Did You Know?

Women in hotter countries give birth to more boys than those in colder climates.

The birth seems a long way off when you first find out you're pregnant. But as the week roll by, you'll want to get ready for the big day by finding out as much about labour as you can.

While every woman's experience of labour is unique, the three stages of labour, each of which has a different purpose, are always the same. Knowing what to expect will prepare you for your baby's incredible journey.

Your body doesn't launch into labour - one of the most awesome physical feats it will ever perform - without giving you at least one or more of these warning signs...

The Show
Normally, the cervix - the neck of the uterus, which dilates (opens up) to allow the baby through during labour - is sealed with a plug of mucus to keep out any infection. When labour is imminent and the cervix begins to dilate, the mucus plug comes away and this is know as the show. You may notice it when you go to the loo - it usually looks like a blood-tinged discharge. But don't get too excited as a show can happen up to two weeks before labour starts.

Waters Break
Your baby is cushioned in the uterus by a protective sac containing amniotic fluid - our 'waters'. During labour, your baby's head presses down onto the cervix, causing the sac to break and release the fluid. Depending on your baby's position, it may be a trickle or a flood.

Your waters can break at any time during labour and not necessarily right at the start (only 10% of labours start this way, so don't be worried about leaving the house for fear of flooding the supermarket). If your waters do break, tell your midwife immediately as there's a risk of infection if you don't go into labour within 24 hours.

Contractions

Did You Know?

In the United States, it used to be believed that an expectant father should drink water out of his shoes to help ease the pain of his partner's contractions.

These are what you feel when the uterus begins to tighten in order to dilate the cervix. Most women describe early contractions as a little like period pains with lower backache. If labour has genuinely started, the contractions will become longer and more frequent, and more painful.

First Stage
The first stage prepares you for pushing out your baby. During the first stage of labour, the cervix dilates to 10cm - the size needed for your baby's head to pass through. This process can last from a couple of hours to a couple of days, but for first time mothers, the average is 18-24 hours.

Did You Know?

In parts of Brazil, fathers cut themselves during their partner's labour to share their pain.

Your contractions will become much more regular and intense. At the start of labour, they may come every 30 minutes and last for 10 seconds; by the end they may last for a minute an dbe only two minutes apart. Time your contractions and call the midwife for advice.

Second Stage
During the second stage of labour, your baby will be born. Second stage labour (or the pushing stage) happens when the cervix is fully dilated. Now your contractions will work to push your baby along the birth canal (just 10cm in length). For first time mothers, the second stage usually last under an hour although it can often last longer.

The release of hormones will give you an overwhelming urge to push, as will the pressure of your baby's head on your rectum (back passage). You may also find that your contractions start to feel different. Some women say that they're not as painful during the pushing stage.

Did You Know?

50% of women need stitches after having a baby.

It's important not to push before you get the urge, as your midwife needs to make sure that you're fully dilated. You'll also need guidance on when to push as your baby's head is crowning (emerging through the vagina). If you push too forcefully you could tear your perineum (the area between the vagina and anus).

Listen to your midwife. She'll tell you when to push and give you the encouragement and support to keep going. Try changing position. If you kneel or sqat, gravity can help ease out you baby. Remember that the long haul of the first stage is over and it won't be long before your baby's born.

Third Stage
The third stage sees the delivery of the placenta, which completes your labour. After your baby has been delivered, the uterus continues to contract to reduce in size. As it becomes smaller, the placenta comes away from the uterine wall, drops into the lower part of the uterus and is delivered during the next contraction. Your midwife may help by applying gentle traction to the umbilical cord. If you're in hospital you'll probably be offered a hormone injection (Syntometrine) to help speed up the third stage, in which case it should happen in around 20 minutes. If you decide to deliver the placenta naturally, without the injection, it should take around an hour.

If you've had any kind of anaesthetic, you won't be able to feel a thing. If you had a drug free delivery, you may feel your uterus contracting and the placenta easing out of the vagina but it shouldn't be painful.