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Dec 16, 2021 · Learn about the common signs of labor, such as cervical changes, vaginal discharge, nesting, lightening and water breaking. Find out how to tell the difference between false labor and true labor contractions and when to seek medical attention.
- Before labor, the lower part of your uterus called the cervix is typically 3.5 cm to 4 cm long. As labor begins, your cervix softens, shortens and...
- Another sign of labor is your cervix beginning to open (dilate). Your health care provider will measure the dilation in centimeters from zero (no d...
- During pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus blocks the cervical opening to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. During the late third trimester,...
- Lightening is the term used to describe when the baby's head settles deep into your pelvis. This might cause a change in the shape of your abdomen....
- The amniotic sac is a fluid-filled membrane that cushions your baby in the uterus. At the beginning of or during labor, your membranes will rupture...
- During the last few months of pregnancy, you might experience occasional, sometimes painful, contractions — a sensation that your uterus is tighten...
- Analgesics
- Local Anesthesia
- Regional Anesthesia
- General Anesthesia
- Nitrous Oxide
- What Are Natural Ways to Ease Labor pains?
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Providers inject analgesicsinto a vein or a muscle to dull labor discomfort. Analgesic medicines don’t completely stop pain, but they do lessen it. Because analgesic medicines affect your entire body and might make both you and your baby sleepy, they’re mainly used during early labor to help you rest and conserve your energy. Analgesics are pain re...
Local anesthesia numbs a small area of your body like your vagina and vulva. Providers give it to you just before delivery (or when they need to give you stitches after delivery). Local anesthesia blocks pain in a small area of your body during labor. An anesthesia provider inserts the medication into the nerves that carry feeling to that particula...
Regional anesthesia is the most common and effective pain relief during labor. It greatly reduces or eliminates any pain you feel below your waist. It can also be used if a C-sectionbecomes necessary. There are three types of regional anesthesia: spinal, epidural and combined spinal/epidural. With each type, an anesthesiologist places medicine near...
General anesthesiacauses you to go sleep. Although safe, general anesthesia prevents you from seeing your child immediately after birth. It’s most common during emergencies. General anesthesia involves being put to sleep during delivery. It works quickly, but is usually only an option for emergency C-sections or other urgent issues like excessive b...
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is an odorless, tasteless gas that you inhale through a mask. It helps to reduce anxiety during labor, but doesn’t eliminate pain. Laughing gas (nitrous oxide) isn’t as common in the U.S. as it is in other countries. It’s a gas you inhale through a mask just before a contraction. While it works quickly, it also wears of...
There are many ways to manage your pain during childbirth without medication. Natural childbirth typically involves no medication. Instead, people rely on breathing exercises or relaxation techniques to get them through labor and delivery. Examples of pain relievers that don’t involve medication include: 1. Getting a massage. 2. Taking a warm bath ...
Learn about the different types of pain relief options for childbirth, such as analgesics, local anesthesia and regional anesthesia. Find out the risks and benefits of each option and how to discuss them with your provider before labor.
Jul 20, 2023 · Learn what labor pain feels like, how it changes throughout the stages of labor, and how to cope with it. Find out about pain management options, such as medications, natural methods, and support systems.
- Your baby “drops” If you’re a first-time mom your baby will typically start to drop, or descend into your pelvis, a few weeks before labor begins (usually around two to four weeks before, but it can vary).
- Your cervix dilates. Your cervix, too, is starting to prepare for birth: It starts to dilate (open) and efface (thin out) in the days or weeks before you deliver.
- You feel more cramps and increased back pain. Especially if this is not your first pregnancy, you may feel some crampiness and pain in your lower back and groin as labor nears.
- Your joints feel looser. Throughout your pregnancy, the hormone relaxin has made your ligaments loosen up a little (it’s also responsible for your potential bouts of clumsiness this past trimester).
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- Lightening. If this is your first pregnancy, you may feel what's known as lightening a few weeks before labor starts. Lightening means your baby has "dropped" and now rests lower in your pelvis.
- Loss of the mucus plug. If your cervix begins to efface or dilate significantly as you get close to labor, you may pass your mucus plug – the small amount of thickened mucus that has collected within your cervical canal during your pregnancy.
- Bloody show. You may have noticed more vaginal discharge during pregnancy, thanks to your body's increased estrogen. Normal, healthy discharge is usually creamy white or clear, but it may also be tinged brown, pink, or red.
- Cervical dilation and effacement. In the days and weeks before delivery, changes in the connective tissue of your cervix make it soften and lead to dilation and effacement.
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Jan 13, 2022 · Learn about the three stages of labor and birth, from early labor to active labor to pushing and delivery. Find out what to expect, how to cope and when to seek medical attention.
Dec 28, 2023 · Learn about the physical and emotional signs of labor, such as contractions, water breaking, and nesting instinct. Find out how to tell the difference between true labor and false labor, and when to go to the hospital.
