Transition is the time when the cervix passes from 8 to 10 centimeters. It`s often the hardest and hardest part of the job, the moment when people say, “I can`t do that!” Transitional contractions are long (up to two minutes) and strong, with short pauses in between. Often they are accompanied by large amounts of pressure in the vagina and rectum. During the transition, you may tremble, vomit, shiver, and need to vocalize. The way a contraction feels is different for every woman and can be different from pregnancy to pregnancy. The work causes discomfort or dull pain in the back and lower abdomen, as well as pressure in the pelvis. Some women may also experience pain in the sides and thighs. Some women describe contractions as severe menstrual cramps, while others describe them as strong waves that resemble diarrheal cramps. This is probably what worries many pregnant women the most: how much will the work hurt? Real mothers and a doctor explain what to expect when it comes to contractions. Even if you didn`t know much about pregnancy and childbirth at conception, you`re undoubtedly familiar with contractions – your body`s uncomfortable but essential ways to push your baby through the birth canal and into the world. You will know that you are undergoing real labor compared to Braxton Hicks contractions due to actual labor: Before “real” labor begins, you may have “fake” labor pain, also known as Braxton Hicks contractions.
These irregular uterine contractions are completely normal and can occur from the fourth month of pregnancy. They are your body`s way of preparing for the “real.” However, keep in mind that the location is not the most reliable indication of labor, since you can feel false labor contractions even in these places. The best signs are the frequency, intensity, and regularity of your contractions. “I think contractions are like a combination of uncomfortable menstrual cramps and terrible bowel cramps. I know they say they start behind your back, but I felt like mine started everywhere at the same time. “In each of my four births, my contractions were different. For number one, I was induced with Pitocin. I had planned a non-medical delivery, but I was told in my birth preparation classes that it was impossible to have Pitocin without epidural anesthesia, so any contraction was a struggle for the birth I wanted. Eventually, I had an epidural that didn`t work, and I developed completely without medicine. The second time I was also induced with Pitocin, but I was absolutely sure that I would have a non-medical delivery, so every contraction was a confirmation that I was strong and that I could do it. With my third (I had become a doula and obstetrician), I had absolute confidence in my body, and every contraction felt literally orgasmic.
They were intense, but after the climax of each, I felt the same rush I do after an orgasm. It was amazing! With the fourth, I was in complete denial for most of my very fast contractions, so every contraction was almost a surprise. I had intense back pain, but when I vocalized throughout the contraction, it was bearable. No one knows exactly what triggers the actual labor – they can start with the fetus or the placenta – but wherever they occur, they set off a chain reaction in the mother that paves the way for the work of prostaglandins and oxytocin, substances that trigger contractions and when all systems “disappear.” “I`m an old woman, and my children are 14 and a half and almost 11, so it`s hard to remember the details of the feeling of contractions. I had a C-section after pushing my unmedicated fat for 5 hours, a 9 lb 37 week direct surgical baby (posterior occiput – baby pointing upwards instead of back), and a non-medicated VBAC with my second, so I feel like I really have an idea of how things felt. They started with menstrual cramps and lower back pain that moved deep into my pelvis and increased in intensity. I didn`t have a job with both, not even with the surgical baby. I have to say I didn`t think they were so bad, I mean, intense, yes, which required deep concentration and adaptation, yes, but the worst pain I`ve ever felt? No! It was very liberating to indulge in work and do everything that was good, no matter how crazy or stupid it seemed. From my two data points, it seems to me that it takes me forever to work/expand to 3 cm and then go from 3 to 10 very quickly! The contractions last about 36 hours each, in both contractions I was completely immersed in the bathtub, except for my nose when I had the intense contractions, removed all the sensory stimulation, ears under water, eyes closed and really relaxed. Alternatively, I did a lot of deep vocalization.
