Worried about the process of labour and don’t know how your body would react to it? Relax! Giving birth is a normal physiological function of the female body. That means that the body is tuned to know exactly what it has to do provided we leave it alone and not interfere with the natural processes. The human body is intelligent and it knows exactly what it needs to perform.
Expectant mothers, especially first time moms fear the labour process and mentally it’s something that they keep thinking about. Mainly because they have not been through it before and it is the fear of the unknown. Also Labor over the years has been dramatized and hyped up by films, videos, photography and we tend to hear of stories handed down by our parents, grandparents, peers who have gone through their set of experiences. However it is important to remember that labor is not the same for everyone. Human bodies are different and what one person may experience maybe totally different from what another person experiences. In fact labor is unique for each mother and child pair as well. It means that your experience during your first birth can be totally different from your experience in the second time you give birth.
As you approach the last few weeks of your pregnancy, the baby starts taking the position for birth automatically. What is this position? Gravity helps by pulling the baby’s head which is the heavy part towards the pelvis. Also the baby naturally finds it comfortable to find space for his head in the pelvic cavity. The pressure on the cervix increases as the baby’s head descents downward thus making the cervix shorter and thinner.
Your abdomen at this point in times moves down lower from your rib cage zone thus creating pressure in the pelvis area. At this stage it is also normal to feel an increase in the number of Braxton-Hicks contractions since this is a sign that your body is practicing for the big day. Also when you visit your doctor at this stage, they would be able to ascertain with a physical examination if the mother’s body is ready for the birth process.
Most times mother do not even notice these internal changes but here are some signs you could look out for – The frequent urge to empty her bowels, spasmic lower back pain. You would also notice a sudden rush of energy. You may feel like to want to clean the house, or go shopping, cook and in general would be really pumped up.
The above mentioned are just some signs and does not mean you are already in labour but make sure you are prepared if it were to happen anytime soon. Make sure your hospital bag is packed; your loved ones are in town and wait for the process to begin J