Labor: the symptoms and the 4 stages of childbirth
Labor is the phase that precedes childbirth, when the first contractions begin to occur and immediately after the breaking of the waters.Usually we talk about labor with regard to natural birth, because for the caesarean section, which is a particular surgical operation, the discourse is a little different. What are the symptoms and signs that mark the onset of labor? What are the stages?
In the video, Tata Simona described the stages of labor and all the moments before giving birth. Starting from the first contractions, with or without the breaking of the water, up to the most frequent contractions, and at the beginning of the expulsive phase.
The first symptoms of labor
How does labor appear at the beginning? What are the first symptoms? When, in the ninth month of pregnancy, you begin to feel pains in the lower abdomen, almost similar to those of menstruation, it means that you are beginning to feel the first contractions. However, care must be taken to recognize the true contractions from the "false" ones. First of all, the contractions occur at regular intervals, at the beginning very large (even an hour between one contraction and the other): when this occurs, it means that we are dealing with real contractions. In many cases, the initial stage of labor is indicated by the rupture of the waters. If the waters you are losing are clear, you can start going to the hospital calmly, while if the waters are more opaque or streaked with blood, you have to do it more quickly. Often one of the first symptoms of labor is the loss of the mucous plug. It is a thick layer that protects the fetus and uterus, and which begins to come off during the last few weeks before delivery. The total elimination of the mucous plug marks the beginning of labor.
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The 4 stages of labor from contractions to childbirth
Labor often does not start on its own, as in a natural birth. In some cases, to initiate it, it becomes necessary to manually break the water by the gynecologist or the obstetrician, or to use various methods to induce childbirth, that is, to stimulate it with medical help. Whether it occurs physiologically or with a little help, labor consists of the time span that goes from the first contractions to the actual expulsive phase. There are 4 phases of labor, the first contractions, the phase of active labor, the phase expulsive and the final stage.
The first stage of labor: the first contractions
Labor, with its first phase, begins with the baby sending chemical signals to the mother's body for the production of estrogen, which prepare the mother's body for childbirth. These estrogens cause the first contractions, pains in the lower abdomen due to "uterus that begins to dilate and prepare for subsequent transformations. The first signs can also wear off in a few hours, and not directly lead to actual labor. In fact, irregular contractions often occur, also called Braxton Hicks, which mark the pre-birth phase.
The second stage: active labor
The production of hormones continues, especially that of oxytocin, which stimulates the dilation of the cervix which together with the dilation of the uterus begins to create a birth canal, through which the unborn child passes through the vagina. Once the cervix has reached a dilation of about 4 cm, we enter the phase of active labor. The contractions become more frequent and more acute, the production of oxytocin contributes to further dilating the uterus, which prepares for the expulsive phase of the fetus.
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The expulsive phase of labor: the birth of the child
The cervix is dilated more or less than the size of the baby's head, the birth canal, with the flattening of the uterus and dilation of the cervix has formed, it is time to push. This is the expulsive phase of labor, in which the midwife regulates the mother's need to push at intervals, to avoid tearing the perineum. With the use of the breath and the indications of the midwife, the mother finally pushes and expels the fetus.
The fourth phase: the afterbirth
The thrusts that give birth to the baby do not, however, conclude the stages of labor: there is the last stage, the fourth, called afterbirth, in which the placenta and membranes are eliminated. It is obviously the phase that concludes labor and the experience of childbirth. The mother and the baby can prepare for a new life together.
Birth pains: a video explains how to deal with them
Labor is the most painful phase of childbirth, especially in its expulsive moment. To help you overcome the pain, there is an "anesthetic injection, the epidural," which is the most common solution adopted by many hospitals and delivery rooms. In this video, Tata Simona tells how to overcome the pains of childbirth, using the epidural, but also other solutions ...
