What You Should Know About Pregnancy: Labor and Delivery

This is one of a series of articles on pregnancy. For more information about pregnancy and birth options, see my other articles including my series on homebirth.

Labor and Delivery

Welcome to labor and delivery! You may be scared, but know that your body was meant to do this. Millions of women around the world go through labor and delivery each year with great outcomes for mother and baby, even in homebirths (which make up 1% of births in the US and are safer than hospital birth in normal pregnancy). Labor and delivery seems like it takes a long time, but in reality it is a mere blink in your child's life and usually takes less than a day. Compare that to even how long you've been pregnant and it's really a very short time.

Emotional Changes

You may feel afraid of the unknown (or the known, if this is not your first baby) as labor and delivery approach. You may be worried that the pain of the contractions will be overwhelming, and you may be afraid of how you'll act during labor and delivery. These are common fears, but have confidence that however you choose to labor should be the best way for you, and if you feel the need to make noise or get up and move around, you should follow your instincts because that's what you need to do. You may be worried that you won't bond with your baby, or are incapable of caring for your baby, but these fears are unfounded. Women all over the world birth and take care of their babies just fine.

You may also be anxious and excited to meet your baby. If you do, great! This is what labor and delivery should be all about, positive feelings about motherhood and your new baby!

Stages of Labor

First Stage: Contractions and dilation

Latent Phase: These early contractions are the real deal, and they are opening your cervix and preparing you for the heavier contractions ahead. Get practice breathing through them and staying ahead of them, they're a great way to prepare for the next phase.

Active Phase: The contractions are stronger and closer together. You're at least halfway dilated and you may feel the contractions are starting to get the best of you. If you've had pitocin to speed up labor, the contractions may be stronger with a harsher sense of urgency. Unfortunately, this is a side-effect of induction. Active labor continues until somewhere between 8 and 10 centimeters, when your body enters the next phase.

Transition: The contractions will be stronger, but may space themselves farther apart. Many women describe this as the most difficult part of labor, but fortunately it doesn't tend to last very long. Rest between contractions when you can, you're almost there!

Second Stage: Delivery

Pushing is instinctive, but learning to push effectively can be difficult. Picture a straight line from your neck to your cervix, and push straight down. Pushing may make the contractions hurt less, but you will start to feel another kind of pain as the baby emerges.

Some women push for minutes, some for hours. It's okay if your baby doesn't come right away. Keep your energy up and keep pushing. It'll all be over soon.

Ring of Fire: Such a pleasant name, isn't it? This is the burning pain you will feel as the baby emerges from the birth canal. It is a sharp, burning pain that feels kind of like stretching your lips past the comfort level. Fortunately, the pressure from the baby's head and pushing can get this pain over with quickly. The 'ring of fire' means your baby is almost here.

Third Stage: Delivery of Placenta

The third stage of labor can last minutes or hours. The contractions aren't as strong, and most women deliver the placenta within an hour, typically around 30 minutes after the baby is delivered if left alone. Most hospitals will manually remove the placenta, which can be uncomfortable and isn't natural.

You will feel an urge to push, but it won't be as strong as the urge to push your baby out. Delivering the placenta doesn't hurt because it is soft and spongy.

Remember to keep yourself hydrated during labor and delivery. If you're not in a hospital, you should be allowed to eat and drink as you want. Don't get overtired and worn out because you're not eating, if you can help it.

Try to find your safe place during labor, where you can go and focus inward on what your body needs to do. Imagining yourself opening up so that your baby can be born is great visualization, and keeping your muscles loose can make labor and delivery go by more quickly. Fighting labor really does slow things down.

Labor and delivery are tough, but when it comes to parenting...it's the easiest part. Are children worth it? Oh yes, they certainly are. If nothing else, remember that when labor hits.

Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy! Don't forget to check out my articles on homebirth. I'd also love to hear what you think about my articles, so don't be afraid to comment!