Babies Tale

Labor is described as having three stages; the first stage, from the onset of progressing labor contractions until the cervix is completely dilated; the second stage, from complete dilation of the cervix until the baby is born; and the third stage, from the birth of the baby until the placenta is expelled.

A fourth stage, from after the delivery of the placenta until the mother’s medical condition is stable and safe, is also frequently mentioned.

The First Stage

The first stage is almost always the longest [two to twenty-four or more hours], usually starting slowly and then speeding up when the dilation of the cervix reaches four or five centimeters. Your contractions may not be clear and strong at first, but they will become longer, stronger, and closer together with time.

Much of your time in the first stage may be trying to figure out if you are in labor or not. It may be exiting and fun for you, or it may be a little scary. After all, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for, learning about, preparing for and dreaming of.

It is a mistake to become preoccupied with labor. If you can be distracted from your contractions, it is very unlikely that you are in very advanced labor [On rare occasions, women have been unaware of labor until the baby was about to be born! In these cases, there is no way to prevent a hectic scene unless a woman has had such a birth previously. Then she should watch carefully for any sign of labor-subtle, preliminary, or absolutely clear-and call the doctor immediately].

As labor progresses, there is no longer any question whether you are in labor. It quickens its pace and the contractions usually become painful. Once certain that you are in labor, go to the hospital or birthing center [or if the birth is to be at home, await your care-giver’s arrival]. Of course, if you have any concerns or medical problem, feel free to go to the hospital. Be sure to take your bag and needed items on hand.

You may become serious and quiet, focused on only one thing-your labor. Jokes are not funny, world events lose their importance. You need support, encouragement, help, and comforting gesture from your partner, doctor, and nurse.

You will probably have emotional ups and downs throughout labor. You may feel discouraged and may weep from time to time, but if you accept labor as it comes and understand what is happening and what to expect, you will be able to recover from these down periods and go on.

Arrival at the Hospital

On arrival, your first stop is usually the admitting office., where you are asked to read and sign forms and indicate how you will pay for your hospital stay. However, since hospital procedures vary considerably, prior to going into labor it is a good idea to check with your hospital regarding their admitting policies-especially for late night and weekend admissions.

From there you go to the maternity ward, where a doctor or nurse greets you, does a quick health check on you, assess your contractions and the baby’s condition, and does a vaginal exam to establish how far along you are in labor.

From then on, hospitals vary in their routine care for labor. The following chart describes common procedures. Feel free to discuss these procedures in advance with your doctor and express your preferences.

Besides the routines described in the chart, your nurse or doctor periodically takes your temperature and blood pressure and , if an electronic fetal monitor is not being used, listens to your baby’s heartbeat and feels your abdomen during contractions to determine how labor is progressing. He or she also stays close by, offering encouragement, comforting you and answering questions.

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