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Actually, how do you know when labor is starting if you have never given birth? Take it easy, some symptoms of labor are hard to be overlooked or confused with. We advise on how to recognize the upcoming labor and how to distinguish labor contractions from those that do not herald delivery.

- I woke up in the middle of the night - I felt pain. I had no doubts that it waschildbirth symptomsthatlabor begins- says Anna, mother of little Kasia. Some women do have a sixth sense and know it right away. Perhaps it will be so with you. But before you find out about it, you will probably imagine this moment and think how it will turn out, what you will feel then, or you will quickly find out and get to the hospital on time.

Concerns that you will miss and give birth at home or on the way, don't bother yourself. Such situations are very rare during the first birth. First labor usually takes 8-10 hours and women usually arrive early rather than late. You have known your doctor's due date for a long time, but remember that this is an approximate date. You might as well give birth two weeks earlier or later - it's within the normal range. Therefore, do not attach too much importance to the calendar. There are other ways to recognize an impending delivery. It is heralded by regular uterine contractions. But before they occur, other birth symptoms usually (but not always) appear. However, they can occur at different times and in different order, and you may not notice some of them or … you will miss them.

Signs of labor: lowering abdomen

In the last weeks of pregnancy, the baby's head usually slides towards the pelvic floor, taking a comfortable position for leaving the womb. This will make it easier for you to breathe, but you will feel an increased pressure on your bladder and the need to urinate more often. Sometimes the pressure of the uterus on the bladder is so great that it releases urine involuntarily - don't worry about it, just start using sanitary napkins.

The lowering of the uterus is externally visible - you can see that the abdomen is further down. But beware: sometimes, especially in subsequent births, the abdomen does not lower until it is delivered. So it's not as if you can be told by various "experts" that if your belly is high, it is still a long way from giving birth.

How to survive the firstlabor phase

Not every pregnancy lasts nine months. It is sometimes necessary to induce labor in advance for the he alth of the baby and mother. There are many techniques for induction of labor, e.g. gels and catheters to accelerate shortening and loosening of the cervix, administration of oxytocin, etc …

Signs of labor: mucus plug exit

Throughout the pregnancy, the cervix is ​​closed with a layer of thick, compact mucus that forms a kind of cork.

The mucus that closes the cervix is ​​usually colorless, but can also be brown, blood-stained. This is not a cause for concern.

This plug tightly protects the inside of the uterus against pollution, bacteria and viruses. When the cervix begins to dilate, the mucus plug comes off and is expelled to the outside. You may notice a lump of solid mucus on your underwear or feel more moist than usual in your vagina.

The departure of the mucus plug, although it will definitely occur, does not mean that labor is near, as it can happen both a few hours before delivery and several days - even up to 2 weeks.

Signs of labor: rupture of the fetal bladder

It's inevitable - it will come sooner or later. Most often it happens only when the delivery is well advanced, often you even need to help with it. But it can also happen several or several dozen hours before giving birth.

When the amniotic fluid is greenish, yellowish or brownish in color - go to the hospital as soon as possible, because a quick medical consultation is needed.

You will feel the water as a discharge from the vagina of a watery fluid - it may be sudden, or the fluid may ooze over a long period of time. It is important not to overlook it, which is not difficult to do, especially since urination is frequent during this time. Therefore, at the end of pregnancy, it is worth wearing sanitary pads to be able to check (by the smell) if it is urine or amniotic fluid in the event of a feeling of high humidity. This is important because when the waters break, you have to go to the hospital. It is worth taking a wet sanitary napkin with you - the midwife will then do a test to check what kind of liquid it is. Midwives advise not to use modern sanitary napkins before delivery, in which the absorbed fluid is bound to form a gel-like substance - then it is difficult to recover the material for testing, ordinary, traditional sanitary napkins are better. If the break-off of the waters is not accompanied by contractions, labor may not be fast at all - the decision whether to induce it is made by the obstetrician.

Diarrhea

A sign of imminent labor is also passing a loose stool - defecation often takes the form of diarrhea. This is the effect of prostaglandins - compounds secreted in the early stages of labor. By emptying the colon, the body prepares for what is about to happen - this will make it easier to push the baby out.

The most important symptoms of labor: contractions

The reliable, actually the only sure sign that your labor is near is your uterine contractions being regularly, stronger and stronger. Once you find out you have one, you will have no doubt that labor is about to begin. The difficulty is that a few weeks before delivery, the pregnant woman experiences the so-called predictive contractions. Their purpose is to stretch the lower part of the uterus so that the head can settle on the pelvic floor. They are usually short and irregular, may increase or decrease, and cause pain in the lower abdomen, but they disappear due to movement or changes in body position. And this essentially distinguishes them from labor contractions, which, when they occur, become more frequent, longer and stronger - no matter what you do: sit, walk, lie down, etc. do some tests at home.

  • Drink 1.5 liters of water - a filled bladder acts on the uterus like a warm compress; if the contractions continue - labor has started.
  • Take a warm bath and enter the bathtub for 30-40 minutes (to spend at least 3-4 contractions in it). If your contractions do not stop after leaving the bathtub, you can be sure that the "zero hour" is coming.

Watch your contraction pace

From the beginning of the contraction, measure the duration of contractions and the intervals between them. The first contractions are short (30-40 seconds), rare (every 15-20 minutes) and not very painful - they resemble mild menstrual cramps. They will intensify over time, but at a different pace.

The first time you give birth, it is usually several hours before it is time to go to the hospital. Sometimes, however, it is different. Therefore, you need to watch the so-called dynamics of contractile activity. For example, if you only have two contractions every 20 minutes, and then two every 10 minutes and they already start every 5 minutes - don't hesitate to leave. On the other hand, when, for example, rare contractions (every 17-20 minutes) last for 2 hours, you do not need to hurry. Then go for a walk, bake a cake to keep your mind occupied. Go to the hospital when your contractions are every 5 minutes, each lasting 45-60 seconds. Now the birth is really close.

Important

False alarm

  • irregular, occasional contractions
  • contractions of varying intensity - sometimes strong, sometimes weak
  • contractions lessen or less when you change position
  • no mucous or bloody discharge
  • the soreness is mainly felt in the center of the abdomen and groin

Real childbirth

  • contractions regular, more frequent: every 10, 8, then every 5 minutes
  • the contractions get harder
  • contractions do not lessen with walking or lying down
  • the contractions are accompanied by bloody vaginal mucus
  • the pain is felt in the lower abdomen and radiates to the entire abdomen and lower back

"M jak mama" monthly

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Childbirth