Signs Of Labour
With a first pregnancy, women, can’t determine if it is time to go for delivery or is it just the beginning. The frequent painful uterine contractions are so similar even a month before the true labour that it may cause the pregnant woman multiple visits to the doctor and usually she is asked by the doctor to come next week and so on because you are not due yet.
A few indications that may help a pregnant woman detect that she is in labour and therefore, must the doctor right away. Your baby might be just a few minutes away from you.
Knowledge of the onset of labour helps the pregnant woman tolerate pain as it would be managed timely by the nurses and doctors by the time she reaches there and this knowledge also prevents the baby from any complications that may be caused if the woman’s arrival to the doctor’s office gets delayed due to some reason.
About a month before the expected date of delivery the painful uterine contractions are experienced by the woman very frequently to gear up her body and for the baby to get ready for a quick and hard-driven new world. That means that the uterine contractions push and fix the baby’s head into the pelvic area where normally it should be and releases pressure from the abdomen termed as ‘Lightening’.
Uterine contractions also help in relaxing the pelvis therefore the baby’s head gets more space for its attachment to the mother’s pelvis. This process might cause constipation, urinary frequency and increased vaginal discharge.
True Labour
1. Uterine Contractions
In true labour, painful uterine contractions are frequent and rhythmic in nature or it may progress from slow sluggish contraction to strong painful contractions. The contractions may be similar to the early false labour. You may not be able to distinguish between true and false contractions, only based on these contractions.
2. Bloody show
When a woman undergoes this painful condition, she may experience a discharge which consists of mucus mixed with blood. This is due to cervical dilatation and effacement. The blood comes from the minor lacerations in the cervical mucosa. This mixed mucus and blood discharge is known as ‘bloody show’ and indicates that soon water will break and gives an indication that the woman has entered the first stage of labour.
However, breaking of water may give rise to the risk of infection that may affect both the baby’s and mother’s health. The gynaecologist may run some blood tests on you and put you on some medications probably antibiotics to prevent any complications that may harm the baby and the mother.
3. Dilatation of cervix
Transition to labour is gradual but with cervical dilatation of at least 2 cm, we can say that labour has begun along with regular and frequent uterine contractions.
Normally for the delivery of the baby’s head, the required cervical dilatation is around 10 cm, which may take longer, around 8 hours in women during their first pregnancy, whereas it may take less time i.e. about 5-6 hours in women with more than one kids. Cervical, dilatation most of the time is regarded as a clue of the duration of labour which may vary accordingly.
False Labour
False labour is when a pregnant woman, who, upon getting close to her due date may experience painful contractions which are as strong as in true labour but no progress in labour is seen, such as cervical dilatation, regular intervals and frequent uterine contractions.
