How Can I Tell If I Am In Labour?
1. Breaking of The Water
Also known as Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes (SROM). This is because your amniotic sac that contain amniotic fluid are break. This happens as the first sign of labour in around 15-25% of labours, so NOT ALL WOMAN will experience this sign. Some may feel it flow like leaking and it can last for a few days. Some may experience it as a heavy flow like pipe-water. Even if the water leak for days, it can still be replenish, so don't worry if your water break but no contraction or your birth canal still close.
All you can do if your water break and still you feel no labour pain is wearing a pad. Your water should be clear! And watch if the colour change to yellowish or greenish or brownish or any other than clear or pinkish, hurry up to hospital! It could be a sign your baby has loose stool inside and it is dangerous when your baby swallow it together with the amniotic fluid!
Time to labor? Varies from hours to days.
2. Contraction
They are two types of contraction, first one, is known as Braxton Hick contraction, a ‘practice’ contractions which you may have felt during pregnancy but not all woman experience this. Some people call this as false alarm, especially when it happen in third trimester. Secondly is labour contraction. This is what you will feel when you are about to give birth. Here are the sign of labour contraction:
- Not stop or slow down, regardless of frequency and your activity.
- Be in a fairly predictable pattern (e.g. every10 minutes throughout).
- Become increasingly closer together, from every 10 minutes, reduce to 5 minutes and in rhythmic pattern.
- Last longer.First contraction will last around 15 second, and will increase to 20 seconds or more.
- Become stronger (walking usually makes them stronger)
- Build up, have a peak, then reduce (Rhythmic pattern).
3. Mucus Plug
The cervix is "plugged" with a thick piece of mucous that helps protect your baby during pregnancy by blocking the entrance to the uterus. As your cervix changes and dilates, part of the mucus plug can be released. How much you see depends on how quickly these changes occur. You might only notice an increase in discharge or you may find the whole "plug" at once during a trip to the bathroom. Time to labor? Weeks to hours.
Time to labor? Varies from hours to weeks.
4. Bloody Shows
Sometimes the mucus may look likes it has some bloody stain or has a brown, pink tinge to it. Some describe it as looking like a blob of semen and it may be as big as a 50 cent coin or more. This may occur over several days and sometimes you can lose your show up to two weeks before labour starts. Most women who do notice their show will go into labour over the following few days.
Time to labor? Varies from hours to weeks.
5. Diarrhoea
As labour approaches, you may notice diarrhoea – the body is naturally emptying the bowels to make way for baby. The production of prostaglandin will stimulate your bowels to open more frequently. A very common fear is that you will open your bowels in labour, however you may find this emptying of the bowel prior to going into labour prevents that. Sometimes there can be some passing of stools during labour. Some women don’t even notice as midwives quickly attend to this, however keep in that the midwives are used to this and it is very normal.
Time until labor? Usually only a matter of a day or hours.
6. Back Ache
A back ache that seems to come and go may be a sign of labor. Usually this is really contractions that you're feeling in your back. If your back ache becomes constant or changes, you may be experiencing back labor, usually caused by the position of your baby.
The sign could come as combination but must accompanied by labour contraction. How ever, you must go to hospital immediately if :
- You are bleeding
- Your waters have broken and the fluid is green, brown, yellow or anything other than clear or pink
- Baby movement less than 10 times in 12 hours or isn’t moving at all
- You feel something is wrong
- You can’t stop vomiting
- Intense diarrhoea
- You have unbearable pain
- You want to push
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