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Early Labor
Early labor begins when your cervix gradually starts to thin and open, you will be dilated to 4 centimeters by the end of early labor. Signs of early labor include, nesting, lightening of the baby or the baby dropping into your lower abdomen, bloody show, bag of waters rupturing, and labor pain. During this stage, you will not be in a lot of pain. You should not over work yourself, but continue everyday activity. Go on a walk, cook a meal, go see a movie or try to relax. If you cannot relax when you are having contractions, it is very important to relax in between contractions. Make sure you do not tire yourself out, because this is just the beginning and a woman needs a lot of energy to push out a beautiful little being. Do not start timing contractions at this stage. You are setting yourself up for a very long process that can take up to 24 hours, sometimes even more. I walked around three centimeters dilated for a week! So counting and timing at this stage is not important or necessary. Do not try labor techniques at this stage either, you will just exhaust yourself. Make sure you are eating and sleeping during early labor as well. If you are planning on having a medicated birth, you won’t be allowed to eat in the hospital, however, if you are having an unmediated birth, I would suggest packing birth snacks such as banana chips, Gatorade, vitamin water, or pretzel sticks, pretty much anything you would feel comfortable eating. At this stage, if you have not already, I would pack a birth bag. Make sure to bring extra pairs of clothes for both you and your spouse, clothes for baby, towels, washcloths (It helped me a lot to have a warm or cold washcloth on my head during labor), feminine pads, swim suit for spouse (for laboring in tub or water-birth), toothbrush (trust me, smells will bother you like crazy!) lip balm (my lips got so dry) camera, birth plan, batteries!!, massage oils, socks, blankets (you get hot then cold during labor) nursing bras, bathrobe, slippers, deodorant, shampoo, car seat, diapers, breast pump, breast pads, candles, music, and anything that you would like to bring with your to have during your birthing experience.
Active Labor
I have always told people when you are in active labor, you will not want to talk anymore and you won’t be able to distract yourself from the contractions. Most women will begin some type of repetition, rhythm and ritual at this point, she will repeat what she does during every contraction. During active labor, you will probably not be hungry as you were in early labor. Your body is not going to waste energy on non-laboring activities because it is preparing to push a baby out. Normal activity will subside at this point. Your contractions will be a lot more intense and closer together as well. Labor pains will probably be 5 minutes apart and 60 seconds long now and you will be much more focused on them. You will dilate from 4-8 centimeters during active labor. I would suggest having your spouse or doula call your midwife or doctor at this point.
Transition
In my opinion, transition is the hardest part of labor, because your contractions are longer and closer together. When you enter transition, you will want to give up, even though you only have 3 centimeters to go to get to full dilation. This is when most women ask for medical pain relief. You might vomit or get hot/cold flashes. You will be very sensitive to smells and might not want to be touched. You will not be able to relax at this point because your contractions are going to be 2 minutes apart and 90 seconds long. This is why relaxing and not overworking your body during early labor is crucial. You will need a lot of emotional support along with constant reassurance that you and your baby are fine. If you can get through transition, the rest is cake!
Pushing
This part was my favorite because I actually had control of something. I enjoyed knowing that I was helping push my baby out. Some women experience a rest stop after transition. This means that contractions stop for a while and wait for your uterus to catch up with your baby. Your baby will not be ready to come until he is snug against your uterus. Some women don’t enjoy the rest stop that others get, they immediately go into pushing, but good news is that your contractions are spread apart again. Some contractions you will feel the urge to push, other contractions you won’t. Women who push on their own will usually push for 6 seconds, rather than the 10 that they ask for in the hospital. I would not recommend directed pushing, because you will exhaust yourself if your body is pushing when you don’t feel the urge. Some women don’t feel the need to push, and that is fine. my advice is that you need to stand up and let gravity assist in pushing out your baby.
When your baby starts to crown, I would feel your baby’s head to give you some motivation to push. It helped me a lot. It will seem that the baby keeps going in and out while he is crowning, this is normal and don’t be discouraged! Some women describe crowning as a burning and stretching sensation, others find it to be pleasurable. Remember to breathe when the baby is crowning. Some women prepare for the crowning part of birth by perennial massage.
Birth of Baby
The reward of all your hard work during pregnancy and childbirth has finally arrived!! You see that precious little being with ten fingers and ten toes and what is your first initial feeling? Is it to put her in a lonely glass box? NO! it is to hold her and make skin to skin contact. This is so important for mothers, you must bond with your baby, not only for your benefit, but they have just entered this huge world and they don’t know why. All they know is that they are cozy in your womb and now they are in a big scary place with all these giants all around! Babies should breastfeed within the first hour after birth. One study indicated that breastfeeding your baby right after she was born can cut the infant mortality rate by 22%. Enjoy your baby!!
Birth of Placenta
Some women say this is really painful, for me I did not even know I was birthing my placenta because I was nursing Lizzie and I was told that breastfeeding would help shrink my uterus down to its normal size which was why I was feeling contractions. Some people do some interesting stuff with the placenta. Some people have a lotus birth, others cook the placenta and eat it, some bury it under a young tree, and others don’t want to look at it.
Definitions:
- Nesting-an urge to prepare the home for your newborn
- Dropping-your baby dropping deeper into your lower abdomen area, your
- Bloody show-discharge that is mucous like and tinged pink or brown.
- Bag of waters rupturing-sack of amniotic fluid around baby has broken.
- Labor pain-contractions, hormones are signaling to your uterus to open your cervix and push the baby out
- Repetition, Rhythm & Ritual- http://www.pennysimkin.com/acticles/Three_r%27s.pdf
- Perennial massage-massaging a pregnant woman’s perineum to avoid tearing during labor
- Lotus Birth-leaving the umbilical cord attached to the baby after the birth.
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Gabriella Cook
Childbirth Educator
Gabbynadine1@gmail.com
Atlanta, GA
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