You may want to start timing your contractions when you think labor has started to see if there is a pattern. You may also want to time contractions for a bit after there has been a change in how the contractions feel.
That can give you a better idea of how much time you have to rest between each contraction. It can also help you decide when to go to the hospital. Keeping a written labor log can help you see the pattern of your contractions.
Partners and labor companions usually are the ones who time the contractions and keep the log. However, it is more important that you get the labor support you need than to have a complete labor log. When you call your health care provider or hospital, you will need to give information about the duration and frequency of your contractions and about how long this has been the pattern. Timing contractions. Here are some terms you can use to describe the pattern of your contractions: Regular contractions.
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Tell us what you think Thanks for adding your feedback. All rights reserved. Close Sign in. During your pregnancy, a mucus plug accumulates at the cervix to seal off the cervix and protect your baby from infection.
When your cervix begins to open wider to prepare for the birth of your baby, the mucus is discharged into your vagina. The mucus will be clear, pink, or slightly bloody. During early labor, you will most likely experience irregular contractions that are mild enough that they do not interfere with your normal activities.
These early, unpredictable contractions begin the process of opening dilating your cervix so that your baby can be born. As your body prepares for childbirth, the amniotic sac that has surrounded your baby during pregnancy usually breaks, releasing the amniotic fluid it contains.
When this happens, you may feel either a sudden gush or a trickle of fluid that leaks steadily. The fluid is usually odorless and may look clear or straw-colored. If your "water breaks," write down the time, approximately how much fluid is released, and what the fluid looks like. Call you doctor with this information. Not all women have their water break during labor.
Many times, your doctor will rupture the amniotic membrane in the hospital. During early labor, your cervix will gradually thin and stretch called effacement and open called dilation to prepare for the passage of your baby through the birth canal. How fast your cervix opens and thins varies from woman to woman and cannot be predicted with any certainty until active labor begins. In some women, this process may occur over a period of weeks. Dilation is expressed in centimeters from 0 to 10, with 10 being completely dilated or open.
Many women experience what is known as "false" labor pains or Braxton Hicks contractions. These irregular uterine contractions are perfectly normal and generally start during your third trimester of pregnancy.
If you think you are in true labor, begin timing your contractions. Write down the time each contraction starts and stops. Mild contractions generally begin 15 to 20 minutes apart and last 60 to 90 seconds. You should go to the hospital once you reach active labor. For most women, active labor is characterized by strong contractions that last 45 to 60 seconds and occur three to four minutes apart. Talk with your doctor about the best time for you to go to the hospital. For most women, the early stages of labor -- before active labor begins - are best experienced in the comfort of their own home.
While you are at home, there are several things you can do to help cope with any discomfort you feel:. Contractions move in a wave-like motion from the top of the uterus to the bottom and are different for each woman. Compared with early labor, the contractions that occur once you enter active labor are more intense, more frequent every two to three minutes and longer lasting 50 to 70 seconds each.
As your contractions intensify, you may:. The strong contractions you experience during active labor are your body's way of pushing your baby through the birth canal. During the birth process, your contractions may slow down to every two to five minutes, lasting 60 to 90 seconds. Other things you may feel as your baby passes through the birth canal include:.
The pushing stage of labor can be as short as a few minutes or can last for several hours, especially for your first birth. The doctors and nurses will be there to make you feel as comfortable as possible and to offer support, guidance, and pain relief. After you deliver your baby, your mind and your body may have different agendas.
You will want to hold your baby; however, your uterus will be busy contracting as the placenta detaches and passes through the birth canal. Your contractions will continue until after the placenta is delivered. Your doctor will make sure the entire placenta has been detached and delivered.
Each woman's labor is unique. Pain depends on many factors, such as the size and position of the baby and the strength of contractions. Some women take classes to learn breathing and relaxation techniques to help cope with pain during childbirth.
Others may find it helpful to use these techniques along with pain medications. The decision to use medical pain relief is entirely yours and there is no "right" or "wrong" choice. During prenatal visits, talk with your doctor about your labor and delivery options. To make your preferences clear, create a written birth plan bearing in mind that labor and delivery are unpredictable, so it is best to be flexible with your choices.
There are two types of pain-relieving drugs that can be used during labor and delivery - - analgesics and anesthesia. Analgesics relieve pain without total loss of feeling or muscle movement. They do not always stop pain completely, but they do lessen it dramatically.
Anesthesia blocks all feeling, including pain, and some cause you to lose consciousness. Some women need little or no pain relief, and others find that pain relief gives them better control over their labor and delivery. Talk with your doctor about your options. Regional anesthesia tends to be the most effective method of pain relief during labor and causes few side effects. Types of regional anesthesia used to decrease labor pain include epidural anesthesia, spinal blocks, and combined spinal-epidural blocks.
Epidural anesthesia, sometimes called an epidural block, causes some loss of feeling in the lower areas of your body, yet you remain awake and alert. An epidural block may be given soon after your contractions start, or later as your labor progresses. Your doctor will determine the proper time to give the epidural. Pain relief will begin within 10 to 20 minutes after the medication has been injected.
A spinal block, like an epidural block, is an injection in the lower back. While you sit or lie on your side in bed, a small amount of medication is injected into the spinal fluid to numb the lower half of the body.
A spinal block brings good relief from pain and starts working fast, but it lasts only an hour or two. A spinal block usually is given only once during labor, so it is best suited for pain relief during delivery. A combined spinal-epidural block has the benefits of both types of pain relief.
The spinal part helps provide pain relief right away. Drugs given through the epidural provide pain relief throughout labor. Unlike analgesics or regional anesthesia, general anesthetics are medications that make you lose consciousness. If you have general anesthesia, you are not awake and you feel no pain. General anesthesia often is used when a regional block anesthetic is not possible or is not the best choice for medical or other reasons.
It can be started quickly and causes a rapid loss of consciousness; therefore, it is often used when an urgent cesarean delivery is needed. Most women give birth between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy.
To help you prepare for the birth of your baby, we suggest doing the following prior to going into labor:. Once you reach active labor, it is just a matter of time until your baby is born.
Of course, no one knows exactly how much time. First babies generally take longer to be born than subsequent babies. When your doctor determines that your cervix is fully dilated and that your baby is moving down the birth canal, you will most likely be moved to a delivery room. However, in some hospitals, you will remain in the room in which you've been laboring for your actual delivery. The doctor and nurses will be there to make you feel as comfortable as possible and to assist with the delivery of your baby.
Your selected support person s will also be there to offer assistance and comfort. After preparing for the birth by washing your vaginal area with an antiseptic solution, you will be encouraged to get into the position that feels the most comfortable to you. The nursing staff and your support person may hold your legs in a comfortable position to help you push.
Your doctor will instruct you when and how hard to push. When your baby's head is first seen at the opening of your vagina, it is called "crowning. Depending on what you have requested and your doctor's recommendation, your doctor may massage your perineum the area between the bottom of the vagina and the top of the rectum and gently try to stretch it in order to fit your baby's head through without tearing this area.
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