As I said, hard, yes, intense, yes, encompassing, yes, body destroyer, yes, but incredibly painful – no. If I could, I would work and give birth once a year! No pregnancy, no baby to keep, just a big old job and a birth! It was the hardest, most intense, but most achievable job I`ve ever done! “During my pregnancy, Braxton Hicks` contractions looked like little Charlie horses on my belly. When I was in labor for my first child, I remember finally deciding to take epidural anesthesia, and when the drug started working, it only worked for half of my body. One side was bearable, while the other side felt like it was being squeezed and twisted as far as it would go. I couldn`t believe the difference. I would have preferred to have all or nothing! Now that I have three children, I will say that the difference between working with and without Pitocin is day and night. “During the push phase, you will especially feel a strong feeling of ejection with (and sometimes between) contractions, a sensation very similar to this one. It is not uncommon for contractions to slow down a little during this period and allow you to rest in between. Some people say it is pleasant or relieving pressure to press during these contractions. Early labor may look like gastrointestinal discomfort, severe menstrual cramps, or lower abdominal pressure.
To widen the cervix, contractions usually get to the point where you can`t really get through them or talk because they`re so painful. Each woman enters active labor at a different time, but this usually happens when the cervix has dilated to four to six centimeters. At this point, the contractions are exceptionally strong and your cervix should gradually dilate every few hours (usually about an inch per hour) until you mate. The main difference between active labor and early labor is that once active labor begins, it should not stop until the baby is born. If it stops, it could be a sign that there is a problem or that it wasn`t really active work. Mild contractions usually begin at intervals of 15 to 20 minutes and last 60 to 90 seconds. Contractions become more regular until they are spaced less than 5 minutes apart. Active labor (the time when you need to come to the hospital) is usually characterized by strong contractions that last from 45 to 60 seconds and occur at intervals of 3 to 4 minutes. “With my first birth, they started as menstrual cramps and gradually became more intense as extreme intestinal cramps.
However, it was this feeling of menstrual cramps at first that distinguished them from the Braxton Hicks cramps I had during pregnancy and let me know that they were “real” contractions. Once I was about halfway through the expansion, it was like a big constant contraction, with no pause in between, although the monitors showed a short pause between them. However, labor was different when I was second born, and I wasn`t sure if I was really in labor. They didn`t feel like they were doing it the first time, and my bra contractions were so intense and uncomfortable (painful, not just the feeling of tightening) in the last month or two months of my pregnancy that I constantly felt like I was at the beginning of labor. My baby was also “Sunny Side Up” this time, so there was more pain in my back. My mother and mother-in-law had told me that they never knew when they were in labor, but only felt the pressure to push in the end. That surprised me. My mom literally never knew when she was in labor, she just knew she felt weird. You may have noticed that your uterus contracts after orgasm. Try not to worry – orgasm itself, after all, is a contraction of the uterus.
Many mothers experience contractions after sex, which can be strong and last up to half an hour. Named after an English doctor, Braxton Hick`s contractions are essentially “warm-up” contractions. They are completely normal and usually start in the second trimester. Often you will feel a rapid hardening or tightening of the uterus, which is usually felt in the front. Dehydration or exertion can bring her with her. You can feel more at night, especially after a long day. If your doctor hasn`t advised you to avoid orgasm during pregnancy (often because you`re at risk of preterm labor or miscarriage), sex during pregnancy is safe and there`s no reason to worry about these types of contractions. “My contractions during my second pregnancy were completely different from my first. In my first, they were the classic example of a contraction. The pain started on my sides and made its way to the middle of my stomach.
They started as fairly mild menstrual cramps, then became completely unbearable. With my second contraction, I suffered from pubic symphysis dysfunction and all my contractions started in my lower back and advanced into my lower abdomen and pubic bone. They were very heavy very quickly after my water broke. And with each of them, I felt the urge to push. Of course, the doctors and nurses told me not to do it because I was only 4 cm lying down! I worked 36 hours! I now wonder if I should have listened to my body and pressed a little, it would have gone faster. Who knows. Work is a fun thing. .
