Just Curious About Labor??

Question

What exactly happens during labor and giving birth? What are the procedures and what does it feel like? All you hear is it hurts but how bad? Just curious. Thanx

How do they get the afterbirth out?

Answer 1

Labor and birth are such a beautiful state of becoming. The body must first work to open the cervix. The muscles in the lower part of the uterus do this, pulling up on the cervix until it shortens and starts spreading open, much like a turtleneck sweater when you are trying to put it over the head. These contractions are often very rythmic, and while they can be painful, they can be managed by different relaxation and breathing techniques. The come and go like the swelling of an ocean wave. Some waves may feel like they will drown you, but they always recede at the end.

Once the cervix is fully opened, the entire uterus, upper and lower, goes to work. Starting from the top and working down, the muscles contract harder than ever to push down on the baby and move it through the pelvis, into the birth canal, and eventually out of your body. Pushing during contractions helps this process along, and often the mother feels better pushing than not pushing anyway. But, if the cervix is completely dilated and the mother *doesn't* feel the urge to push, it's completely ok to allow her to rest and let her body do all of the work. The uterus is capable of birthing the baby all on its own, without any cooperation from you! It will probably just take a litttle longer.

As the uterus contracts and you push, the baby's head moves down through the pelvic bones, through the cervix, down into the birth canal, and eventually out into the world!

The umbilical cord is still attached and giving the baby oxygen, immunities, and nutrient-rich blood, even outside of the mother's body. It will continue pulsing and passing along this important parting gift for a short time, anywhere from several seconds to several minutes. Sometimes the baby will cry immediately, sometimes it will wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsing and deprives it a little of oxygen, thus stimulating the first breath. If there is no immediate need to cut the cord, you may ask your doctor to leave it alone until it stops pulsing.

When the cord is cut, the baby becomes forever a separate person, reliant upon you to continue nourishing and nurturing it until it grows enough to learn to do these things for itself. The placenta begins to detach from the uterine wall, with blood vessels automatically clamping themselves shut to avoid excessive bleeding. The uterus continues to contract, less forcefully, to assist this process. Anywhere from just two or three minutes, up to a half hour after the baby's birth, the placenta will be completely detached, and the continuing contractions will help bring it down into the birth canal, where the baby so recently passed through. One small push is usually all it takes to expel the amazing organ that has nourished and sustained an entire human being within you for the past 9 months.

By now, your attention is focused primarily on the result of your grand effort-- your baby! Ten fingers, ten toes, a definite gender-- no chance of mistakes this time!! A perfect little person for you to finally meet, after many long months of waiting. The baby is awake and alert, and quieter now in your arms. You stare into each other's eyes, and all is right with the world. In a little while, the baby will become interested in breastfeeding, making little sucking movements with its mouth and turning its head instinctively toward your warm body.

After some initial fumbling and awkwardness, the baby latches on and begins another momentous change within your body-- from providing all of your baby's nutrition automatically, without thought or effort, to providing nutrition PLUS comfort and security, with some significant effort. But when you look into those eyes, focused right on yours, blissfully suckling away the pain and fear of the birthing experience, you are overcome with an intense feeling that this, THIS, is one of the few things that gives life purpose and meaning, in the deepest sense. Your baby is born, and you are now separate, but still together and dependent upon one another. As it should be.

Answer 2

The reson for you only hearing "it hurts" is because once the labor is over you don't remember the pain other then "IT HURTS" and let me tell you it hurts really really really badly but once you are holding your child in your arms it is sooooo worth the pain and the pushing. I was in labor from first contration to haveing my son in my arms for 65 hours because my doctor was not there and I had the on call doctor who didn't know what the hell she was doing and just kept sending me home and I never got drugs so I did it all with feeling. At the hospital I delivered at they do not cut you unless the baby gets stuck they let you tear naturaly because that is easer on the body and heals faster then getting the them cutting you. So I tore natrually and they never gave me that cut. If you watch TLC or Discovery Health Chanale during the day they have a lot of baby shows on where you can see them giving birth or go google it and that can show you as well. Mostly labor is a lot of waiting untill you are fully efaced and dilated. I don't know if this helps at all but I hope it does just one piece of advice DON'T GET SCARED just relax if you are scared that will make labor harder and longer if you just relax and don't fight what your body is doing the labor will still hurt like hell but it may not take so long. The afterbirth comes out all on its own most of the time you have one more contration after you deliver the baby that will make you deliver that I don't even remember doing it but I did. Good luck.

Answer 3

when you first start to go in to labor you will have contractions the further you are in labor the strong the contractions will be you start to dilate when you get to 5 cm they will ask you if you want to have an epidural some women have it some don't it is a shot that they give you in your back that numbs they pain of contractions (they do hurt) you have to sign a paper and here in Alabama you have to watch a video before you can get it telling you the possible side effects when and if you get the epidural you can not get up out of the bed because the epidural tube is giving you medicine which is in your back as you labor progresses and you are about to deliver the doctor or midwife will come in and guide you through pushing the epidural does not numb you while having the baby you still feel alot of pressure if your vagina don't stretch enough they will do a small cut which you cant feel after you deliver the will give you your stitches if needed some times on the inside sometimes on the outside and really thats it for the labor part good luck!!!

Answer 4

For me it was the most painful thing that has ever happened to me but the easiest thing I have ever done at the same time. When I started having contractions I started doing the in through the nose and out through the mouth slow breaths and that helped more than you will ever know. I went to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitors for two hours and then moved me to a room. When I got to the room, my water broke and I labored without drugs for a while and then I asked for the epidural because I was having problems finding a comfortable position. By the time the guy got there to give me the epidural I was just about ready to start pushing. They gave it to me anyways and waited for for it to kick in a little bit and then I started pushing. And let me tell ya.....if you don't give it all you got when you push, it will take so much longer. I only pushed for about 45 minutes and it would have been quicker than that but I wasn't stretching fast enough and ended up getting an episiotomy. After the doctor cut me, I pushed once and he was out and on my belly! I didn't feel them stick me with the IV or the epidural. My body was doing some crazy pain management at that time so it was painless after a while, and after the baby was out I was so happy and didn't feel anything but joy and happiness until the next day!

Answer 5

It does hurt... for me it was the worst pain I ever had. BUT.. it's weird because you don't really think about it that much. All you can really focus on is getting that baby out. It's very much an instinct. I think it's pretty much indescribable. The contractions are so strong... it's like you're body is doing something and all you can do is sit back and let nature take its course. The pain is different, too. It's not just focused down there, like you think it'd be... it's all over your entire body. Um.. have you ever been really sick and had diarrea so bad that your whole body feels shaky and sick and painful in waves? That's sort of what it feels like, but more pain.. lol. All I can say is that after it's all done, you almost forget about the whole thing because you're so happy with your baby.

Answer 6

YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR MIND. LEARN HOW TO USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

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Answer 7

The placenta -- or afterbirth -- is delivered vaginally a few minutes after the baby is born. You don't even notice because, well, you're pretty numb from having a baby and you've got a new little life in your arms.

Answer 8

it hurts pretty bad i got drugs 1/2 way through labor - after that it was EASY and i was in labor for 6hours pushed for 30 minutes...i walked during the pain and I found that breathing in through my nose and out my mouth really worked!!!! good luck its SO much more relaxed with an epideral- its was alot calmer than I thought---

Answer 9

ive been told labor is the fastest forgotten pain because as soon as you have your little baby, you dont even care.

Answer 10

The beauty of childbirth is that you forget how much it hurts almost instantly.