What Your Friends Might Not Tell you About the Beginning of Labor
As this classic scene from Friends demonstrates, this is exactly
what happens when you go into labor: You feel a twinge of what may be a
contraction and that means labor has begun. It’s time to panic! Your
baby is coming. NOW! There will probably not be any time to get out the
door to a hospital or birth center, and that means anyone near you must
become an instant expert on delivering babies. Oh, and, let’s not even
mention the mess! You can always trust your Friends, right?
Well… maybe not in this instance.
Let’s talk about what the beginning stages of labor really look like.
In
many cases, it may not be so easy to decipher when labor has officially
started. Especially if you’re a first time mom that has never
experienced a contraction, it can be difficult to know when your Braxton
Hicks contractions, which can become more frequent near the end of
pregnancy, stop and when real contractions begin. You may also
experience Prodromal labor for several days before active labor starts.
Prodormal
Labor, which is also called false labor, produces contractions that
feel like stronger Braxton Hicks. However, unlike true labor, these
contractions are irregular. They may show up at the same time each day,
and last only for a few hours disappearing as quickly as they arrived.
The length of each contraction will also vary. When true labor begins,
your contractions will not go away. You will know the difference between
false labor and true labor when your contractions become stronger,
longer, and closertogether.
If you
experience false labor, it can be confusing and emotionally draining.
But, take heart! The work of Prodromal labor is not in vain. It can help
to begin the process of dilating and softening the cervix, which may
cause you to lose part of your mucous plug – this is a good sign that
true labor is coming! There’scertainly nothing false about the bloody
show.
So, what can you do if you’re
experiencing false labor? Take a hint from your body: it’s practicing
for the rigors of labor, which can be a cue for you to take some time to
practice your coping mechanisms,relaxation techniques, and breathing.
This is also be a good time to double check that you have
everythingpacked and ready to go, or to simply to take some time to
relax and enjoy some time to yourself before you begin your transition
into motherhood.
When true labor begins it’s
also not usually an emergency situation, which is how it’s often
depicted on TV or in the movies. During the early stages of labor, you
will likely have time to labor at home, take a shower, or even get some
time to rest before heading out the door to the hospital or birth
center. It’s true that there can be a lot of variability, but an average
length of labor for first time moms is between 10 to 20 hours.
Additionally, it generally progresses more quickly if you have already
given birth vaginally. So, there’s no need to start cutting sheets and
boiling water at the first sign of a contraction. If you are at all
confused about whether or not you are in labor, you can always give your
doctor or midwife a call; they will be able to answer any questions you
have and help you assess if it’s time to come pay them a visit.
And
of course, one thing you can always be sure of when it comes to your
labor, just like your Friends,your doula will be there for you.
