Giving Birth - A Unique Story To Tell

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Giving Birth - A Unique Story To Tell

Giving Birth

There are three stages of giving birth: the contractions, pushing the baby through, and releasing the placenta. Not all childbirths are the same and they vary in duration depending on many factors. If you are considering having a baby it is important to understand these things.

The process of giving birth is different for every mother. No labor is the same even if you plan on having five children. One labor may last you 21 hours while another may be quick and occur in less than an hour.

There are things you can do to prepare for your labor but in most cases you do not have control over the process of giving birth and the events of the labor.

Contractions

When the process of giving birth begins you will experience contractions. When your body has a contraction, your stomach will tighten, like a very hard cramp, and you will feel pressure where the baby is.

As you near the end of pregnancy you will have small “practice” contractions known as Braxton Hicks contractions. These can start a few days before “real” labor and are not labor and delivery contractions. They are normal and expected.

A labor contraction is much harder, and comes at regular intervals (and may be very painful, kind of like really bad menstrual cramps).

When I first went into labor, I wasn’t sure if I was having Braxton Hicks contractions, or “real” contractions. I had been having Braxton Hicks for a few days, and the switch to real labor was gradual.

Over a few days, the contractions became harder, and more regular. I must have handled the “real” contractions very well, or maybe I was just afraid to get too excited, in case it wasn’t the real thing yet.

I spoke to a nurse over the phone, who told me, judging by my voice during contractions, that they were still Braxton Hicks. A few hours later, I delivered. So you really never know.

So, even if the contractions aren’t as bad as you expected, if they are regular, get ready to go.

Labor contractions slowly stretch open (dilate) the cervix, preparing your body for giving birth. The best thing you can do to ease your labor and delivery is to relax. Have a cup of wine (seriously, this was recommended by my doctor), do some breathing exercises, and just try to let go.

You should prepare for labor by learning some breathing exercises, which you can practice during contractions and the delivery of your baby. Contractions may make it difficult to breath and it is important to focus on your breathing.

Also, try to prepare your mind by accepting your baby. Accept the process of birth. Learn about it, and realize that it is natural and that your body will do everything for you. You just need to relax and let go and let nature do its thing.

If you are nervous or stressed or scared or aren’t sure if you want to have a baby, this may make you tense and slow or even stop labor. Yes, your mind really has this strong of an effect on the whole process!

So learn about it, and decide that you want this to happen, and prepare yourself to let go and allow birth to work its miracle.

Pushing

The second stage of delivery is the pushing at delivery. At this stage the cervix will be entirely open and ready for the baby to come out. (Although, some women have contractions at the end of their pregnancy and are dilated up to 5 centimeters for up to a week before they have their baby!)

The cervix needs to be soft and dilated entirely. It usually takes one really good contraction for the cervix to open up and be fully ready for the baby to come out. You will probably know when this happens.

When you are pushing during delivery it may help to imagine that you are pushing to go to the bathroom. Thinking of it this way makes the pushing process easier. Many women try to push with their stomach muscles, but this doesn’t work.

This can be especially important advice if you have an epidural, because you will be numb, and probably won’t feel the contractions. This makes it harder to coordinate your pushing to the contraction, you need to focus on pushing with the right muscles.

But, as long as you are relaxed, the whole process of giving birth should move along naturally. This is especially true if you didn’t use an epidural. You will feel a natural, almost uncontrollable, urge to push.

Releasing The Placenta

The final stage of delivery is releasing the placenta. The doctor will remove the placenta and possibly even ask you to push a couple more times to release the remnants of the water sack. This must be removed from the body to prevent risk of infection or becoming toxic.

Watch Out! Don’t let your doctor rush this process. I had a friend whose doctor ripped the placenta out, and it took her weeks longer to recover. She had a lot more bleeding and had a lot of pain. The placenta should come out naturally soon after birth.

It especially helps to nurse your baby right after birth, even while still on the umbilical cord. This naturally stimulates your body to eject the placenta.

Giving birth is different for every woman. Some women choose to receive an epidural, which will numb them from the waist down so they do not feel pain from labor and pushing the baby through. Keep in mind that you may still feel some pain and contractions with an epidural.

It is common today for women to have a baby naturally. If you are considering giving birth naturally then it is important to exercise and get plenty of walking in. This will help with the child birth.

I especially recommend having a good doula, one that is experienced and you feel very comfortable with. This can work wonders! (At least it did for me. Some people just want to be left alone during labor, and don’t want someone touching them or telling them what to do.)

Many people that choose natural births use midwives instead of regular doctors. Midwives are usually more natural than doctors, and give you more flexibility and control of your birth.

Every midwife works with a doctor and a hospital, so if there is any problem they can take over. However, if your pregnancy is high risk, you may need a doctor, or at least to deliver in the hospital.

My mother had all of us at home! But I chose to give birth in the hospital with a doctor and a doula. I felt more comfortable to deliver there, and come home to a clean house. But many women feel more comfortable at home.

I highly recommend that you ask around and review all of your options before making a decision. Just remember, it is your body, your baby, and your delivery. Don’t do anything just to make things convenient for the doctors. So what you feel most comfortable with.

Every woman has a unique story of giving birth and they are fun to listen to. Your childbirth will be a new story to tell, and will be unique. At in the end you will finally get to meet the child you were carrying for so long!

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