After nine long months of waiting, the big day is finally here! Your baby is about to born. With all the joy and excitement you are feeling comes a little bit of apprehension and fear of the unknown. Here is an idea of what you can expect during your labor and delivery.
No one can predict when your labor will begin. It is normal for a baby to be born anywhere from three weeks before the date, to two weeks after he/she is due. How do you know when your labor is about to start? There are some signs that can indicate your baby is getting ready to enter the world. You may experience what is called lightening. This means that the baby has dropped. You may notice that your belly looks lower and that you are able to breathe a little bit easier. You may notice some discharge called bloody show. Diarrhea that is frequent can be another sign that the baby is on the way. Finally, contractions may start.
There are three stages of labor. Stage one has three phases. During the first, or latent, phase. contractions begin. The discomfort is still minimal. After the cervix is dilated three or four centimeters, you will enter the second, or active, phase. Things will get more intense and you will feel more pressure, as the cervix dilates to seven centimeters. Transition is the final part of stage one, where your cervix will become fully dilated.
In the second stage of labor, the cervix is fully dilated and the doctor will ask you to push. This is when the baby is officially born. The doctor will also clamp and cut the umbilical cord at this time. If you have chosen umbilical cord blood banking, the doctor will also preserve the cord so that it can be sent to the bank.
The placenta is delivered during the third stage of labor.
If the baby has trouble moving through the birth canal, the doctor may order a cesarean section. This is when the mother is put under local anesthesia and the baby is removed through the stomach. If contractions are too intense for the mother during normal labor, sometimes medication, in the form of an epidural, is given to ease her discomfort.
Just remember that women have been having babies since the beginning of time. Even when the mind is unsure, the body knows what to do. So relax and enjoy the process. After all, this will be an experience you will never forget!
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