how is baby going to come out of such a tiny little hole?! i'm sure this is a question everyone has asked at one time or another. so let's talk about how this happens. even before you ever begin labor, your body is preparing for it. braxton hicks are mild (some may feel them stronger than others) contractions practicing for the labor. there is no such thing as false labor...all contractions serve a purpose and are doing work for babies birth. the day comes that contractions are coming more readily and becoming stronger. this is good sign! most of us are familiar with dilation. that is: how much has your cervix opened. you will open up to 10 cm...about the size of a bagel or 5 fingers. this can happen quickly, slowly or move at a constant rate over time. there is no one speed at which this happens and is different for every woman. think of your cervix as a door and it's opening up to let the baby through...we all open doors differently but in the end the door is open. this is generally the longest part. it takes lots of work to get that door open, it is after all called labor. the last push to get it open can be very intense, so thankfully nature is kind to women. once you've opened up, you get a rest. it might be a short few minutes or last an hour or more. this is not to be confused with a stalled labor...your body is resting and preparing for the next step. take advantage of this time! even a few minutes can help revitalize you. opening the door is the first stage. the second stage is pushing the baby out. you will still feel contractions but they are now helping to push the baby out. many women enjoy this stage because they now get to do something...help their body push the baby out. your uterine muscles are exerting about 35-40 lbs of force to get the baby out but needs a little help from mama to get the job done. the baby rocks its way out. that means: as you push, baby comes out a bit but when you relax is retracts a bit. this rocking process is stretching your perineum to prevent tearing. think of it as running a marathon without stretching...you are bound to hurt yourself in some way. in this way, the body is protecting itself from injury. during this time, babies head is also molding its way through. perhaps you've heard of a soft spot on babies head? when a baby is born, their skull is not fully formed. the reason for this is so that the baby can mold it's head to fit through the birth canal. some babies might be born with an odd shaped head due to this but it will return to it's natural shape shortly. rarely is a woman not built to birth her own child. there was a time in the past, mostly in the 19th century, when women had pelvic deformities due to vitamin D deficiency that hindered a woman's capability. this is very rare these days. a woman's pelvis is made up of separate bones with flexible ligaments that move/adjust to allow baby to fit. your body is working with baby to get out...you both have the same goal. dr. bradley says it best: 'it's like a key fitting into a lock.' there will come a point during pushing when your perineum has stretched and you'll feel burning. this is a good thing!! this means baby is about to or is crowning and then will be born. don't fight this burning...take it slow but push through it. at this point, you have opened up the door and you are about to meet your baby. be careful not to push too strongly with excitement however, this is when tears can occur. oils or simply pressure on the perineum will help to prevent this. there will be a huge feeling of relief when baby enters the world...that was a lot of pressure done there. but at that point, who cares...you have your cutie little baby. :)
hold your little one right away, put baby on your belly and watch how it will make its way to your breast to nurse. you're not totally done yet...you need to push out the placenta, but after the job you just did, this should be a piece of cake. plus you get some time to relax and hang out with baby before you need to do that.
No comments:
Post a Comment