Birthing with Guinever

what do contractions feel like? December 6, 2009

Posted by guinever in : birth, labor, pregnancy , 3comments

3-women First time moms all wonder what labor will feel like and ask their friends what does a contraction feel like? How will I know when I’m in labor? Will it hurt? When do I know when to call my midwife or when to go to the hospital?

Some pregnant women are afraid of the potential pain of labor, afraid of the unknown. An important thing to remember about these sensations is that labor is a normal, natural process. This makes it different from any other pain you may experience. Remember that contractions last anywhere from 15-90 seconds depending on how far along your labor has progressed. Then you have several minutes in between each of your contractions so it’s not like you’re in constant pain for the duration of your labor and birth.

The best thing to do is just to take one contraction at a time.

what do braxton hicks contractions feel like?

just a little downward pressure
a little twinge near my belly button
menstrual cramps
indigestion
don’t really feel them at all
don’t hurt, just a little tightening

what do early labor contractions feel like?

all of the above for braxton hicks
a little pain that starts at my belly button then wraps around my hips
all I feel it is in my back, an annoying back ache that comes and goes
it hurts, but not too bad
sometimes takes my breath away

what do active labor contractions feel like?

pretty intense
a pulling at my cervix
intense inward pressure
can feel it all up front
radiates down my hips
my back just kills
a pressure wave and I’m just letting my body open up
like I’m working really hard
my breathing gets really fast and I have to concentrate to keep it under control

what do transition contractions feel like?

overwhelming
very intense
hurts a lot
can feel the contractions in my legs and I start shaking
like someone is twisting my cervix
the contraction starts in my front then gets stronger and more intense and stays like that for a long time before fading away

what do pushing or 2nd stage contractions feel like?

the same as before but now I have to bear down
like I need to poop
can’t stop pushing
burning right before the baby is born

what do 3rd and 4th stage contractions feel like?

really bad menstrual cramps
same as active labor contractions
wait a minute, didn’t I just have the baby? why am I still contracting like this?

what did your contractions feel like?

what are the stages of labor? December 6, 2009

Posted by guinever in : birth, labor, pregnancy , 3comments

Pre-labor refers to all the contractions that you have during your pregnancy the last few weeks of your pregnancy before “real” labor starts. These contractions are know as Braxton Hicks contractions. Some women don’t ever feel these contractions and that’s perfectly normal.

The first stage of labor is the part of labor where contractions open the cervix allowing your baby to be born. This opening is called dilating or dilation of the cervix. A further explanation of first stage is below.

The second stage of labor is when you feel the urge to push during contractions. When you push, you’re bring bringing the baby down and out so he can be born. The pushing stage can last anywhere from just a couple contractions to over an hour and even more. You might wonder how long it’s ok to push.

The third stage of labor is the time after the baby is born until the placenta releases from your uterus and with a final push, it is expelled. The placenta usually is born within a half hour after birth, sometimes only a few minutes, but taking an hour or more is still normal as long as you aren’t bleeding too much.

The fourth stage of labor is the first couple hours after the placenta is delivered where mom and baby are getting acquainted and the uterus continues to contract so it can shrink. Breastfeeding or just interacting with your baby causes contractions to continue, which is necessary for this involution of the uterus. Your nurse will rub your uterus and might show you how to do it. This will hurt, but is necessary to prevent unnecessary bleeding.

first stage of labor is divided into 3 parts

early first stage

Your contractions can be between 30-60 seconds long and can vary from 5 minutes to 20 minutes apart and jump around a little bit til a contraction pattern can be established. It is generally the part of your labor from 0-4 centimeters dilated. You can read more about how long it takes the cervix to get to 5 cm dilated or what does 2 cm dilated mean?

During early labor, the contractions might make you pause and stop what you’re doing, but they’re not very intense. It’s best to just ignore your labor as long as possible and try not to watch the clock. You are usually very chatty and running around doing last minute things before baby arrives in between contractions. It’s best to just go about your usual routine which could be staying in bed if labor starts in the middle of the night while your sleeping. As labor progresses, the contractions become longer and stronger and you phase into active labor. You can read more about early labor in this birth story.

active labor

During active labor, you’re no longer chatty. You are quiet in between contractions, getting ready for the next wave. You might start to vocalize or moan during the contractions. You might go lie down and get comfortable for awhile. Getting in the tub during this part of labor will help you relax and help labor to progress.

Active labor is the part of labor where medically speaking, you are from 5-8 centimeters dilated. Contractions are at least a minute long and usually fall into a consistent pattern of 3-5 minutes apart, but even this can vary and it’s normal to skip a contraction once in awhile.

This part of labor is where you have to concentrate on your contractions to get through them. This is where all your relaxation techniques that you’ve been working on come into play. It’s where you’ll probably ask for the epidural if you don’t want to go natural if you haven’t already asked for pain meds.

transition

Transition is the part of your labor in between active labor and the pushing stage. It’s where your cervix finishes opening up and you become completely dilated so the baby can be born. For most women, transition is the shortest and most intense part of labor, but not always.

Transition is the part of labor where you have the longest, strongest contractions that are the closest together. Women usually describe transition as overwhelming. Contractions can be 90 seconds long and only 2 minutes apart, meaning you only have about 30 seconds in between them to prepare for the next contraction. This is what can make it the hardest part–there isn’t a lot of time to focus and regroup after one contraction ends before the next one begins.

Emotionally, transition is a time of self-doubt and you need verbal encouragement from your husband, nurse, doula or other support person. This is the time where women planning a drug-free free birth wonder why they ever wanted to do that, but these thoughts pass and soon you start pushing.

I hope this has answered your questions about the stages of labor. Feel free to ask a question if something is not clear or browse the website for more pregnancy and birth articles.

if I didn’t dilate, am I doomed to failure the next time too? December 5, 2009

Posted by guinever in : birth, labor, pregnancy , 1 comment so far

I get a lot of questions on my website from women wondering about induction. This comment from a reader is an all too familiar scenario. Her induction eventually led to a cesarean birth. She writes,

Hello. I was induced on my due date with my first baby. I was only at 1 cm, had no contractions, nor had my water broken. After I was induced, I was in labor for about 19 hrs. My baby’s heart rate kept dropping because the contractions were putting too much stress, so I ended up with a c-section. I had only reached 2 1/2 cm of dilation at that point. I do NOT want another c-section. MY husband and I want to try for baby number 2. I want to know what my chances are of not dilating fast enough before the baby goes into distress again. Am i doomed with bad luck in not being able to dilate? Please help me understand this!

baby-feet I’m so sorry that this happened and that you feel that your body failed you. (((hugs))) You are a victim of the current obstetrical system that is quick to induce when it’s not necessary and when women are not ready for labor. Your next pregnancy is not doomed and you will dilate and you can have a vaginal birth. Make sure to choose a birth team who will “allow a trial of labor” and attend vaginal births after cesarean–VBAC– or better yet, plan a homebirth!

Unfortunately, situations like this happen everyday in labor halls. You were induced on your due date. The due date is not a magical day when the baby needs to be born by. The average length of first pregnancies is over 41 weeks if allowed to wait for labor to start on its own.Your body simply wasn’t ready for labor and the induction didn’t work. You were probably diagnosed with failure to progress. It’s as simple as that. Not every baby can handle the stress of a lengthy pitocin induction and will go into distress, necessitating a cesarean.

For next time, you can figure out if an induction is likely to be successful by finding out your bishop score or you can always just say no to induction. One of the things you can do to avoid a repeat cesearan is to prepare for a natural birth.

To answer the question, am I doomed to failure the next time if I didn’t dilate with my first pregnancy, the answer is no. A resounding no. Each pregnancy and labor are different.

mother of 5 talks about her baby carriers December 4, 2009

Posted by guinever in : babies, family , 3comments

Reading all about “kangaroo care” while I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to continue to carry my baby close after birth. I wasn’t really familiar with baby carriers and there wasn’t the vast selection 10 years ago as is there is today. So I used a sling which was ok and helped to distribute the baby’s weight, but I still needed to always have one hand on baby to feel safe.

When I took my training to become a childbirth instructor, several of the women had wraps like the one pictured to the left. I ordered one and used it for my next baby. I loved it and still do. Pictured here is a baby carry scarf from carry me close. These 14 foot long Guatemalan scarves are hand woven cotton, and are truly beautiful.

Made from similar fabric but utilizing rings is the maya wrap. There are many styles and fabrics to choose from. Their website includes instructions and a video. Plus maya sells slings for your little girls to use with their dolls.

When I had my fourth baby, a friend gave me a moby wrap which I loved even more because it was longer and made of a stretchier material plus they’re also a little longer so you can wrap it once more than is shown here for extra security. I love my moby! Check here for instructions on the many different ways to wear your baby with a moby. Also on the website is a demonstration video.

I love this step-by-step front wrap tutorial in pictures done by a homeschooling blogging mother of many!

If you’d rather not tie the carrier yourself, but prefer one with structure that you just buckle onto yourself and then slide baby into, the Ergo is an excellent choice that is ergonomically designed so you won’t get an aching back.

Ideally, the best thing to do is to go to a store and try on some baby carriers to see which ones you like best or you can browse the carriers available in the slideshow below.

on the radio August 6, 2009

Posted by guinever in : doula , add a comment

If you’re coming to my website from This is the Day , I just want to say thanks for listening. You can find out a lot more about doulas by reading my doula page or by going to DONA’s website.