Signs and Symptoms Before Labour Strikes and Your Baby Pops Out!

Here’s my message for everyone: Most expectant mothers seem to have a fear of the word Labor. Mainly because they have never experienced it -the fear of the unknown. Also Labor over the years has been dramatized by films and videos and various stories handed down over the generations. However, it is important to remember that labor is not the same for two different women. In fact labor is unique for each mother and child pair as well. Which means that your experience during your first birth can be infinitely different from your experience in your second birth.

The human body is intelligent and it knows exactly what it needs to perform. Giving birth is a normal physiological function of the female body, which means that the body knows exactly what it has to do provided we leave it alone and not interfere with the natural processes.

As pregnancy approaches full term, the baby starts taking the position for birth instinctively. Gravity helps by pulling the head which is the heavy part towards the pelvis. Also the baby finds it naturally comfortable to find space for his head in the pelvic cavity.

As the head descends, it puts pressure on the cervix which in turn brings about cervical changes and the cervix starts becoming shorter and thinner.
While these changes are happening the mother is fairly oblivious, but alert mothers may be able to notice some signs and symptoms. First and foremost, the abdomen which was almost at the rib cage now visibly moves lower and the mother starts feeling greater pressure in the pelvic area. Besides, she will also feel an increase in the number of Braxton-Hicks contractions in these last few days. Last but not the least, the doctor will also be able to ascertain with a physical examination if the mother’s body is ready for the birth process.

As the body prepares for the final few hours before birth, mom will now feel the frequent urge to empty her bowels, spasmic lower back pain and a sudden rush of energy can be felt too. With this, she is now probably willing to clean house, go shopping, cook a few extra meals and in general paint the town red.

Of course, these are just pre-labor symptoms and this does not mean that you need to go to the hospital. Relax, make sure your hospital bag is packed, your husband is in town and wait for the contractions to begin.

Also read more about: 27 Things About Labor And Delivery That Every Expecting Mom Should Know