What happens when you go into labor?

Question

Moms, how do you know it;'s happening? how long does it take? Can you tell me about the whole experience?

Answer 1

It varies with each pregnancy...once it is all said and done it is worth the pain to bring your little angel into the world and when you hold your child in your arms for the first time then nothing else matters.

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My first child (girl) who is now 18, I did not have severe pain in my labor, I had discomfort about 12 hours before she was born with my belly getting tight and my lower back hurting. It was uncomfortable to lay down so I stayed up late to cross-stitch then went to sleep around 3:00am and woke up to my bed being wet from my water breaking. I was at the hospital for several hours before they figured out that she was breech and that I would have to be prepared for a c-section...she was born at 7:07am.
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My second child (girl) who is now 12...I was very sick during my pregnancy and they decided that it would be best for both of us if they induced my labor a week early. I had plenty of medicine to help with the pain, but since this was my first vaginal birth-it was exciting and scarey all at the same time. There was a lot of pressure when she was coming down the birth canal and when it was time for her shoulders to come out that was the most uncomfortable compared to her head, like I said I had plenty of meds so I really didn't have much pain. Also my water never broke on it's own and the doctor had to break my water with this long stick-it doesn't hurt or come in contact with the baby.
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With my son who is 6, I started leaking fluid almost exactly 24 hours before he was born and towards the end it was very painful to walk and I would feel short of breath and have to sit down. It took a while for me to dilate so they said that I didn't need to come in if my water wasn't totally broke (gushing) so I had most of my labor at home, which is something they strongly discourage now a days. Back then they said if I wasn't at least dialated to a 2 that they would send me home and we lived 40 miles from the hospital, so I made sure that I was further along by the time we left. When we arrived it was too late for any pain medicine and they also had to break my water the rest of the way and he was born naturally within an hour of arriving at the hospital.
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My last child a girl who is now 20 months old...I had an excellent pregnancy with her and then the day before she was born we went out to eat dinner and I started leaking fluid like I did with my son (it didn't gush) but this time it was not clear and had a lot of blood in it and I knew that it was time to go in. I had similar feelings of tightness around my belly and sore back and that it was hard to walk or breathe. By the time I was admitted they didn't think I was bleeding enough to be a concern until they broke my water the rest of the way (same as my 2 children above) and the bleeding increased and I had to be rushed into a emgerency c-section...my daughter was born at 1:03am that next day after I started feeling the labor pains. Also in all the hours I labored I never dilated past a 3, so I was bound to have a c-section even if the blood wasn't an issue.
(I gave them permission prior to surgery to tie my tubes after my daughter was born.)

Extra Info:
For the c-sections it only took about 10-15 minutes to get my daughter's out, but then it took about 30-45 minutes to be stitched back up with my first and then about a hour or so with my last cause of my tubes being tied before closing. I was so tired with my last child-after she was taken out- I briefly fell asleep on the operating table to soft music in the background and the doctors and nurses talking amongst themselves.
The contractions will continue, but not as strong- after the baby is born vaginally to be able to expel extra fluid and the after birth aka placenta which can take up to 20 minutes.
Sometimes the doctor will tug on the embilical cord to loosen it from the walls of the uterus. The afterbirth is slippery and smooth and usually comes out with no problem or heavy pushing. Some doctors for safety reasons may take a tool to scrap the inside of the uterus afterwards to make sure any pieces of the placenta was not left inside.
Even after you are released from the hospital, you will still have minor contractions/cramps which is your uterus healing and going back to it's normal state/size, which will take several weeks. That is why the doctors recommend that you limit your activity for the first 6 weeks after a vaginal birth or after 8 weeks for a c-section.

Answer 2

Obviously I've never been in labor, but I've witnessed it enough times to give what I think is a qualified answer.

