How do contractions begin

The second or third birth frightens the expectant mother no less than the first. She is not afraid of the process itself. A woman remembers the sensations she felt when a child was born, knows how to choose a doctor, and how to communicate with the medical staff. The future mother is afraid of the possibility not to distinguish real contractions from false ones and to give birth to a baby too outside the hospital. To avoid this, you need to listen to your own body and pay attention to all the signals of the body.

First heralds

The weight of the expectant mother is constantly increasing. The baby develops and grows, the hormonal background changes, which is why fat accumulates in the subcutaneous layers. But as soon as the body begins to prepare for childbirth, weight gain stops, and the expectant mother can lose 1.5–3 kg. At the same time, the face and hands cease to swell, but the legs swell more.The child changes position, dropping a little lower, and presses on the vessels located in the pelvis. Blood circulation in the body is normalized, and in the legs it gets worse, because of which they swell more.

Usually, the baby turns over, the head "looks" at the cervix. This is a natural position that facilitates childbirth and helps the baby to be born without complications. The child, together with the bladder, sinks closer to the “exit”, so the pregnant woman’s abdomen shifts down. Changes are noticeable visually and are accompanied by certain symptoms:

1. The pressure on the diaphragm decreases, it becomes easier for the woman to breathe.
2. Lumbar pains or discomfort occur in the lower back.
3. At night, the pregnant woman can not find the correct position, because the descent belly bulges harder and hinders.
4. The child begins to put pressure on the bladder, so the urge to go to the toilet increases, and you have to get up in the middle of the night several times.
5. Some pregnant women had urinary incontinence before the onset of labor, which was why they could not laugh, cough, or do domestic work.

The omission of the fetus is accompanied by oppressive sensations in the lower abdomen.They are painless, but suspicious. When the baby moves closer to the cervix, it stops pressing on the stomach. Normally the work of the digestive organs, in the first place - the stomach. Pregnant women, who have suffered from heartburn for the entire period of gestation, note that the burning sensation and other unpleasant symptoms disappear closer to the onset of labor.

Cleansing the body

Multiple, like during the first pregnancy, has diarrhea a day or a few days before labor. Some women practically do not get up with a white friend and are forced to wake up in the middle of the night in order to have time to run to the bathroom. In others, an upset stomach is accompanied by vomiting or lack of appetite. The body is freed from the remnants of food, because it will have to spend a lot of effort on labor and birth of a baby. The body has no energy for digesting lunch or dinner, so pregnant women suffer from diarrhea.

Of course, indigestion and vomiting can provoke food poisoning, but it is accompanied by:

• temperature increase;
• pain in the intestines and other digestive organs;
• bloating and flatulence;
• sweating.

When food poisoning decreases pressure, the pregnant woman may feel dizzy or split in the eyes. When the body is cleansed before labor, the woman is not bothered by pain, and her body temperature remains within 36.6–37 degrees.

Tip: If the body is severely dehydrated due to vomiting and diarrhea, you should immediately call an ambulance and go to the hospital. Doctors should stop nausea and indigestion, and then restore the water balance.

Exemplary Housewife

Kids in the second and third semester regularly remind of their existence, kicking mom either in the liver or in the kidneys. A day or several hours before labor, the child becomes overly active: spinning, turning, and then suspiciously subsides. Doctors say that the fetus has a premonition of the beginning of labor activity and is accumulating strength for the last spurt. The child as if falls asleep, and mother, on the contrary, feels a surge of energy. In the third trimester, a large stomach and edema make the pregnant woman clumsy, the woman feels tired and sleepy, therefore she moves little, trying to lie down or sit more.But before the fights, my mother seemed to open a second wind. She happily washes the floor, sorts things for the baby, collects a bag in the maternity hospital or walks along the street. A pregnant woman can do general cleaning, and she will have energy for another two. Only time to clean the bath or washing the windows will not be, because after a few hours after the tide of forces begin fights.

Training or real

False contractions of the uterus can scare a multiparous woman, because they look like real ones:

• the belly stiffens and becomes hard;
• the muscles of the uterus periodically contract, but not regularly;
• some pregnant women have a weak pulling pain, which appears in the lower back and falls into the pelvis.

Training fights are held if a woman lies on her side and squeezes a pillow with her feet or go to the kitchen to drink tea. False uterine contractions subside, if distracted by a movie or an interesting book. Real contractions in a healthy woman begin at 38–40 weeks or a little later. They are regular, occur after an equal time interval: first 30–20 minutes, and after 15–10. The first cuts are accompanied by uncomfortable sensations, as during menstruation, but the pain gradually increases.

Contractions regular and frequent? Pulls in the abdomen and no film helps to get rid of unpleasant sensations? You need to call the doctors, lie down on the sofa and relax. Symptoms point to real contractions, and the baby should be born in 2–5 hours. You can not worry and move too much, because physical and emotional stress can provoke transient labor. They are dangerous for the health of the mother and the life of the baby, so it is important to wait for the doctors and get qualified help.

The child is less than 37 weeks old, but is mom regularly bothered by training bouts? Need to consult with the gynecologist. It is possible that the cervix has opened slightly, therefore false contractions appear. In such cases, the specialist offers to lie on the conservation or gives special instructions:

• do not take a bath, bathe only in the shower;
• Do not include too hot water, it should be a little warmer than room temperature;
• it is advisable not to massage the sacrum;
• more to lay down and limit physical activity.

These contractions are accompanied by the discharge of cork and amniotic fluid. The pregnant woman pulls the lower abdomen, as if before menstruation, and when she goes to the toilet,This is noticed on lingerie or padding highlighting a brown or orange tint. The mucus can also be brown or reddish.

Amniotic fluid comes out completely or partially. Sometimes the amniotic fluid is leaking before the onset of contractions, and spills out almost during the attempts. In other pregnant women, labor activity is activated after the amniotic fluid is poured out. In any case, if a woman noticed abundant turbid discharge, you should immediately go to the maternity hospital or to see a doctor. It is advisable to call the ambulance or ask someone from the family to accompany the pregnant woman to the hospital itself. In a taxi or car, you need to take a recumbent position, turning on the right or left side. Hold a pillow or a small roller between your legs.

Individual characteristics

Experts recommend women to go to the maternity hospital at 38 weeks so that the gynecologist can control the process of childbirth and not miss the start of labor.

Women say that before the baby came into the world they suffered from insomnia, feeling of heaviness in the swollen legs and could not get warm even under two blankets. Some moms were looking forward to the end of pregnancy, tired of the huge belly and own sluggishness, others to the last remained active and cheerful, independently collected bags and reached the maternity hospital on the bus.

Symptoms of contractions in each multiparous individual. They are similar to the sensations that a pregnant woman experienced during the first birth, or are completely different from past experiences. Signals depend on the health of the woman, the location of the child and many factors, so with the slightest suspicion, you should consult with your doctor, and then the baby will be born on time and without complications.

Video: how to understand that childbirth has begun