What are the signs of labor?

A birth can really only start in 2 different ways: With water breaking or contractions. That said, there are several signs that birth is approaching.

Baby's head is stuck in the pelvis

Around week 35 of pregnancy, your midwife will check to see if your baby's head has settled into the pelvis - and yes, it's a positive thing if it settles into the pelvis. This means that the space in the uterus is getting tight, and the baby is now looking down into the pelvis. The baby can still rotate on its axis, but can no longer do somersaults.

The baby's settling into the pelvis is a sign that birth is approaching, but it can still be weeks before the baby announces its arrival.

Stomach sinks

If you have given birth before, it is not certain that the baby will settle into the pelvis, but you will probably feel your stomach sinking and the baby filling the pelvis. It may feel like you have a football between your legs, even though the baby is not on its way out yet.

For most women - whether you've given birth before or not - the belly sags a little a few weeks before the birth. This gives you some extra well-deserved lung capacity. This is because the baby is further down in the pelvis now and therefore takes up less space against your lungs.

The mucus plug goes

The mucus plug is a secretion plug that sits in the cervix and protects against bacteria that would otherwise be able to climb up into the uterus. The mucus plug can go both days and weeks before the actual birth. You can read more about the mucus plug here

Character bleeding

Spotting is a small amount of fresh bleeding from the vagina. The blood comes from small blood vessels that rupture as the cervix and mouth of the uterus prepare for birth.

Spotting can be seen as a few drops of fresh blood on the paper when you wipe, or as fresh blood in your panties. It can be very frightening to see blood after months without a period. Perhaps you had some bleeding episodes early in your pregnancy, where you were afraid of miscarriage. Seeing spotting can stir up emotions and old fears. And can also cause excitement and nervousness about the impending birth.

Wear a panty liner in your panties to make it easier to observe. If you bleed more than a 5-kroner drop of fresh blood at one time, contact the maternity ward.

Spotting can occur days or weeks before birth. It can also occur after lovemaking or in connection with strong contractions. If you are worried, it is better to call the birthing center too often than not enough. Talking to a midwife for 5-10 minutes can be very reassuring. And calmness and security are important ingredients on the way to birth 😉

Water outlet

About 10% of births start with water breaking. In American movies, water breaking happens with a huge SPLASH, and then the woman stands in a lake of amniotic fluid. It can also happen in real life. But for the vast majority of women, water breaking is much calmer than in movies. Sometimes so calm that you may be in doubt whether your water has broken.

Water breaking means that the two membranes have broken. This means that the amniotic fluid can gush or trickle out. And that there is an opening for bacteria to crawl in to the baby. Therefore, it is important to inform the birthing center that your water has broken. They must be informed about both

the time of your water breaking, the smell and possibly the color of the amniotic fluid. If you are in doubt about whether your water has broken, they will ask you to put a pad in your panties and watch for a few hours. If there is still doubt, you will be invited in for a check-up.

Amniotic fluid continues to be produced until the baby is born. This means that the baby will not be in a dry uterus.

When your water breaks, a hormone is released, which for some leads to contractions within the first few hours. If contractions do not occur on their own, the birth center will recommend placing a labor-stimulating drip. How quickly it is recommended to be placed varies slightly from birth center to birth center. The desire is for the baby to be born within 24 hours after the water breaks to minimize the risk of infection in the baby.

Labor

90% of births start with contractions. Contractions are the uterine muscles that contract in rhythmic movements, starting at the top and rolling down over the uterus, down towards the vagina. Then the direction is set for the baby 🙂 The contractions first have the task of opening the cervix and helping the baby down through the pelvis and then pushing the baby out through the birth canal (vagina). As the cervix opens, the contractions become stronger and stronger.

One thing is key to know and remember about labor: After a contraction, there is a pause in labor. And often the pauses are longer than the contractions themselves. Thus, there is often more pause than labor during a birth. It can be good to keep your mental focus on this during labor.

As labor progresses, the contractions become longer and stronger and the breaks shorter.

Contractions are divided into 5 different types:

Start-up pains

Here the contractions are uncoordinated in both duration, strength and interval. Some will be in doubt whether they are picking contractions or real starting contractions. Gradually you will no longer be in doubt. You can still talk about the contractions. They may murmur over the lower back or in front over the pubic bone. A shower, a hot water bottle, massage or movement can be nice at this stage.

This labor phase can take up to several days for a first-time mother with on-off contractions. If you are a multiple-birth mother, it will often take hours.

Dilation contractions

You are in active labor when your cervix is ​​3-4 cm dilated and you have good, regular contractions that you can no longer talk about. Now you need to concentrate on your breathing during the contractions. The contractions gradually increase in duration, strength and frequency. Typically, the contractions will last 1 minute and with breaks of 1-5 minutes. The strength gradually increases. It is during this phase that many people want and receive pain relief - there is a wide range of different offers and combinations. The midwife will always guide you based on you and your ongoing labor.

As a rule of thumb, you dilate 1 cm per hour when you have dilation contractions - and yet it is important to point out: No “rule” without exceptions

Transitional pains

Here your cervix is ​​about 8-10 cm open. For many, this is the most intense time in labor. The contractions take on an extra boost in intensity, you have been in labor for hours and many people hit a mental and physical wall here. It often makes the midwife smile in

the corner of your mouth, because she knows it's a sign of how far along you are in labor. Many women ask for an epidural - the strongest form of pain relief - at this point. But now you're so far along in labor that it's too late. At this stage, it's position changes, movement, baths, nitrous oxide, massage and lots of cheer and love that will do.

When your cervix is ​​fully dilated, the baby's head must descend onto your pelvic floor before it's time to push. For some, this becomes a sort of in-between phase of up to a few hours, where patience is really put to the test. In other births, it only takes a few contractions before the baby is on the pelvic floor and the pushing contractions start.

Pressing presses

The contractions start in one of two ways: Either by pressing a switch and the now familiar contractions are over and the contractions are turned on. Or there is gradually more and more pressure on your otherwise familiar contractions. Many women experience being more present and mentally alert during the contraction phase. Most find it liberating to finally be able to do something active, namely follow the body's rhythmic pressure. Other women find it a bit overwhelming to experience SO much power (and maybe sound) in their own body. The contractions push the baby down through the birth canal (vagina) according to the principle of 2 steps forward and 1 step back. The midwife - and partners if desired - will gradually be able to see more and more of the baby's head during the contractions, after which the baby slides back into the contraction pauses. The contraction phase takes anything from a few contractions to just over an hour.

Once the baby is born, there will be a pause in labor lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. This is followed by a few milder contractions and the placenta is delivered.

Aftermath

Once both the baby and the placenta are born, you will continue to have contractions. They are called afterbirth contractions and are intended to minimize bleeding by causing the uterus to contract and gradually compress the area where the placenta has become attached. Most first-time mothers do not feel any afterbirth contractions. The more times you have given birth, the more you will feel your afterbirth contractions. Both in the hours after birth and when you are breastfeeding in the first few days. It is perfectly fine to take regular over-the-counter painkillers. Alternatively, it can be nice to have a heating pad on your stomach when you are breastfeeding.

Dear, no matter when and how your birth starts, I wish you a safe birth experience!

Most affectionately

Siff Stephenson, HeartMidwife