Birth

Labor and Delivery

The First Stage of Labor
The first stage of labor takes the longest time. (In general, about 16 hours for women delivering their first baby and about 8 hours for the others.) During this period, labor pains begin to be felt and slowly become more frequent and more intense. These recurring pains are caused by rhythmic muscular contractions of the uterus followed by complete relaxation.
At first, the contractions last about 30 seconds and occur about every 15 to 20 minutes. As labor progresses, the periods of relaxation shrink to about 3 to 4 minutes while the contractions last 60 seconds or more. A woman who has prepared herself for childbirth by appropriate exercises can ease much of the physical strain by relaxing and breathing in certain ways which support rather than fight the process taking place inside her body.
This process is aimed at dilating the cervix to the point where the baby's head can pass through it into the vagina. Once this is accomplished, the first stage of labor has come to an end and the actual birth is near.
Labor contractions lasting close to a minute and which recur about every five minutes are reason enough to proceed to the hospital. Another sign that birth is at hand is the expulsion of the cervical mucous plug which acts as a barrier between vagina and uterus. (It will be flecked with some light red blood.) Still another sign is the rupture of the membranes of the amniotic sac (commonly called bag of waters). This rupture will produce a flow of clear, water like fluid from the vagina.