Childbirth: What to Expect

Posted on 5:45 am by PreggNet Team

Giving birth to a new life is a unique experience. It might be your second delivery but the experience is always different. You might have thought that labor is just giving birth to your baby but in medical text, the labor is divided in three stages each having unique contribution to your childbirth.

The first stage of labor occurs during the last few weeks of pregnancy. In the last few weeks pregnant woman will experience that the cervix has been gradually ripening and softening, it’s a normal state. The cervix will fully open at ten centimeters in diameter. This opening helps you to deliver normally. This stage can further be divided into early labor and active labor.

In early labor contractions occur for 20-30 minutes. Keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty of water and fresh juice. Take a walk or sleep for a while to get relief from early labor contractions. In active labor, your contractions will gradually increase and will not stop with change of movement or position and they will become progressively stronger.

The second stage of labor is known as birth stage. Your body will experience the urge to push the baby out. When you push your baby, at first head will come out and you will be guided by medical attendants to push more to fully deliver the baby.

You will complete the third stage by delivering your baby. In the last stage you will experience mild contractions but they will fade when you see your baby.