During the gestation period there are many signals that your body provides for the changing conditions as your baby prepares for birth. The production of milk is a good example. When all of the signals say that you're ready for birth, spontaneous contractions of the muscles around the womb begin. At first they may be 30 minutes to an hour apart. These early contractions usually "break the water" which is a sac of amniotic liquid surrounding the unborn baby. As labor progresses the contractions become stronger and closer together. The pressure of the contractions "effaces" the cervix, which means that it gets thinner and the opening enlarges. When everything is right, the cervix is opened far enough for the baby to pass through and the contractions are strong enough to move the baby down the birth canal, the baby is born!

Answer 3

The baby would eventually die. At some point the placenta will stop functioning as it's formed to only function for a period of time. It is not a "permanent" organ. That's why they will usually induce you by 42wks. Good question! By the way, just to those that think the baby would eventually come out on it's own - you should go to the discovery health channel website and look up the story of the woman who had a calcified baby in her womb. Her baby died and somehow she "forgot" about it and she almost died from it thirty or forty some-odd years later. It was a huge story a year or two ago... Very interesting...

Answer 4

it feels like you have to poop and then you can feel the baby settling further down. a contraction can never be explained but you will know it for sure..if you are using the bathroom alot you could also loose your mucus plug, if you loose that call your dr. i was in full labor for 38 hours and had an emergency c-section. take whatever drugs they offer...it will be a better experience for you once the baby is out.

Answer 5

am a mother to my baby but am not her birth mother,am her second mother but i know this coz i was with my wife when she was havin a labor,her water breaks,she starts havin this pain in her stomac every few mins,then the pain becomes harder and it starts comin every seconds then she goes to the labor room and start pushin while she is cryin and sayin that's it am gonna dieeeeeee

Answer 6

my twins were 6 weeks early, i thought it was false labor. made it to the hospital when contractions were 1 min apart. usually your water breaks. mine never did, til i was in delivery room.

Answer 7

First stage: contractions

A typical childbirth will begin with the onset of contractions of the uterus. The frequency and duration of these contractions varies with the individual. The onset of labour may be sudden or gradual, and is defined as regular uterine activity in the presence of cervical dilatation.

During a contraction the long muscles of the uterus contract, starting at the top of the uterus and working their way down to the bottom. At the end of the contraction, the muscles relax to a state shorter than at the beginning of the contraction. This draws the cervix up over the baby's head. Each contraction dilates the cervix until it becomes completely dilated, often referred to as 10+ cm (4") in diameter.

A gradual onset with slow cervical change towards 3 cm (just over 1 inch) dilation is referred to as the "latent phase". A woman is said to be in "active labour" when contractions have become regular in frequency (3-4 in 10 minutes) and about 60 seconds in duration. The cervix must shorten (efface) before it can dilate; for first time mothers this can take a substantial period of time and can often be a very tiring and disheartening time. However it is also a very positive time, as once the cervix is effaced dilatation can occur and the downward journey of the fetus can commence. The now powerful contractions are accompanied by cervical effacement and dilation greater than 3 cm. The labour may begin with a rupture of the amniotic sac, the paired amnion and chorion ("breaking of the water"). The contractions will accelerate in frequency and strengthen. In the "transition phase" from 8 cm–10 cm (3 or 4 inches) of dilation, the contractions often come every two minutes and are typically lasting 70–90 seconds. Transition is often regarded as the most challenging and intense for the mother. It is also the shortest phase.

During this stage, the expectant mother typically goes through several emotional phases. At first, the mother may be excited and nervous. Then, as the contractions become stronger, demanding more energy from the mother, mothers generally become more serious and focused. However, as the cervix finishes its dilation, some mothers experience confusion or bouts of self-doubt or giving up. It is important during this time for the birth partners to stay positive and supportive of the mother; to actively encourage if this is what she wishes and to provide nutrition and hydration in order to keep her energy reserves up.

The duration of labour varies widely, but averages some 13 hours for women giving birth to their first child ("primiparae") and 8 hours for women who have already given birth.

