The fact is, when the sac of amniotic fluid that surrounds and protects your baby during pregnancy breaks, it's more likely to leak from your vagina in a gentle trickle than it is to break the floodgates. The so-called "rupturing of the membranes" can happen at the very start of labor or during the first stage of labor. Usually the doctor, midwife, or nurse will break your water before you become completely dilated, if it hasn't broken by then.
This allows them to learn if you have any problems that would impede the baby's safe delivery. Contractions usually become much more intense after your water breaks, and the labor goes faster. Your physician or midwife should evaluate you and your baby as soon as possible after your water breaks. That's because the baby is at risk of developing an infection in the uterus once the protective fluid is gone. Doctors also advise that women not have sex after their water breaks to avoid introducing any bacteria into the uterus.
Your practitioner will want you to have your baby within a day or two after your water breaks. If you are close to your due date, your water breaks, and you don't go into labor on your own within a relatively short period of time, you will need to have labor induced.
If your labor doesn't begin within a specific time period, your physician may want to bring on induce labor. How long your health practitioner is comfortable waiting before inducing will depend on your individual situation. Be sure to tell your health care team if your "water" isn't clear. If your amniotic fluid is greenish in color or smells bad, it could signal either an infection or meconium essentially baby feces , either of which could cause problems for your baby.
Also, if you're leaking liquid but aren't sure whether it's amniotic fluid or urine some pregnant women leak urine at the tail end of their pregnancies , you should have it checked by your health practitioner so you know what you're dealing with. Contractions are strong, rhythmic, regular cramps that feel like a bad backache or extreme menstrual pain. These little doozies, if they're the real thing, are the most reliable of all the signs and officially mark the onset of labor.
A contraction occurs when your uterus tightens and then relaxes. Real contractions usually start in the back of your body and move toward the front. These movements open the cervix and help push the baby into the birth canal.
Cervical effacement and dilation happens in the first stage of labor, which can be further broken down into three phases: the early phase, the active phase, and the transition phase. During this phase, the cervix dilates three or four centimeters. The time between contractions ranges from five minutes to 30 minutes, and they last around seconds each. The active phase is characterized by contractions that are more intense and frequent, coming every three to five minutes.
Labor pain may radiate around the abdomen, back, and thighs. Your cervix will also dilate from around four to seven centimeters. First-time moms experience active labor for around three to six hours; it generally lasts one to three hours for subsequent pregnancies. Moms-to-be can expect intense contractions during the transition phase—and possibly nausea, pelvic pressure, shakiness, and fatigue as well.
Your cervix will finish effacing and dilating to the full 10 centimeters. This phase lasts anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours. A fetal arrhythmia is an irregular heart rate — too fast, too slow, or otherwise outside the norm. It's often benign. Postpartum diarrhea after a C-section is normal. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Carolyn Kay, M. Stage 1 of labor. Share on Pinterest. Stage 2 of labor. Stage 3 of labor. Next steps. Parenthood Pregnancy 3rd Trimester.
What to Expect During a Vaginal Delivery. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. When contractions happen before labor, the medical community calls them Braxton-Hicks contractions. The key differences between Braxton-Hicks and labor contractions involve their duration, frequency, and associated pain. If contractions seem to occur randomly and they are painless, they are likely Braxton-Hicks contractions.
Contractions that occur close to a due date are usually more frequent, longer-lasting, and painful. The time between contractions is an important indication of labor. When contractions start to occur regularly and cause pain, let a healthcare provider know. When pregnancy begins, a mucus plug seals the opening of the cervix.
This plug will break apart and fall away as dilation progresses. When the plug falls away, it may look like discharge. The color can range from clear to pink, and the plug may be slightly bloody.
When labor is about to start, the membrane surrounding the baby can break and fall away. The water breaking is one of the most commonly recognized signs of labor. It can result in a sudden gush of liquid, or only a trickle. Some women may not notice because there is so little fluid.
The medical community calls this lightening, and it can occur anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before active labor begins. Contact the doctor about any signs of labor, such as regular contractions, cramping, or the water breaking. Depending on the extent of dilation, the doctor may recommend resting in bed or avoiding strenuous activity. In a review , researchers studied the outcomes of 82 women admitted to the hospital for preterm labor.
They found that 48 percent of the women who arrived with 0—2 cm of dilation delivered within the first 48 hours of admission. For the women to qualify, they had to be between 24 and 34 weeks pregnant. Though the study was small, it suggests that dilating to 1 cm before the 37th week may be a risk factor for preterm labor.
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