How to ride the waves of your Labor Contractions
What do they feel like? What do they do? What should I do?
Labor contractions have that dual feeling about them.
On one hand, you're excited because getting those contractions means that the end is near; you’re going to have a baby now!
But at the same time you've got that nervous feeling about them. “Oh no, is this going to hurt?”
What you’re feeling is normal, and no matter how many kids you've had (and I've had eight!), you are always going to have that excitement coupled with the fear.
That's totally normal, we all go through it.
So, what are the three main questions women have about contractions?
What do contractions feel like?
What do they do?
What am I supposed to do?
What does the contraction feel like?
I once had a neighbor come over and ask me “What does a labor contraction feel like?”
We were both expecting then, I was expecting my third and she, her first. She was asking because she knew she would eventually feel contractions but she had no idea what they would feel like.
The first contractions are like a period cramp. They sweep along the bottom of your stomach giving you that yucky feeling you get when you have your period.
Eventually they get stronger and closer together.
However, do not mistake labor contractions with the Braxton Hicks contraction. The Braxton Hicks contraction is essentially the hardening of your stomach across the top. This is a contraction that you might have at any given moment during your pregnancy, and they're not labor contractions. They usually mean that you're dehydrated, so try drinking a little more.
Counting labor contractions
As the contractions start getting closer, your doctor is going to ask you “How many minutes apart are your contractions?”
What they want you to do is to count the minutes from the beginning of one contraction, until the beginning of the next. You might start your contractions at 20 minutes apart, and they go down to 18, 16, and so on. It also might go up and down, and that's normal.
Eventually, when you get down to about 4 or 5 minutes apart, usually that’s when your doctors tell you to go down to the hospital.
What do contractions do?
Ok, so everyone says that they dilate your cervix, but what does that mean?
Well, you know how you're pregnant the whole nine months and the baby doesn't just fall out, right? There's a door that prevents your baby from falling out when you're pregnant. It's a thick, closed door and it’s called your cervix.
The thinning of this door, which we call the cervix, is called effacement, and the opening of the cervix (up to 10 centimeters) is called dilation.
You're going to hear the personnel tell you updates like “You're 30% effaced and 2 centimeters dilated.”
When you get up to 10 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced, that means you've totally opened your cervix (the door), and it's time to push the baby out.
A contraction is doing just that - opening the door in order for you to birth your baby, and squeezing the baby down towards the door.
What you should do?
By now, you might be asking “What’s my job in this whole thing?” Good question!
You need to let the contractions do their job and not get in the way!
That sounds easier said than done. When people are in pain, they tend to cramp up their muscles. When that happens, you are unintentionally keeping the door closed for your baby (meaning your are keeping the cervix from dilating.)
So how do I relax? Breathe!
See this blog post 8 Ways to Distract Yourself During Labor
What we need is the kind of breathing that fills up your belly with air, like a balloon. Filling your belly with air helps stretch out the muscles and doesn’t allow them to cramp up.
That’s what we call riding the waves of the labor contractions! And that’s your whole job.
The rest mother nature does on her own.
But like I said this can be easier said than done.
What kind of support are you preparing for your labor?After having gone through 8 labors myself, 5 natural, and 3 not, I highly suggest you do it the natural way. Easier recovery, healthier for you and the baby. But in order to do that you need two things:
A great childbirth course that will prep you and give you the knowledge and confidence to create the labor that you need. I highly suggest taking Mama Natural’s Online Childbirth Course. Even women in their 9th month are taking this course to prepare for the big day! Check it out.
A doula who will be there for you to be a pillar of support.
Congratulations to you! Good luck and I hope things go smoothly for you! Don’t forget to breathe deep – fill that belly with air and ride those waves of your labor contractions![disclosure]