Am I in labor?
By: Julie Fletcher
Once you have reached the final stage in your pregnancy, the thing that occupies your mind most is the labor process. As you wait in anticipation for the birth of your new family member, you will be sure to find a number of sources willing to provide you with all sorts of information regarding the stages of labor and how to work through them. No matter if this is your first child or the fourth, the expectations of labor can be scary since the unknown can bring a variety of results that you have not yet experienced.
There is no one perfect way to labor through the birthing process for a woman. There are a variety of ways that a woman can progress through the stages of labor successfully. Each is separate and may not work well with some women, while others will swear by their achievements. If you are aware of the many different styles to use while in labor then you can guarantee to find one method that will work for you when the time comes.
There are three separate stages of labor, each with its own set of symptoms and time durations depending on the woman herself. The first stage of labor many women will progress through quite easily without much discomfort or pain. This stage can give you many indications, such as an increase of Braxton-Hicks contractions, losing your mucous plug, having ruptured membranes, even having an upset stomach or even just an overall feeling of being uncomfortable and restless. This stage can last quite a long time and it is recommended that you work through it at home in your comfortable and familiar surroundings. Contractions can be anywhere from 10-20 minutes apart and will continue to progress until they become closer apart and your cervix dilates in order to move onto the next stage of labor. Your cervix will dilate up to 3cm in order to begin the second stage and bring you to the active laboring process.
The second stage of labor is when your baby will be born. Your cervix will dilate to 10cm in order to allow your child to move through the birth canal and enter the world. There will be no doubt that at this time and stage you are in labor. Many women will have a variety of pain ranging from moderate to extreme depending on their own personal threshold and how they are positioned while in labor. Be sure to talk with your health care practitioner as to the many different methods to help to cope with the pains of labor. The second stage of labor can take anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours depending on if this is your first child or many other health circumstances surrounding the mother.
The third stage of labor is when your body will deliver the placenta that has been the life-support system for your baby while in utero. You will still have contractions that your body produces in order to peel the placenta away from the wall of your uterus and deliver it successfully. This stage can last anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, but has been known to take anywhere up to an hour as well. Many women find this stage quite easy compared to the second or active stage of labor where you deliver your child.