When you arrive at the maternity ward, the midwife will make your observations, assess your well-being and that of your baby and assess your progress in labour. This can be done by simply observing yourself and your contractions, or with your consent through a vaginal examination. If all goes well, your midwife will recommend that you stay home until you are in established labor. You are more likely to have more fluid labor and fewer procedures if you stay home until the contractions are stronger and your contractions are regular. The early stage of labor is often called the latent phase. The latent phase can last several days and this is completely normal. The latent phase lasts until your cervix is dilated by about 4 cm and you regularly have strong contractions. During pregnancy, your cervix is closed and clogged with mucus to ward off an infection. But when labor begins, the mucus plug can come out. This is called their show and you can notice it in your underwear or when you wipe after going to the bathroom. Some women don`t have a show. You may have heard of women going to the hospital and breathing to the end through strong contractions, only to be told at triage that what they are feeling is not “real” work and that they should go home and wait. Frustrating, isn`t it? This type of work can present itself to different people in different ways, so it is often difficult to engage.

It`s not always easy to determine at home whether what you`re experiencing is the “real thing” or not. Prodromal labor can occur very close to each other (say, every 5 minutes) and can be more painful than the Braxton Hicks contractions you`ve already gone through. For women who have already experienced prodromal work, they may be able to know if they are living the real deal. However, if this is your first pregnancy or if you have not undergone prodromal consecrations in previous pregnancies, this may require a visit to the doctor to be sure. Most health care providers start by gathering information about when your work is, when it has increased in intensity, and how long it has been running (so be sure to write it down!). The doctor or midwife will likely perform a pelvic exam to see if your cervix has begun to dilate. If there are no signs of dilation, or if it is the same as the last exam or a very small change, then you are probably undergoing prodromal work. Prodromal work, also known as fake labor, often leaves pregnant women confused and nervous. Here`s what you need to know about bothersome cramps and how long you should expect them to last. You may feel restless or restless during active labor. Now it`s time to be in the hospital or birth center or go there.

If your water bag (amniotic sac) hasn`t broken before, it may be now. If you took a work class and learned how to perform special breathing during labor, now you will want to start with special breathing. During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, you may have episodes where your abdomen tightens and feels firm and then relaxes. These are episodes of tightening (contraction) of the uterine muscles called Braxton Hicks contractions. These normal contractions may be mild, or they may be strong enough to make you stop doing what you are doing. The latent or early stages of labor last until your cervix is dilated by about 4 cm and you regularly have strong contractions, sometimes it can take a long time. Braxton Hicks contractions can begin as early as the 20th week of pregnancy, but most often they begin between weeks 28 and 30. Preterm labor is diagnosed in a woman who is 20-37 weeks pregnant and has regular uterine contractions. This means about 6 or more contractions in 1 hour. The waves of contractions begin at the top of the uterus (called fundus) and radiate along the uterus to the cervix.

At the same time, the lower segment of the uterus is pulled upwards to open the cervix. Prodromal labor consists of contractions that can be quite regular (between 5 and 10 minutes apart) and can be painful like active labor, more than Braxton Hicks contractions. As a rule, each contraction lasts a little less than a minute. These contractions are preparatory. It is suggested that they can help put the baby in a proper birth position, that they can prepare the muscles, ligaments and pelvis for active labor, and prepare the mother for what will soon be : active labor. Your contractions usually resume once your adrenaline/stress hormone levels decrease and oxytocin levels rise. When you have a contraction, your uterus tightens and then relaxes. For some people, contractions may look like extreme menstrual pain.

Some women say they experience pain in their back and thighs instead of or as well as pain in the front of their bump. Compared to the onset of labor, contractions during the first phase of labor: You may have experienced Braxton Hicks contractions during your pregnancy. These are the tightening of the muscles of the uterus and vary in length, but they usually take about 30 seconds. They are usually painless. Prodromal labor is often referred to as “bad work” and falls somewhere between Braxton Hicks contractions and active labor. Prodromal work is part of the work that takes place before active work, but it does not progress towards delivery. “Prodromal” comes from a Greek word meaning “precursor”. This is a great explanation for this type of work, as it usually occurs hours, days, or weeks before the start of active labor. Each stage of labor is characterized by different types of contractions. During the 1st phase of labor, each contraction slightly shortens the uterine muscles, and in doing so, they pull the cervix into the lower segment of the uterus. Shortening the uterine muscles reduces the size of the uterine space, so the baby is pushed down and out of the vagina (or birth canal). Epidural: Some studies have shown that epidural anesthesia can slow down the push phase of labor, and although data on its effects on active labor and transition are inconclusive, many women report that their contractions were weakened and distributed after receiving epidural anesthesia, often leading to the use of pitocin to get it back on track.

This could be due to a woman`s limited ability to move and position herself, or to the fact that epidural anesthesia relaxes the uterine and pelvic floor muscles. Regular contractions may mean that your uterine muscle is tightening (Braxton Hicks contractions) or that you are in labor. It can be difficult to tell the difference between Braxton Hicks contractions and real contractions. If there is no doubt, call your doctor. Many women find that they feel safe and comfortable in their home environment. In this environment, the body produces a lot of oxytocin (a hormone that stimulates strong, effective contractions during labor), and labor usually progresses well when you feel calm and relaxed. The first stage of active labor begins when the cervix is dilated from about 3 cm (1.2 inches) to 4 cm (1.6 inches). This phase is completed when the cervix is completely dilated and the baby is ready to be pushed out.

During the last part of this phase (transition), the work becomes really intense. Prodromal work has many names: preparatory work, fake work, latent work. It`s basically “when you have contractions, not leading to childbirth,” says Colleen Wittenberg, MD, ob-gyn at Kaiser Permanente in Riverside, California. Although prodromal labor occurs at fairly regular intervals and can be painful rather than uncomfortable, there is often a break between these contractions and active labor. Prodromal contractions do NOT do this: the established labor is when your cervix has widened to more than 4 cm. At this point, you will have stronger, longer and regular contractions. It`s a good idea to start recording the frequency of your contractions and their duration. This will show you when they will become more regular. There is a wide range of variations in work patterns because every woman is unique. Early and active contractions in stage 1 are usually defined as pain that occurs every 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes (timed from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction). .