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Signs of Labor | Frequently Asked Labor Questions

Today I’m providing guidelines for a typical labor, but please follow the guidelines provided by your doctor.

Another sign of labor can be the rupture of membranes. For some women, this is a slow trickle of fluid where you just can’t feel clean no matter what you do. For other women, it’s a large gush of fluid like in the movies where it’s running down your legs. If that is occurring, make note of the time the rupture occurs, the color of the fluid, and the quantity of the fluid you are experiencing. The next step is to contact your doctor.

For first-time moms, if you’re contracting for every five minutes or less for at least an hour, each contraction is at least 60 seconds or longer, they are taking your breath away, all you can do is breathe with them, you’re distracted from any other activity, we want to know about it. Or if your bag of waters has broken, you are having any bright red bleeding more than a period, or if your baby’s not moving, please contact our office.

During operating hours, triage nurses are always available to answer your questions. After hours, holidays, and weekends, physicians are available on-call to answer any of your questions. Please DO NOT send MyChart messages with any questions regarding labor, rupture of membranes, or any concerns regarding the well-being of your baby. And do not hesitate, no questions are considered foolish.

Labor normally starts when your baby is full grown or as we call it “term.” This can be as early as two weeks before your due date to as late as two weeks after your due date. If labor begins earlier than two weeks ahead of your due date, your baby can be born too early or premature. If it doesn’t happen until later than two weeks after your due date, your baby can be born overdue or post maturely.

Labor occurs when your uterus begins to tighten over and over again in an effort to push the baby out. This tightness or contractions are usually felt at the back and spread over the whole belly area. They last from about 45 to 60 seconds and occur about every 10 to 20 minutes. After an hour or two, these contractions usually become stronger and closer together.

Sometimes a small amount of thick blood streaked mucous may come from the cervix, through the vagina during labor. This mucous plug is normal. Some women experience a sudden gush or slow leaking of clear fluid (amniotic fluid) from their vagina. This is the liquid that has surrounded and cushioned the baby so far. Usually, this fluid is forced out toward the end of labor, but sometimes it occurs earlier. You should call your doctor if this happens to you.

These are pains that are often felt in the low belly which don’t follow a regular time pattern or become more intense over time. They usually go away in a few hours. Often times if you lay down on your side for about an hour and drink a large glass of water, they will go away.

First, use a clock to check how far apart the contractions are and how long they last. When they are strong and occurring about 10 minutes apart, call us and we will tell you the best time to go to the hospital. A physician is available 24 hours a day and can be reached at 262-544-4411—when calling after office hours, the answering service 1-800-446-3274 will direct your call.

Let us know as soon as your labor begins, since you will need to get to the hospital very soon and we will want to be ready for surgery when you arrive.

• Decreased fetal movement
• Vaginal bleeding
• Rupture of membranes (bag of water)

We eat in childbirth! - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

Artsybysheva Ludmila Romanovna

Obstetrician-gynecologist

Clinical hospital Lapino-1 "Mother and Child", Clinic KG "Lapino" in Odintsovo (branch)

yes or no

did not even arise, the doctors believed that with the onset of contractions, food and drink should be forgotten. This was explained by the fact that if suddenly, for some reason, an emergency caesarean section is required, then general anesthesia will be needed, and before this anesthesia, you can’t drink, let alone eat (during such anesthesia, food residues can be thrown from the stomach into the lungs) . The only thing allowed was a few sips of water. But now everything has changed: childbirth has ceased to be a medical event, but has moved into the category of natural processes, no one thinks about “you never know what will happen”. In addition, even if a caesarean section is needed, then it (even an emergency one) is done almost everywhere with the help of epidural anesthesia (and eating does not affect it). So now doctors are not so categorical in relation to food in childbirth and even believe that food and water will help a woman avoid dehydration and maintain strength for experiencing contractions.

Therefore, if the birth is going well and you suddenly want to eat, then a light snack is allowed. Well, if you don’t even want to think about food, you don’t need to force yourself. In general, everything should be as desired.

when there is

Very often, on the day of childbirth, a woman notices that she does not feel like eating at all, at most - she would eat something light and simple. The same is possible with the onset of contractions: the body is not up to the digestive processes now, so there will be no strong appetite during childbirth. But, nevertheless, you don’t need to go to give birth on an empty stomach either, it will take strength in childbirth, and we take energy for them just from food. Therefore, with the onset of contractions, doctors recommend a woman to have a light snack - this is the best time to eat. Firstly, when the contractions are still weak and rare, you can eat without being distracted by painful sensations. Secondly, there is still a lot of time before the height of labor and the food has time to be digested, and this is important, because often during strong contractions, the woman in labor experiences nausea. Thirdly, at the beginning of labor, a woman is usually at home, where, of course, there is food, then there will simply be no place to take it in the rodblok.

what to eat

Which dish or product to choose? There are no special prohibitions for food, and you can focus on your wishes, but still it is worth considering that fatty foods are out of place now: it is also heavy for the stomach, and nausea in labor can increase. The same can be said about protein: it does not provide energy and is hard and slow to digest. It is best to eat something from carbohydrates - they are just digested easily and, most importantly, provide the necessary energy. For example, banana, crispbread, toast, cereal, crackers, fruit puree, broth, soup, or yogurt will do.

