What to do During Labor

The Big Day is Finally Here - What to do During LaborThe waiting is over. You have finally reached the big day!

You should know that only about one in ten pregnant women experiences the legendary ‘breaking of the waters’ as a first sign of impending birth.

If you are one of those women, you may feel a slow trickle that is only enough to dampen your underwear, or you may wake up to a wet sheet in the morning. Rarely is there a dramatic gush of water.

The water from your amniotic sac has a slightly salty smell and it is clear and a bit sticky with some flecks. If your amniotic fluid is cloudy or green, tell your doctor this.

Labor contractions do not start right away, but they will usually appear somewhere between 24 and 48 hours after your amniotic fluid is released. In any case, you should call your doctor to let him know that your ‘water has broken’.

He will probably want you to come into the office for a visit so he can determine where you are in your labor schedule. He will probably apply an antiseptic cream around the opening to your uterus to be sure that you have protection against infection until your baby is born.

While you are waiting for your contractions to start, take showers, not baths, and don't allow anything into your vagina other than your doctor’s sterile glove! Before you go into you may have some diarrhea or vomiting. This doesn’t always happen but it will happen in many women. If you do experience these symptoms, your labor will typically begin within 12-24 hrs after the onset of nausea or diarrhea.

DO NOT try any herbal remedies or other things to induce labor on your own! The following symptoms do not signal labor but may indicate a medical problem. You should call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these:

o Abdominal pain as opposed to uterine pain
o Vaginal bleeding
o Absence of fetal movement for 24 hours (after the fifth month of your pregnancy)
o Dim or blurry vision, or severe or constant headache
o Severe swelling of eyelids, hands or face during last trimester
o Persistent, severe vomiting

When your labor starts, you will know that you are not having the old standby Braxton Hicks contractions you have had during your pregnancy.

Remember that these contractions are relatively painless and last only 30-60 seconds. True labor contractions are longer and more regular and will not go away.
They will increase in strength and severity as your labor progresses and they will get closer together as your delivery draws near.

You don’t have to run to the hospital or birthing center at the first sign of labor. You are more likely to remain calm and comfortable at home and you will usually have plenty of time to get there.

If your partner or labor coach is at a distance from you or the hospital, let them know you have started labor and get someone to sit with you for awhile if it will make you make comfortable.

Allow plenty of time to get to the hospital if you live in a city or if you are leaving around rush hour.

If this is your first baby you may find that you are more uncomfortable during the first part of labor than during the last part. For experienced mothers, the end of the labor cycle seems to be more difficult. Whatever the case, don’t panic. If you have taken a course for natural childbirth, you don’t have to start your breathing and child birth strategies right away.

Just relax and wait until you need them!

You may have another 10 or 12 hours before you deliver and you want to you’re your strength for the final sprint. Rest and drink plenty of water. You can even eat a little if you find you have an appetite. Just don’t overload your stomach. Eat healthy food like protein and vegetables or whole grain bread or just nibble on crackers and fruit.

If you find you want to take a bath be sure you have help to get you in and out of the tub at home!

You should contact your doctor to let them know that labor has started. She will probably tell you to call back when your contracts are about one minute in length and about five minutes apart.

If you are still not sure whether your labor is ‘real’, give yourself this mental test: False Labor (prodromal) or Braxton-Hicks Contractions – Remember that Braxton- Hicks contractions stay at about the same intensity over the time have them. They are the same an hour ago as they are now and they only last 30 seconds or so

These contractions will go away if you walk, move or change positions. There is no significant discomfort or pain associated with these contractions. You may have a backache.

The less common ‘prodromal labor, is a kind of ‘dry run’ or practice labor that can cause lower back pain with contractions. These contractions may feel more real than Braxton-Hicks, but they will not get closer together or stronger over time. If you get up and move around they will sometimes disappear completely.

Labor Contractions – Get progressively stronger and last longer as the hours go by. They also get closer together as your labor progresses.

There is significant discomfort with these contractions, and nothing you do seems to change that. You can move, walk or change positions and the contractions are still strong and predictable and painful.

You have pain in the back and in your abdomen (like a ‘too tight’ seatbelt or band around your stomach that keeps getting tighter).

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