

Well, first off, there are the signs of labor. They occur in no particular order and are different for everyone. If any of these things happen call your doctor!!


1.) Regular contractions: they last about 60 to 90 seconds and get closer together and harder to bear. They usually begin in the lower back and wrap around you getting increasingly more painful and then gradually lessening. You (or someone around you!) will probably be able to see your stomach tighten. These contractions are working on opening the cervix (the opening of the uterus leading into the birth canal) so you can have the baby. The closer and harder they are, the closer you are to giving birth.

You may be one that has irregular contractions that can go on for hours (or weeks!). These contractions usually lessen in intensity when you change positions, lie on your left side, or drink a glass of water. They do not get gradually closer together or harder to bear. They do not produce any noticeable change in the cervix. They are called Braxton-Hicks contractions. Don't be discouraged if you think you're in labor only to be told they are Braxton-Hicks!! Your body is working to prepare you for labor and things are getting done. Just because you can't measure what's happening doesn't mean it's worthless.

2.)Water Breaks: Sometimes the amniotic sac (the fluid-filled sac surrounding your baby located in you uterus) ruptures first. This is not painful!! It can happen in two ways. A.) A gush of water will rush out and you will know it's not urine because no pregnant woman could store that much in her squashed and trampled bladder! OR B.)you may experience a slow and constant trickle that does not go away or stop even after you relieve you bladder.

If either happens call your doctor!! The amniotic sac can only be open for so long before there is a risk of infection setting in. This is no reason to panic, only reason to call your doctor to make sure that you and your baby receive the care you need to minimize the risk. Don't worry if you're wrong, you're always better safe than sorry.

3.) Mucus Plug: Some women (like me!) lose their mucus plug first. This is also called bloody show. It is a thick, snotty thing with brownish streaks in it. It used to reside near the cervix. If it sounds gross, that's because it is. Don't worry though, it's a good thing. It means your baby may be on the way soon!

Talk to your mother and grandmother (if you can) and ask them what happened when they gave birth. Birthing patterns tend to run in families and it may give you a general idea of what to expect when it's your turn.

When You Know You Are In Labor

Labor is basically divided into three stages. The first stage is the dilating and thinning of the cervix. This is the longest stage, and some say the most painful. The second stage begins when you are fully dilated to ten centimeters and ends with the birth of your baby. The third and final stage is delivering the placenta. That's usually the shortest and most painless stage.

The First Stage of Labor: We'll go over everything involving your hospital stay in a different section. You will probably be doing most of you labor in the hospital, so knowing your hospital's routine will be important.

Once you're in a room, the nurse and/or doctor will be periodically checking on you to see how you are progressing. Hopefully you have decided on what, if any pain medication that you are going to have. For most medications, once you get 6 centimeters dilated there really is no point because by the time it kicks in the baby will be here.

You will probably be able (or even coerced!) into walking as this helps speed labor (and believe me, you want to speed it!!). The average time spent in the first stage of labor for the first child is about 12 to 14 hours of contractions. Don't let this scare you! You will make it through and the nurses will be right there to help you! (Besides, it's just the average. I had painless contractions on and off for three weeks and contractions that hurt for only five hours.)

There are a variety of different positions you can try to help ease your pain while in labor. A friend of mine felt best rocking in a rocking chair. I've heard that for back labor being on all fours is best. I felt best when I was walking. Whatever you do, the most important thing to remember is to relax.

Something else that can help is taking a shower. You may or may not be able to do this depending on if and how long you have to be on a monitor. (The monitor will measure the intensity of the contractions along with the baby's heartbeat and sometimes even when the baby moves.) Maybe you have a favorite game to play, or a craft that you can do. You may want to bring something to do to help keep your mind of the pain.

While you are having contractions, your cervix is getting thinner (effacing) and it is opening up (dilating). They measure how thin it is by percent and how open it is by centimeters. By the time you're ready to have the baby, you'll be ten centimeters dilated.

This is why you will most likely have a nurse or doctor checking your cervix periodically. Yes, that means he or she will actually be placing his or her hand up your vagina. It sounds a lot worse than it is. It's only mildly uncomfortable and by that time you will probably just want the pain to stop and the baby to be out so you won't really care. The more dilated you are, the closer you are to giving birth.

The Second Stage of Labor: This is usually called delivery or the birthing stage because that's what you'll be doing. For a first time birth, this stage lasts anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes. Some people feel that this is the worst stage, though personally, I had a much easier time once I hit ten and finally got the go ahead to push.

You'll be pushing during the contractions which may really be a relief. I know it was for me! Try not to tense up the muscles of your vagina and rectum as this may cause tearing. It will be very hard to relax, just remember that this is something that your body was designed for; your muscles and hips will give and open to let the baby through. Clenching won't help and may make this period longer. You must always remember to relax, as silly as that may seem to you at the time.

When you're pushing really isn't the best time to learn about an episiotomy (a slit cut at the opening of the vagina) and whether or not it's beneficial or routine. Get these questions cleared up with your doctor before hand!!

The Third Stage of Labor: Here's the easiest part! This only takes about five minutes and it's relatively painless compared to what you just went through. Of course, everyone is different and it can take longer and hurt more for one person than another.

If you tore or had an episiotomy during the second stage, this is when the doctor will stitch you up. He or she will administer a local anesthetic (I'm pretty sure about that, I'll have to check to be 100% sure) and give you as many stitches as are necessary. I was so numb by this time that I had no idea what my doctor was doing and I didn't particularly care. My little boy simply took all of my attention!

What's Happening to the Baby?

Well, that's about what you'll be going through. The baby's going through an awful lot as well, though! The little guy (or girl!) gets squished and pushed so badly that her/his head takes on a conical shape. He or she is thrust from the only world he/she has ever known into this bright ugly noisy world that he or she could never have imagined. To top it all of, the first thing they do is suction out the nose and mouth, rub ointment into his or her eyes and give her or him a shot and a test! A perfectly unpleasant experience, I assure you.

The suctioning is so the baby can breathe, the ointment is to prevent blindness from STDs (whether you have any or not, it's the law that the ointment be routinely administered no matter what), the shot(of Vitamin K) is because the baby doesn't have enough vitamin K yet, and the test is to determine how the baby is adapting. It's called the APGAR test (Named after Dr. Virginia Apgar, who devised it.) and it assesses the following five things: