Is it time??
This is the question that will ever be on your mind in the last weeks of pregnancy. Also on the mind of those around you. You may find people coming up to you, even weeks before your due date, saying, "Gee, you haven't had that baby yet?" However annoying, they mean well. Although the more you hear it, the more it seems that those last few weeks until baby makes his appearance just drag on forever.
Here are some of the things you can expect.
Six Signs that Labor is within a Few Weeks or Days:
1. Lightening: You can breathe again! The baby has dropped lower into the pelvis in preparation for delivery. While it is easier to breathe, the baby now is placing more pressure on your bladder – so it’s back to the bathroom again. In first pregnancies this can happen weeks ahead of time, while in subsequent pregnancies it can happen as late as early labor.
2. Bloody show: Loss of mucus plug: During pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus protects your cervical opening from bacteria entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to thin and relax, this plug is expelled. Some women think the plug will look solid like a cork, but it is actually stringy mucus or thick discharge. It can be clear, pink or blood tinged and can appear minutes, hours or even days before labor begins. It could even be several weeks before labor, as it can regenerate itself if it is expelled too early. Not all women notice this sign.
3. Rupture of membranes: Your water breaks: Only about 10% of women experience a dramatic gush of the amniotic fluid and even then it usually happens at home, often in bed. Sometimes the amniotic sac breaks or leaks before labor begins. This may be just a small trickle. This is a definite sign of impending labor – whether it happens on its own or is induced by your caregiver.
Until you see your physician or midwife do not use tampons, have sexual intercourse or do anything that would introduce bacteria to your vagina. Let your doctor know if the fluid is anything other than clear and odorless, particularly if it's greenish or foul smelling, because this could be a sign of infection. Your doctor should discuss what to do if your membranes rupture. Most doctors want to evaluate you and your baby as soon as the membranes rupture, because of the risk of developing infection. Your doctor may decide to induce labor.
4. Nesting: Spurt of energy: While most of your pregnancy you may be feeling exhausted, all of a sudden one day you wake up and can’t sit down. All you want to do is clean and get ready for the baby. Go with it, but don’t overwork yourself, as labor and delivery is hard work and you’ll need some energy for that too.
5. Effacement: Thinning of the cervix: During the last month or so, you will experience lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. While they seem like just practice labor, they do help to thin the cervix to get it ready for delivery day. Your doctor may check for dilation and effacement at your last few regular appointments, or he may just wait for you to present in labor or pass your due date.
6. Dilation: Opening of the cervix: Dilation is the process of the cervix opening in preparation for childbirth. It is measured during an internal exam by your physician or midwife, and is in centimeters, up to 10. Once you’ve reached 10 centimeters, you’re ready to deliver.
One SURE Sign Labor is Really Happening:
Consistent Contractions: When you begin to experience regular uterine contractions, this is the strongest indication that you are in labor. This is the time to keep track of exact time each one begins, and how long it lasts. These contractions feel like menstrual cramps or a low backache that comes and goes at 20 to 30 minute intervals. Gradually, the aching or cramping becomes stronger and lasts longer. Your doctor or midwife will tell you at what point they want you to call them, but it is most commonly when your contractions are 5 minutes apart.
Real Contractions…:
-
~ are regular
-
~ follow a predictable pattern (such as every eight minutes)
-
~ become progressively closer
-
~ last progressively longer
-
~ become progressively stronger
-
~ are felt starting in the lower back and then radiating around to the front or visa versa
-
~ do not slow down or stop with a change in activity or position.
There may be bloody show.
Membranes may rupture.
Your doctor or midwife will notice cervical changes, such as effacement (thinning), or dilation.
Natural Labor Induction Techniques
While pregnancy seems to go on forever, it seldom does. With your doctor or midwife's approval you may decide to use some natural induction techniques to bring on or augment a slow or stalled labor.
I always recommend these types of things over chemically induced/augmented labor. Since induced labor, before your body is ready, is a common reason for unnecessary C-section, be sure to discuss this with your medical caregiver and ask that your bag of water not be broken until labor is well established. That way, if it isn't working, you are not forced to deliver because of risk of infection.