What To Expect During Labor
You can conjure up all the images in your mind of what to expect during labor, but if this is your first pregnancy it will ultimately be nothing like what you expect. This is because some women expect it to be extremely painful and a long and arduous process, while other women expect it to be easier than it actually is. The truth of course lies somewhere in the middle, and as you may have already heard before, no two women go through labor in the same manner.
What To Expect During Labor And Delivery
As your due date gets closer, you will start to experience pains in your stomach that feel almost like menstrual cramps, but these are in fact known as Braxton Hicks contraction. These types of false contractions lead many women into falsely believing that they are going into labor. However, these contractions have actually been there all along since early in your pregnancy. It is usually around this time that your body can feel these contractions more intensely.
You will have to learn how to distinguish between these contractions and real contractions, to save yourself a needless trip to the hospital. A Braxton Hicks contraction again will feel more like a cramp in your lower abdomen and these contractions will have no real pattern to them. With a real contraction you will feel it not only in your lower abdomen, but also in your lower back as well. These contractions will get more and more intense as time goes along and will also come in regular intervals.
Once you start having your real contractions, you will want to time them. You should record how long the contraction lasts, and how long it takes from the start of one contraction to the start of another contraction. Whenever your contractions get to be around five minutes apart, you will want to leave for the hospital.
At this point in time you will be admitted into your room and most likely be attached to monitor that will help record your contractions and the heartbeat of your baby. This way the doctor and nurses will be able to track your contractions and know if your baby is in distress or not.
Your doctor will also most likely discuss with you the possibility of having an epidural injection. This is of course a personal decision and one you may have already discussed with your doctor, but keep in mind that even if you stated in your birth plan you want to have a natural birth, it is your doctor’s responsibility to make it known that this option is still open to you should you decide to change your mind.
You will also want to have your doctor go over the proper way to push whenever you are fully dilated. In many cases you will have the nurse show you how to push, but it is extremely important to have the doctor go over the proper pushing technique with you personally. Don’t be afraid to ask for his or her help, as this is an extremely vital part of labor.
You will most likely want to take in some type of card games, crossword puzzles, magazines or something to help distract you while you’re in labor. However, some women may be too uncomfortable to focus on anything but their breathing.
At this point in time it is just a waiting game until your contractions grow close enough for you to be able to push. For some women they can literally deliver their babies within an hour of being admitted to the hospital, while others can stay in labor for hours on end.
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