Signs And Stages Of Labor

Labor is the process your body goes through to deliver your baby. This process starts with contractions and ends with baby delivery. It can last hours, days, or weeks for your body to prepare for labor. Labor is different for everyone. It can even be different for each person’s pregnancies and deliveries. It can be hard to know when labor will actually happen. As you are nearing the end of your pregnancy and are getting ready for delivery each passing day can feel like a lifetime, which can make anyone anxious about when labor will actually start.

Labor Signs

There are some signs that labor may be a few weeks or a few days away.

One is noticing that your belly has dropped. This usually signifies that the baby has dropped down out of the abdomen and its head is fully in the pelvis. This can help you breathe easier as well as change the look or size of your belly.
You may notice an increase in vaginal discharge. Vaginal discharge changes throughout pregnancy. Near the end it may become thicker and stickier, it may also have a pink color or a brownish color.
Your weight gain may slow down. This can be due to the baby reaching its full term weight. Not all people will slow down in their weight gain so don’t worry if you don’t.
You may notice more trips to the bathroom, due to the baby being so low. You may also notice an increase in loose stools or diarrhea.
Nausea and vomiting are also early signs labor may be near.
You may have a sudden burst of energy and want to get things done and checked off at home. Your nesting instinct may be peeked getting all the things ready for the baby.
Cramps that feel like period cramps can also occur.
Loose feeling joints are also a normal symptom of labor beginning soon.
Fatigue is another normal feeling.

Labor Stages

Labor has different stages you go through.

STAGE 1

Early Labor

You will first start with early labor. Early labor is when the body is getting prepared to have a baby. Your cervix starts to dilate and thin. Early labor is your cervix dilating up to 6 cm. Early labor can be over a course of a few days.

Contractions may come and go, but you will start to feel them be more consistent. Early labor may be shorter for people who have already had babies previously. Signs of early labor are contractions that last for about 1 minute and are 5-15 minutes apart.

Cramps that are similar to period cramps can come and go for days leading up.

Pelvic pressure can occur due to the baby dropping.

You may also notice you losing your mucus plug, the mucus plug acts a seal over the cervix so as it starts to dilate it will fall out. Some people may notice the whole mucus plug come out at once, or pieces of it may start to fall off over the course of a few days.

Your water breaking can also be a sign of early labor, though some people’s water doesn’t break until active labor, or it may have to be broken by your doctor. Back pain specifically in your lower back can also be a sign of early labor.

Active Labor

The next stage of your labor is active labor. Active labor is when your cervix dilates from 6 cm to 10 cm. Contractions start to become stronger and closer together approximately 3 minutes apart. This stage can last between 4-8 hours depending. It is common for it to take about an hour for your cervix to dilate one centimeter. You may notice pain, cramping, or pressure in your lower back and legs.

If your water hasn’t broken yet, your doctor may break your water, or this may be when your water breaks naturally. You may have the urge to push. If you feel like you need to push but your cervix isn’t fully dilated you may be told to wait. Pushing before you are fully dilated may exhaust you and tire you out before it is time to really push.

During active labor it can be helpful to change positions, take a warm shower, walk around if possible, have counter pressure massages, and to practice your breathing with your birth partner.

STAGE 2

After active labor once your cervix is fully dilated and effaced, or thinned you will be able to start pushing to deliver your baby. This stage can take a few minutes to a few hours. How long you push or how many times you push depends on the pregnancy. Your doctor will help you know when to push with each contraction.

STAGE 3

After your baby is born your doctor will need to deliver the placenta. This usually takes place within 30 minutes of delivering your baby. You usually don’t need to do much during this part. Just relax and hold your baby. As long as the doctor can deliver the placenta in one piece there are no other complications or problems.

Takeaway

It can be hard to know when labor is coming. It can vary between people and even vary between pregnancies. There is no specific checklist on what has to happen for labor to begin.

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