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Medical Video: How to recognize the signs of labor - Early labor signs
Many pregnant women, especially those who are pregnant for the first time, are wondering and anxious about the various signs of childbirth. How can I know if giving birth is near?
To answer your curiosity, the body will show some symptoms as a way of saying that you might give birth soon.
Various signs of childbirth are near that you must be aware of
1. Your baby slumps down
About one to four weeks before labor begins, you may feel your baby is "slumping" or going down to your pelvis - known as "relaxation". This means the baby is rearranging his body to the head position below in preparation for birth.
When the baby is inching to a lower position, this will relieve the pressure on the mother's diaphragm making it easier to breathe. But, the relaxation of the baby also puts more pressure on the bladder so that complaints of going back and forth to the bathroom will be more frequent. For prospective mothers for the first time, this deterioration may occur in the final seconds before labor or when labor begins.
READ ALSO: What You Should Do If You Position the Breech Baby
2. The cervix opens
While the body prepares for the birth of your baby, the childbirth is near to begin with the cervix which starts stretching and thinning in the weeks - or a few days - last before labor, but only slightly. During the check-up schedule, the doctor will do an internal examination to see if your cervix is stretched to welcome birth. However, the cervix will not enlarge completely quickly, unless followed by more regular uterine contractions.
3. Abdominal cramps and back pain that gets worse
Towards and during labor, you may feel pressure or cramps in the pelvic and rectal areas. You may also complain of pain in the thigh and lower back area, especially if this is not your first pregnancy. Your body's muscles and joints are stretching and shifting in preparation for birth.
READ ALSO: List Must Be Prepared When Birth Time Is Near
4. Diarrhea and nausea and vomiting
The hormones produced by your body to facilitate the birth of your baby can also stimulate your intestines to move more frequently, which can cause you to be more routine going back and forth to the bathroom: to vomit or because of diarrhea. It might be annoying, but this is the body's natural reaction. During labor, you may also experience the urge to defecate. The best way to deal with this is to keep the body hydrated by drinking lots of fluids.
5. Weight loss
Towards the end of your pregnancy, increasing weight will stop. Instead, your weight will be stable or start losing weight. This is normal and does not need to worry much because it will not affect the baby's weight at birth. Even though you lose a few pounds of reducing amniotic fluid and going back and forth to the bathroom, your baby is still getting a healthy weight.
6. You feel very tired and take a nap more often
A stomach that is getting bigger and bigger and the digestive system is getting messy can make it difficult for you to sleep well at night, so you tend to choose to close your eyes for an hour or two during the sun still shining hot.
On the contrary, some mothers actually get an energy explosion nearing the baby's birthday, and cannot resist the strong desire to clean and tidy up everything that is visible in front of the eye. It's okay, as long as you don't overdo it.
7. A more thick and reddish-white liquid
One sign that childbirth is very close is vaginal discharge such as vaginal discharge, but is thicker and tends to be pink, reddish, or tanned. This is called a "bloody show" which is caused by the release of mucus clogging the cervix during pregnancy. Stoppers will relax following the increasingly loosening of the cervix, which occurs during the first stage of labor.
However, heavy bleeding (similar to your menstruation) can be a sign of a problem. If you experience this, immediately contact your doctor / midwife.
8. A strong and regular pattern of contractions
Initial uterine contractions will be irregular and appear rarely. This is referred to as Braxton Hicks contraction, but not the actual birthmark. The contraction of the childbirth sign is patterned periodically with a more uniform distance between contractions (30-70 seconds per contraction every every five or seven minutes, for example) and will get worse and more frequent - no matter if you change positions, sleep, or take a walk.
During the initial labor stage you may also be shivering, even if you don't feel cold. This can occur during or after giving birth, but don't worry. Body shivering is a way to get rid of body tension. To overcome this you can take a warm bath or massage.
9. Amniotic fluid breaks
Broken amniotic fluid is one sure sign that childbirth is very close. But this doesn't always happen at the beginning before you enter the delivery room and only around 15-20 percent of pregnant women experience rupture of the membranes before labor begins.
In general, amniotic fluid will leak out like droplets, not heavy bursts that you have often witnessed on a glass screen. You can use sanitary napkins to keep yourself dry while you contact your doctor or midwife. However, if the liquid gushes and makes your underwear get soaked, call your doctor right away or go to the hospital because labor may be imminent.
Once the membranes rupture, the baby is no longer surrounded by protective pads, making it more susceptible to infection. This is why doctors and midwives will want to give birth to a baby in one or two days from the rupture of your membranes.
READ ALSO: Various Causes of Early Rupture of Amniotic fluid
