Many women experience contractions throughout a pregnancy. These are common, though they can be concerning if a person is pregnant for the first time. When contractions happen before labor, the medical community calls them Braxton-Hicks contractions. The key differences between Braxton-Hicks and labor contractions involve their duration, frequency, and associated pain. If contractions seem to occur randomly and they are painless, they are likely Braxton-Hicks contractions.
Contractions that occur close to a due date are usually more frequent, longer-lasting, and painful. The time between contractions is an important indication of labor. When contractions start to occur regularly and cause pain, let a healthcare provider know. When pregnancy begins, a mucus plug seals the opening of the cervix. This plug will break apart and fall away as dilation progresses. When the plug falls away, it may look like discharge.
The color can range from clear to pink, and the plug may be slightly bloody. When labor is about to start, the membrane surrounding the baby can break and fall away. The water breaking is one of the most commonly recognized signs of labor. It can result in a sudden gush of liquid, or only a trickle. Some women may not notice because there is so little fluid.
The medical community calls this lightening, and it can occur anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before active labor begins. Contact the doctor about any signs of labor, such as regular contractions, cramping, or the water breaking. Depending on the extent of dilation, the doctor may recommend resting in bed or avoiding strenuous activity.
In a review , researchers studied the outcomes of 82 women admitted to the hospital for preterm labor. They found that 48 percent of the women who arrived with 0—2 cm of dilation delivered within the first 48 hours of admission.
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Tell us what you think Again, every woman and baby is different. The third stage of labor is perhaps the most forgotten phase. Once the baby is born, the placenta no longer has a function, so her body must expel it. The placenta is delivered the same way as the baby, through contractions. They may not feel as strong as the contractions that are needed to expel the baby. The doctor directs the mother to push and the delivery of the placenta is typically over with one push.
The third stage of labor can last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Putting the baby on the breast for breastfeeding will hasten this process. Once the baby is born and the placenta has been delivered, the uterus contracts and the body recovers. This is often referred to as the fourth stage of labor. On average, it takes about 6 weeks for the uterus to return to its nonpregnant size and for the cervix to return to its prepregnancy state.
The latent phase of labor comes before the active labor stage. We'll tell you what to expect, from how long it lasts to how to relieve the pain. Cervical effacement is an important step in bringing baby into the world. During pregnancy, your cervix is fully closed to protect your developing baby. When your baby is ready to begin the journey through the birth canal, your cervix dilates from fully closed to 10 centimeters. This process can take hours, days, or even weeks.
But once you hit active labor — about 6 cm dilated — it's usually just a matter of hours before you reach full dilation. Effacement is when the cervix shortens, becoming softer and thinner in preparation for your baby's birth. During pregnancy, your cervix is about 3. As your body gets ready for labor and once labor begins, your cervix gradually thins out until it's like a sheet of paper.
Providers describe effacement as a percentage, from 0 to percent. When your cervix is fully thinned, you're percent effaced. Effacement happens hand-in-hand with dilation, although effacement may begin first. As with dilation, it can take weeks, days, or hours to reach full effacement. Once your cervix is percent effaced and 10 cm dilated, you're ready to start pushing your baby out into the world.
Everyone is different. If this is your first pregnancy, your cervix may not start to dilate and efface until you go into labor and contractions begin. Or it may start to efface, but not dilate. Or, your cervix may start to efface and dilate gradually over several days or weeks toward the end of your pregnancy as your body prepares for labor. During labor, and sometimes before, your doctor or midwife may check your cervix to see how much it has effaced and dilated. He or she will do this using his or her fingers, and wearing sterile gloves.
Once your cervix has started to dilate and efface, labor is approaching. However, if you are just 1 to 2 centimeters dilated, or below 50 percent effaced, it could still be days or weeks before labor actually starts.
To know when it's time to head to the hospital or birth center, you'll need to watch out for other signs of labor. You may not feel anything when your cervix first starts to efface and dilate, especially if the process begins before you go into labor. As labor approaches, cervical effacement may be accompanied by pre-labor symptoms such as:.
Once labor is fully underway and your cervix moves toward full effacement and dilation, you'll experience accompanying labor symptoms such as regular, more intense contractions. Your water will "break" if the amniotic sac that surrounds your baby ruptures. When your cervix is 1 cm dilated, it means your body is preparing for labor, or is in the very early stages of labor. It's impossible to know how quickly your cervix will dilate further.
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