what to drink

Contractions are physical work, they are like running a long distance, so during childbirth there is almost always thirst. Another reason why women in labor are thirsty is that it is often too warm or even hot in the birthing room, and the air in it is very dry. So drinking during childbirth is not only possible, but necessary. What is the best choice? Plain water, clarified juice and weak tea will do. Soda, especially sweet, should not be drunk: gas and sugar can irritate the stomach and provoke or increase nausea. You need to drink little by little, but often (sometimes even the usual amount of liquid also causes vomiting).

caesarean section

As we have already said, now almost everywhere a planned caesarean section is done under epidural anesthesia, and then eating and drinking is not prohibited. But if the operation is done under general anesthesia, then there will be restrictions on food intake. The last time you will be allowed to eat somewhere 8-12 hours before the operation. Since a planned caesarean section is usually performed in the morning, it turns out that the last meal is dinner. It should be light - the same bread, toast, yogurt, broth will do. Meat (even low-fat), cheeses, nuts, fatty cottage cheese - in general, it is better not to eat all foods that take a long time to digest. Also, do not eat a lot of fiber (vegetables and fruits) - it can affect bowel function.

If you suddenly need general anesthesia during childbirth, and the woman has recently eaten, you should definitely tell the anesthesiologist about this. The doctor will more closely monitor that, under anesthesia, the contents of the stomach do not enter the respiratory tract.

some nuances

– Today, you can take water with you to childbirth in almost all maternity hospitals. Better if it is in a plastic bottle.

– Can I take some food with me to the hospital? Everything here will depend on the rules of the hospital. Usually, it is not allowed to bring food directly into the maternity unit itself, and this is understandable: a woman is already in it during active contractions, when she is not at all up to eating. But there are exceptions, somewhere they are allowed to bring the same toast, bread, chocolate to the rodblok. In any case, you can put some non-perishable products in the bag for the maternity hospital: what if the birth is delayed, or the baby will be born late in the evening, when dinner is already over, and breakfast is still far away? This is where you can have a bite to eat.

– If a partner (husband, sister, girlfriend) is present at the birth, then in a few hours he will also want to eat. Therefore, something to eat will have to be taken for him.

Ask the midwife or doctor who will be attending the delivery about food and drink. Or just call the maternity hospital and find out what food you can take with you. Then it will be easier for you to prepare and reschedule the birth.

Make an appointment

to the doctor - Artsybysheva Lyudmila Romanovna

Clinical Hospital Lapino-1 "Mother and Child" Clinic KG "Lapino" in Odintsovo (branch)

Pregnancy

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WHO: Women in labor and doctors increasingly opt for caesarean section |

According to the World Health Organization, modern surgical approaches, effective painkillers and antibiotics make it possible to perform surgery with minimal risk to mother and child. A new WHO study in this area has shown that in countries where at least 10% of women undergo this operation, maternal and child mortality is reduced. However, caesarean section certainly has its downsides.

“My doctor almost immediately recommended a caesarean section. He explained it by my age. Although this was the second birth for me, but I was already 44 years old. And when I came to the hospital at the appointed time, they said: why, actually, a caesarean? according to what evidence? But my doctor insisted, he didn't want to risk anything. And then, after the birth, he told me that the child had an entanglement of the umbilical cord, and during childbirth this loop could tighten around the child’s neck.

More and more women choose caesarean section as the most painless, quick and safe way to give birth. Caesarean section is especially popular in developed and developing countries. The numbers are impressive. For example, in Brazil, 45% of women choose a caesarean section. In European countries, this figure has increased from 15% to 22% over the past 20 years. WHO spokeswoman Dr. Marlene Temmerman says:

In Brazil, 45% of women opt for a caesarean section. In European countries, this figure has grown from 15% to 22% over the past 20 years

“In many developing and developed countries, there is a real epidemic of caesarean sections. A cesarean is done even when there is no medical need for it. You may be wondering: so what? If women choose caesarean section and it is safe, why not? Yes, in modern conditions it is really safe. But do not forget that this is still an operation, a surgical intervention.

A caesarean section can cause serious complications for both the baby and the mother. Marlene Temmerman explains:

“Women who have a cesarean are at a higher risk of bleeding. Also, do not forget about the scars that remain from previous births that have passed with the help of surgical intervention. Serious complications may arise. And even in some developed countries, where caesareans are often performed, a higher level of maternal mortality has been reported compared to other developed countries. Of course, this operation is not the main cause of death among women in childbirth, but the connection certainly exists.

However, the preference for caesarean is made, of course, not only by women, but also by doctors. And they are partly understandable. It is better to perform a scheduled operation at a prearranged time than to receive a call from a patient in the middle of the night and then deal with this or that unforeseen situation during childbirth:

adjust your schedule. The doctor sees patients at a certain time. He can do two surgeries a day. No unexpected calls, no late night work, no emergencies, no added stress. The quality of life of doctors thanks to caesarean section is significantly improved.”

At the same time, experts emphasize that in many cases, caesarean section really saves lives.

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