If there is a significant medical risk to continuing the pregnancy, induction may be necessary. As this carries some risk, it is only done if the child or the mother are in danger from prolonged pregnancy. Forty-two weeks' gestation without spontaneous labour is often said to be an indication for induction although evidence does not show improved outcomes when labour is induced for post-term pregnancies. Inducing labour increases the risk of cesarean section and uterine rupture in mothers that have had a previous cesarean section.

Second stage: delivery

In the second stage of labour, the baby is expelled from the womb through the vagina by both the uterine contractions and by the additional maternal efforts of "bearing down," which many women describe as similar in sensation to straining to expel a large bowel movement. The imminence of this stage can be evaluated by the Malinas score.

The baby is most commonly born head-first. In some cases the baby is "breech" meaning either the feet or buttocks are descending first. Babies in the breech position can be helped to be born vaginally by a midwife, although caesarean births are becoming more common for breech presentation.

There are several types of breech presentations, but the most common is where the baby's buttocks are born first and the legs are folded onto the baby's body with the knees bent and feet near the buttocks (full or breech). Others include frank breech, much like full breech but the babies legs are extended toward his ears, and footling or incomplete breech, in which one or both legs are extended and the foot or feet are the presenting part. Another rare presentation is a transverse lie. This is where the baby is sideways in the womb and a hand or elbow has entered the birth canal first. While babies who present transverse will often move to a different position, this is not always the case and a cesarean birth then becomes necessary.
A newborn baby with umbilical cord ready to be clamped


The length of the second stage varies and may be affected by whether a woman has given birth before, the position she is in and mobility. The length of the second stage should be guided by the condition of the fetus and health of the mother. Problems may be encountered at this stage due to reasons such as maternal exhaustion, the front of the baby's head facing forwards instead of backwards (posterior baby), or extremely rarely, because the baby's head does not fit properly into the mother's pelvis (Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion (CPD)). True CPD is typically seen in women with rickets and bone deforming illnesses or injuries, as well as arbitrary time limits placed on second stage by caregivers or medical facilities.

Immediately after birth, the child undergoes extensive physiological modifications as it acclimatizes to independent breathing. Several cardiovascular structures start regressing soon after birth, such as the ductus arteriosus and the foramen ovale. In some cultures, the father cuts the umbilical cord and the infant is given a lukewarm bath to remove blood and some of the vernix on its skin before being handed back to its parents.

The practice of leaving the umbilical cord to detach naturally is known as a Lotus Birth.

The medical condition of the child is assessed with the Apgar score, based on five parameters: heart rate, respiration, muscle tone, skin color, and response to stimuli. Apgar scores are typically assessed at both 1 and 5 minutes after birth.

Third stage: placenta

Breastfeeding during and after the third stage


In this stage, the uterus expels the placenta (afterbirth). Breastfeeding the baby will help to cause this. The mother normally loses less than 500 mL (2 cups) of blood. It is important to note that the placenta is to never be pulled from the mother; this could cause it to tear and not be expelled in whole. It is essential that the placenta be examined to ensure that it was expelled whole. Remaining parts can cause postpartum bleeding or infection.

After the birth

Medical professionals typically recommend breastfeeding of the first milk, colostrum, to reduce postpartum bleeding/hemorrhage in the mother, and to pass immunities and other benefits to the baby.

Parents usually bestow the infant its given names soon after birth.

Often people visit and bring a gift for the baby.

Many cultures feature initiation rites for newborns, such as naming ceremonies, baptism, and others.

Mothers are often allowed a period where they are relieved of their normal duties to recover from childbirth. The length of this period varies. In China it is 30 days and is referred to as "doing the month" (see Postpartum period). In other countries taking time off from work to care for a newborn is called "maternity leave" and varies from a few days to several months.

Answer 8

It differs for each person.
I was only in labour for about 3 hours. lt was horrendous; don't let them tell you otherwise.

Answer 9

I hope I never have that experience, but it is supposed to hurt like hell and I am scared *&^%less.

Answer 10

you have to join the union and learn the secret handshake..