During a contraction your uterus tightens in order to dilate (open) your cervix (the neck of your womb) and move your baby downwards during the first stage of labour. Contractions can feel like a wave that starts at the top of your uterus and moves downwards.
The uterus will relax between successive contractions. The baby will keep moving until the labor begins, and this movement will continue during the early labor. However, the movement pattern may change. Instead of kicking the womb, the baby may squirm or shuffle.
Some women report feeling their babies move during contractions; others report feeling them move more after or in between tightenings. Every baby will respond differently. You might find your baby wriggles more during the second stage (pushing phase) of labor.
As your baby passes through the birth canal, the baby's head will change positions. These changes are needed for your baby to fit and move through your pelvis. These movements of your baby's head are called cardinal movements of labor. This is when the widest part of your baby's head has entered the pelvis.
Why do you only push during contractions? In most mammals, labor lasts for only a few hours. During the pushing stage, the baby negotiates a very narrow space. The baby is pushed down with the contractions and rests and recovers in between.
Early dilation often feels like menstrual cramps as the cervical changes cause pain and cramping noticed in the lower part of the uterus. It is the same sensation and location as menstrual cramps. Active labor tends to be felt in a larger area but can be a similar sensation as cramping (with more intensity of course).
The pushing stage occurs after the cervix is completely dilated and no longer in front of the baby's head. A smooth passageway now exists through which you can push your baby from the uterus and down through the birth canal to delivery. Your contractions may decrease just prior to getting the urge to push.
Fetal movement also can trigger Braxton Hicks.
Women often say they felt a sharp kick from the baby or a lot of activity right before contractions started.
Do contractions make you feel like you have to poop? For lots of women we surveyed, yes. The most common analogy moms used to describe the sensation of the pressure they felt during labor (even before the pushing stage) – all decorum aside – was thinking about having to poop.
When you're in true labor, your contractions last about 30 to 70 seconds and come about 5 to 10 minutes apart. They're so strong that you can't walk or talk during them. They get stronger and closer together over time. You feel pain in your belly and lower back.
However, if the body is not ready then all that happens is you get tired out. After taking a bath the next thing to do is head into bed. With the contractions a bit farther apart and not as long and strong this is the best time to rest. Sleeping helps to pass the time so you are not as focused on the contractions.
Bladder Infections and Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) Severe UTIs and those that involve infections of the bladder and/or kidneys are very painful, and sometimes women also get these infections during pregnancy.
The most common description of the level of pain experienced was extreme menstrual cramps (45 percent), while 16 percent said it was like bad back pain and 15 percent compared it to a broken bone.
During early labor: You may feel mild contractions that come every 5 to 15 minutes and last 60 to 90 seconds. You may have a bloody show. This is a pink, red or bloody vaginal discharge.
Other ways to recognize labor:
The 5-1-1 Rule: The contractions come every 5 minutes, lasting 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour. Fluids and other signs: You might notice amniotic fluid from the sac that holds the baby. This doesn't always mean you're in labor, but could mean it's coming.
You may be surprised to find that you can feel your baby kicking your cervix and even your bowels. But don't worry, fetal movements in the pubic area are normal and very common, if not annoying.
But if you're close to 10 centimeters dilated the research suggests it's not an issue. Evidence suggests it's more of a theoretical fear that just adds additional stress and in some cases results in an epidural (or a higher dose of epidural) to mask that urge.
For most people, active labor is more painful than pushing because it lasts longer, gets more and more intense as it progresses, and involves many muscles, ligaments, organs, nerves, and skin surfaces.
Instead of clenching a bed sheet or something that's hard, reach for something you can squeeze like a stress ball (throw one in your labor bag) or keep your hands open. Squeezing and releasing a stress ball can actually help relieve stress and tension.
Many of these symptoms are due to increased levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which boost blood flow throughout your body to support your baby — including to your labia. As a result, your labia and vagina may experience the following changes: Swelling.
Dilating to 1 centimeter does not necessarily mean that labor is only hours or days away. The cervix can be dilated to 1 centimeter for weeks before the beginning of labor. This extent of dilation only signals that the cervix is starting to prepare for labor.
There are several different reasons why expecting mamas get these pains, but boils down to pressure on the bundle of nerves around the cervix. The majority of the nerves in the uterus just so happen to be right above your cervix. As baby moves around and things start happening down there, it can stimulate these nerves.
Even though labor and vaginal birth can be hard work, they are generally easier on a woman's body than a cesarean. Recovery after vaginal birth is usually shorter and less painful than after a C-section, and allows the woman to spend more time with her baby.
The potential for a quicker labor, delivery and recovery – For some people, a natural birth may go more quickly. While it depends on several different factors, like how relaxed you may be, in some cases medications can interfere with contractions and prolong labor.