What it feels like before giving birth and how to understand that labor is starting

How it feels before giving birth

Are the weeks of pregnancy coming to an end and are you counting down? As you think about when you will be able to hug your baby, you most likely ask yourself many questions about how this will happen, how labor begins and ends, and how to understand that delivery is near. Childbirth never begins clearly and precisely; and if you are at the first experience, you will wonder if it is time to go to the hospital. Many women think that labor begins with the breaking of the water. In reality, this can take place at different times, even before the birth has really begun. So let's see together how it feels before giving birth.

In this article

• How to tell if childbirth is near
• Symptoms of the days before childbirth
• How and when does labor begin
• Contractions how to recognize them
• Symptoms of labor
• Pre-labor symptoms
• Onset of labor without symptoms

How to tell if childbirth is near

Let's see what are the symptoms and signs that can make us understand that the fateful moment is approaching. Just think that right "how labor begins"is the most sought-after question by expectant mothers. What is the feeling? Is labor very painful? And what are the signs before giving birth?

Some may show up in the days leading up to the birth symptoms that can make us understand that the moment is approaching. Which?

• The preparatory contractions: they are called Braxton Hicks contractions and are contractions that prepare the uterus for the time of labor. They are weak, not close together and do not repeat, but when they start to become more regular and close together maybe the time has come!
• Loss of the cap: it is a small gelatinous mass which essentially serves to protect the uterus. Since the mucous plug is lost, it can take up to 3 days before giving birth, but it is still important to call the gynecologist.
• Losses: at the end of pregnancy there may be small losses of amniotic fluid which are therefore transparent and odorless. It is not the signal of the real breakdown of the waters but it is common to call the doctor.
• You are finally able to breathe better: throughout the pregnancy the weight of the baby and the volume of the uterus have caused you a feeling of pressure and constipation at the level of breathing, but now the baby has dropped lower and this gives immediate relief and better breathing capacity.

However, precisely because the baby is now ready and pressing on the bladder, you may feel the need to go to the bathroom for urinary more and more frequently and its movements can also favor episodes of Diarrhea.

Symptoms of the days before childbirth

In the days leading up to the birth, some typical symptoms may occur:

• the belly goes down: this is because the baby is upside down and begins to press on the uterus, the belly of the woman about to give birth is clearly very lowered
• tiredness or, conversely, a lot of energy: fatigue accompanied us for almost the whole pregnancy, but in the end we are really exhausted, especially if we have put on a few extra pounds, we get lazy and even taking a short walk tires us a lot. However walk, for example, it is one of the best known methods for speeding up the onset of labor. In other women, however, the last days of pregnancy are characterized by a newfound vigor and greater energy, as had not happened for months.
• backache: Small preparatory contractions can contribute to back pain

How and when does labor begin

When we are faced with an imminent natural childbirth, the woman faces the moment of breaking of the waters: the sac that holds the amniotic fluid breaks and begins to leak out of the vagina. The moment can come suddenly, without any pain and marks the onset of labor which induces dilation of the uterus.

When this happens, it is advisable to always remain calm and lucid, try to absorb the liquid with the help of a sanitary napkin and run to the hospital. Labor is about to begin but it does not necessarily mean it will be painful and very long. It can last a few hours or many hours, it all depends on the degree of dilation of the cervix for the passage of the baby.

Read also: The four stages of labor

Contractions how to recognize them

When do they arrive and how does it feel before giving birth? The contractions they serve to dilate the cervix for the baby's transit through the birth canal. They begin even before the water breaks, but are the active signal of the baby's imminent birth, when they become more intense, more regular and frequent.

They are initially weak, then they make themselves felt at a distance of minutes and then seconds from each other with a duration that can vary up to feel them every thirty seconds.

Symptoms of labor

Il labor pain it is similar to what a woman experiences during her menstrual cycle, although much more intense and frequent. It affects the entire part of the abdomen up to the spine and down the legs. In this phase, the mother feels the physical need to expel (like when she has to go to the bathroom to defecate).

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Pre-labor symptoms

Its beginning is marked by labor pains, pains unbearable, according to many women. Generally, there is no precise definition of the pains of labor, but it can certainly be said that physical suffering varies from woman to woman according to one's tolerance of pain.

If the labor lasts a long, many hours, the mother may feel exhausted and before strength. In that case, when labor goes on for a long time, the woman could get used to the pain felt (almost as if it were something normal) and perceive it less than the initial sensation.

Immediately before giving birth, the mother may feel the need to beer or even of evacuation. This is where the midwife will intervene to offer her help. It is certainly important and preferable to keep the bowel and bladder clear to facilitate expulsion operations. If the expectant mother is thirsty, it is still advisable not to burden the stomach with liquids, but to restrain oneself trying to satisfy the thirst by wetting the lips.

La weakness and the feeling of losing energy will surely lurk, substances like sugar or honey - which do not burden the stomach - can help.

Onset of labor without symptoms

If all the symptoms that we have listed and described can be quite frequent in most women who have reached the end of pregnancy, in some cases the labor begins without any preparatory symptoms, but rather suddenly. What happens? The waters break, the amniotic sac breaks at any moment and the contractions begin, first spaced and sustainable, then gradually stronger and closer together.