Still feel like you won’t know when to announce “It’s time”? Even the slightest contraction at this time makes you worried and panic? Stay calm, it can be a false alarm…
What is labor?
The process of delivering your baby👶 has three different stages. In the first stage, contractions start thinning the skin of your vagina and dilate your cervix. This stage has two phases2️⃣. In the latent phase, your cervix is slowly opening from 0 to 6cm. In the active phase, stronger contractions stretch your cervix further from 6cm to full dilation at 10cm.
The second stage begins when your baby’s head moves downwards into the vaginal canal and is ready to come out.👋 Push! You’ll be pushing during this stage.🏋️
The third stage is the shortest and easiest. After your baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, your uterus starts contracting again to separate the placenta from the wall of your uterus. You probably won’t notice this as you’re paying full attention to your new angel here.🤗
Early signs of labor
👶 Baby has dropped
Lightening signals your baby👶 is descending into your pelvis a few weeks before labor begins. If this is your first baby, lightening can be a good indicator that your baby is getting into position to make his exit so you should be prepared. In subsequent births, the process doesn’t often happen until you’re truly in labor.💪
You may catch your breath more easily👃 since the pressure is much lifted off your diaphragm. But you will need to pee more often because your baby is now pressing on your bladder.🚽
👶 Loss of the mucus plug
Mucus plug is a small amount of thickened mucus buildup within your cervical canal to seal off your uterus from the world during pregnancy.🤰 If you see the mucus coming out in a lump all at once or little by little as a vaginal discharge, it’s likely a sign that your cervix is dilating but it’s not the labor time yet.🙅♀️
👶 Bloody show
More vaginal discharge is being released thanks to your body’s increased estrogen. When your cervix starts to soften and dilate, you will probably notice pink or bright red blood called bloody show.🩸 Labor is imminent!
👶 Cervix started to efface and dilate
Effacement means the cervix stretches and gets thinner. Dilation means the cervix is opening and making ways for the baby. As your due date is near, your doctor👩⚕️ may do a vaginal exam during a prenatal visit to determine whether your cervix has stretched and opened.🩺
👶 Braxton Hicks contractions
Unlike true labor contractions, they are irregular and not painful.🙂 They often last for fewer than 30 seconds or up to 2 minutes each. You will feel a tightening of your uterus, the front of the lower abdomen or groin that comes and goes. If it comes more frequently or intensely, it may signal true labor is on its way but not always.🤔