Phases of childbirth – or birth step by step

In fact, childbirth itself is an individual process, variously experienced by women and conditioned by many factors – however, it is possible to distinguish phases and behaviors that occur during a standard birth in almost every caseThe date of delivery given by doctors already at the beginning of pregnancy is only an approximate date, which does not necessarily mean that it will actually occur on that day. Concerns about getting to the delivery room in time have many moms-to-be, especially if it’s their first time. However, there is no reason to feel fear because there are many signals sent by our body signaling an impending solution. Therefore, it is worthwhile to possess the skills to recognize the most important of these symptoms to prepare for the upcoming birth of our child.

Phase I – It’s just getting started

The first phase of labor many times goes unnoticed by mothers-to-be, as the symptoms occurring during this phase are very subtle and often not felt. This stage is characterized by the preceding prolapse of the meconium suppository (we wrote about the symptoms of labor here), but this can happen even a few hours before the actual start of the first stage towards dissolution. The initiator of labor is the fetus itself, which, by sending impulses, causes the first, very gentle uterine contractions. Most women perceive this moment as the standard “pushing” of an infant in the abdomen. In addition, it is worth mentioning that during the first moments after the start of this phase, mothers-to-be may feel sudden surges of energy, excitement, anxiety or irritation, which are caused by an increase in adrenaline levels. Very important is the fact that the fetal waters have left – if they have turned green, brown or are in shades of yellow then you should absolutely and quickly go to the doctor.

Phase II – Getting into action

As the woman enters the second stage of labor, she begins to feel not only the contractions appearing more frequently, but also a significant increase in their intensity. In the initial phase, they last approx. 20 to 30 seconds and occur at intervals of 15 to 20 minutes. Over time, as the uterus begins to expand by 0.5 to 1 cm per hour, contractions reach a duration of 30 to 40 seconds thus appearing every 3 or 4 minutes. The uterus should eventually dilate to full dilation, which is about. 10 cm, at the same time, the most difficult moment becomes the moment when this dilation reaches the size of 7 cm, it causes significant pain. Birth contractions are increasing in intensity causing painful sensations, which after a while subside like a wave.

Phase two of labor is accompanied not only by the sensation of pain but also by related symptoms such as increased sweating, chills, accelerated breathing, palpitations, nausea or vomiting. In addition, women are also experiencing the so-called “high risk”. Bandaging pains and severe pressure on the spine.

During labor, women are usually accompanied by a midwife who watches over the parturient. Her advice and recommendations on how to position and breathe are invaluable and it is advisable to follow them. In addition, it is also a good idea to use pain-relieving preparations and accelerate labor, such as NATALIS obstetric gel. Its application will be carried out by qualified medical personnel in the early stages of the second stage of labor. Parturients may also request an epidural.

This stage of labor should already take place in a hospital setting – you should go to a medical facility when contractions occur for up to 5 minutes unless the health of the parturient indicates that it should be done sooner.

Phase III – Coming of Age

In this phase of labor, contractions intensify significantly and their duration reaches up to 90 seconds. This is the moment when the cervix dilates to the already mentioned 8 or even 10 cm. At this stage, the contractions change their nature – they become parturition contractions to bring the baby out into the world. As a rule, the period of pushing should not last more than 2 hours. This is the stage during which the long-awaited moment – the birth of a child – occurs.

After the baby comes into the world, the woman still delivers the placenta and fetal membranes – these activities take up to 30 minutes at most.

The birth of a child is a moment when a woman, being sore and exhausted, recovers her strength and energy while enjoying her new role – that of a mother. The entire course of labor should be supervised by qualified medical personnel, whose role is not only to intervene in strictly defined cases, but also to provide guidance and psychological support to the parturient.

The birth of a new family member is a very important event in the life of every person who belongs to it.

Above all, however, it is a moment in which the woman herself plays a central role. The pain she feels, the sacrifices she makes in giving birth by nature, and the commitment she has to show is a kind of confirmation of the love she bestows on her child. The successive phases of childbirth show what courage and strength the mother-to-be demonstrates, and are proof of the existence of a great will to fight that lies within women.

We thank Natalis Poland for the article: https://www.natalispolska.pl/