Understanding Labor - Knowing the Signs and Stages

It’s been a long nine months and you’re closing in on the final weeks of your pregnancy. If you aren’t sure what to expect in the final weeks, it’s important to know what you should be expecting and looking out for. Below, you will find many signs that will indicate your baby is coming soon along with the different phases of labor and delivery.

Signs of Labor

• The baby has “dropped.” This is one of the very first signs that you will notice when you will be soon be going into labor. You will feel a little bit lighter in the stomach area about a week or two before your labor begins. Rather than your stomach feeling heavier, your pelvic area will feel heavier instead. Your ribcage will have a lot less pressure on them which will make breathing much more simple.
• Braxton Hicks Contractions. This is a sign that you are going into pre-labor. These are contractions in the area of your uterus. You will notice them about six weeks before you go into real labor. The more that you feel these contractions, the closer you are to the delivery.
• Changes in your cervix. A week or so before you begin the process of your delivery, you will notice that your cervix will begin to soften. This is so that it can open up more for the baby to come out safely.
• Bloody show. This is when your mucus plug passes, which is a small amount of mucus that was sealed to your cervix during your pregnancy. The plug can come out in different amounts of vaginal discharge or it can come out all in one lump. The color will be a pink, red or brown color.
• Water breaks. This is the sign that tells you it’s time to get a move on get to the hospital. What happens when your water breaks is an amniotic sac that is filled with fluid will rupture. This is what your baby is surrounded by. When it ruptures, your vagina will leak a lot of fluid whether it all comes out at one time or in small streams.

Different Stages of Labor

Stage #1: Early Labor
This is when your cervix starts to dilate and you begin to open up so that your baby can come out easily. During early labor, you will experience contractions about once every twenty minutes or so that will last for about 30 seconds. This is when you will see your bloody show that we discussed before.
Stage #2: Active Labor
During active labor, your contractions will start to grow closer together and may last longer. This will last about two hours, sometimes three or a more. By this time, you should be in the hospital. A contraction will come about every four minutes and will last 40 seconds. If getting an epidural, this is about the time that you have it put in.
Stage #3: Advanced Labor
This is the most intense part of the labor phases. However, it is the shortest part too. This should only last up to an hour and your cervix should dilate the fill ten centimeters. The contractions are very strong and will last about 90 seconds each time and are spaced out between 2 and 3 minutes. You will feel very tired, in a lot of pain, chills, sweating and a lot of pressure on your lower back.

The best way to give labor, no matter what stage you are in, is in a hospital. You want to be sure that there is a doctor and your midwife around to give you the proper care that you need. Your baby needs to be delivered in a safe way so that you and your baby are both safe and healthy. If you start to feel contractions, you should see your doctor just to be sure that you aren’t in early labor. You can read in my other articles about what your doctor will help you do during the birthing period of your child.

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