Labour Advice and Information from Pregnancy Informer

Labour is a process that is different for every woman and more often than not most women don’t actually fully understand when they are in labour as pointing out when it begins isn’t really possible and because of this doctors and midwives often get many phone calls off women who are unsure whether they are actually in labour or not. If you feel that you are in this situation, when you don’t really know if you are in labour, then don’t hesitate to give your doctor or midwife a call, after all that is what they are there for.

Labour can be stressful for both mother and baby, especially when contractions are occurring. A contraction causes discomfort to the mother in general and in relation to your baby, a contraction squeezes your baby tightly in your womb, causing the blood supply from the placenta to be interrupted; most babies cope with this perfectly well but there are times when the baby can become distressed.

Labour is more of process than a single event, when a number of changes in your body work together to help deliver a baby. If you are in labour then one or more of the following are likely to happen:

• Your cervix will become progressively thinner and softer and dilated, it could become dilated by up to 10 centimetres
• Contractions will occur at regular and then shorter intervals and become longer and stronger in intensity as they go on
• Many women have a persistent lower back pain, which is often accompanied by a premenstrual cramp feeling
• You may notice the appearance of a bloody show, which is a brownish or blood-tinged mucus discharge. If you pass the mucus plug that blocks the cervix, labour could be imminent or it could be several days away. Either way it shows that the baby is on its way
• Your waters break, but your most likely only in labour if it's accompanied by contractions

When you first go into labour it is a good idea to make sure that you drink plenty of fluid as well as alternating between walking and resting. You may also want to take a warm bath to ease aches and to give you some rest to prepare you for the birth.

If you have gone into labour and you are now in the hospital you will meet the midwife who will be looking after you and the baby and they may do some basic checks, which could include:

• Listening to your baby's heartbeat
• A vaginal examination to see how far your cervix has dilated, which gives an indication of how far your labour has progressed
• Checking your blood pressure

The length of your labour can vary, in some cases it is over relatively quickly, in others you may be in labour for hours or even days. If you would like to know more information about the labour process then contact us here at Pregnancy informer and we will be happy to help you in any way that we can.