It takes nine months to make a baby, and only a matter of hours to bring one out into the world. Yet it's those hours that seem to occupy the minds of expectant women most--more questions, fears, and concerns revolve around the processes of labor and delivery than around any other aspect of pregnancy. When will it start? More importantly, when will it end? Will I be able to tolerate the pain? Well, hopefully, this information will help you and answer some of your questions and possibly calm some of your fears.
Every woman's pregnancy is different. Thus, every woman's labor is different. Some are easy, some are hard. Some have very distinguishable signs that they are in labor, some can't tell. Here are some of the more obvious signs of imminent labor.
Other indications that labor will be soon aren't always as noticeable, but are just as important in the birthing process.
There are three stages of childbirth.
The first stage, labor, consists of three phases. The latent phase, the active phase, and the transition phase. The latent phase is usually the longest and, fortunately, the least intense phase of labor. Contractions in this phase usually last 30-45 seconds. They are mild to moderately strong ranging between 5 to 20 minutes apart. The contractions in this phase are often compared to menstrual cramps. This phase usually lasts an average of 6 hours when the cervix is dilated to 3 centimeters.
The second phase, or active labor, is usually shorter than the first phase, lasting an average of 2 to 3 1/2 hours. Contractions are longer, stronger, and more frequent. Generally three to four minutes apart and lasting 40-60 seconds. This ends when the cervix is dilated to 7 centimeters.
The final phase of labor is the transition phase. This phase is the most exhausting and demanding phase of labor. The intensity of contractions picks up dramatically. They become very strong, 2 to 3 minutes apart, and 60-90 seconds long--with very intense peaks that last for most of the contraction. The final 3 centimeters of dilations, to a full 10 centimeters, will probably take place in a very short time: on average, 15 minutes to an hour.
The second stage of childbirth is pushing and actual delivery of the baby. This generally takes between a half an hour and an hour, but can be accomplished in 10 short minutes or in two, three, or even more very long hours. The contractions in this stage are usually more regular than those in the transition phase. They are still about 60-90 seconds long, but sometimes farther apart. Usually about 2-5 minutes apart and possibly less painful.
The final stage of childbirth is the delivery of the placenta. The worst is over, the best has already come. This stage generally lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. The placenta, which been your baby's life support inside the womb, will be delivered. You will continue to have mild contractions of approximately one minute's duration, though you may not feel them. The squeezing of the uterus separates the placenta from the uterine wall and moves it down so you can push it out.
Once this is done, any necessary care of tears or episiotomy will be taken care of. Some women report that care of the episiotomy, placental delivery, and aftercramps are extremely painful. However, of the women I have researched, over 93% hardly noticed the stitches, etc. because they were in such awe of their new baby.
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