Childbirth

Childbirth will vary for different women. Childbirth is both physically and emotionally demanding and many women are quite apprehensive about the whole childbirth experience. What can you expect to happen during the birth of your child, and what choices do you really have?

Labor can begin in a variety of ways. A woman's water may break; she may have back pain; or her contractions may simply begin. For others, an obstetrician may have scheduled a labor induction or Ceasarean section.

Even if you know you are going to deliver your baby by Caesarean section, it is important for you to attend some type of childbirth class. While many of these classes prepare women for natural childbirth, there are a lot of other classes that simply prepare women for what will occur as the due date nears and the delivery of their baby begins. There may be several different types of classes in your area, so choose the one that is best suited to your needs and your birthing situation.

You can never be too informed, so be sure you read as many books and magazine articles that pertain to labor and delivery. You can also ask your doctor if he has any informative pamphlets to give you. A great source of information will come from women, just like you, who are pregnant or have already given birth.

If you are going to have a vaginal delivery, there are actually several stages of labor that you will go through before your baby is born.

Early labor consists of the initial contractions that you experience. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between those practice contractions, which are Braxton-Hicks, and the real thing. Real labor contractions will come at regular intervals, and they will get progressively stronger. These contractions are working to open and thin out your cervix to ready the birth canal for the delivery of your baby.

While your contractions may start out at twenty minutes apart, they will eventually progress to around five minutes apart. The time frame for this will vary greatly for each individual. These contractions may last as long as a minute, and you may also notice the loss of your mucus plug during this time. Your doctor will instruct you beforehand on when to come to the hospital.

Active labor means your labor is really progressing. Your cervix will continue to dilate until it reaches ten centimeters, and your labor pains will be intense. If you haven't already done so, now is the time to proceed to the hospital. Your contractions are probably occuring every five minutes or less and lasting at least one minute. Your baby may drop into the birth canal and begin making her way towards your cervix. The time frame for this will vary widely for each woman.

Transition is the time in which you focus all of your attention on delivering your baby and coping with the contractions. You may feel an overwhelming urge to push and your doctor will let you know if you are completely dilated and thinned out. Transition may only last a few minutes, but it can also last several hours.

Once your doctor has determined that you are ready to push, it's really time to go to work! Depending on the birthing position you are in, the nurses and your labor coach may lift your back up during each contraction as you bear down and push. Pushing can take a few minutes or a few hours, and it can be exhausting. Your doctor may need to perform an episiotomy, which means he will widen the opening of your vagina by making a small incision. You can reduce your chances of needing an episiotomy by practicing perineal massage during your last few weeks of pregnancy. You can learn more about perineal massage at the[childbirth.org]web site.

Once your baby's head is out, the doctor will suction out his mouth and nose and search for the umbilical cord. You will be instructed to push again to deliver the rest of your baby.

Once you've delivered your baby, you're not quite finished! You still have to deliver the placenta. Your doctor may instruct you to push one more time as he pulls the placenta out of your body.

For some women, an obstetrician will schedule an induction of labor sometime before the actual due date. While the stages of labor will basically be the same, the onset of labor may be different. If you have a scheduled induction, you will be started on a synthetic hormone, such as pitocin, to stimulate your contractions. Your doctor can monitor how fast your IV drip will be. In many cases, labor pains begin at a more intense rate, and your labor may progress at a quicker pace.

If your doctor has scheduled a Caesarean birth for the delivery of your baby, you will not experience any of the above labor stages unless you unexpectedly enter labor earlier than the date of your surgery. A Caesarean birth involves cutting open your uterus and removing your baby through your stomach.

In most circumstances, your birthing partner can be with you, but he'll stand by your head. You will most likely be given an epidural or spinal anaesthesia. An epidural will numb you from your waist down, while a spinal anaesthesia provides further numbing. You shouldn't feel any labor pain once the anaesthesia takes effect. Your doctor will make an incision across your lower belly, and he will deliver your baby through this opening. After your baby is delivered, he will also pull out the placenta. A routine Caesarean delivery takes around thirty minutes to complete. While recovery time is typically longer for women who have had a Caesarean birth, most women are up and around within a day.

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