When the pregnancy comes to an end, women are often anxious. It is not always possible to accurately calculate the date of birth, so you need to know the signs of their onset. And the most important sign is fights. A pregnant woman will need to recognize these muscle contractions. What does a sensation fight look like?
Ninth month of pregnancy
At the ninth month of fetal development, he is already ready for birth. His body is formed. Children born from the 37th week are considered full-term if they weigh more than 2.5 kg, are more than 46 cm tall, their skin is pink and smooth, free from grease, and their genitals are formed. In addition, in full-term babies, the subcutaneous fat layer is well developed, the navel is in the middle of the abdomen, and not lower. The baby is ready to work all the internal organs. His brain is covered with a complex system of furrows and convolutions, and his work allows the born to make reflex movements.
The main reflexes that should appear in a newborn are sucking, proboscis, grabbing, search, reflex support and protective reflex.
The body of a woman is actively preparing for childbirth. The abdominal circumference becomes maximum and can reach 100 cm, but expectant mothers notice that it has become easier to breathe, and heartburn has decreased. The fact is that the abdomen slightly falls down due to the lowering of the uterus into the pelvic cavity. True, this can deliver other uncomfortable sensations - heaviness in the lower abdomen, dull pains in the pubic area and sacrum.
Also, many women at the end of pregnancy feel awkward when walking. But, of course, one of the most characteristic signs that pregnancy is coming to an end is labor.
What are they like?
Contractions are training and true, that is, prenatal. Of course, it is important to be able to distinguish between them. What contractions look like depends on the nature of this phenomenon.
So, training contractions of Brexton Hicks can appear quite early - already from the 20th week. Their appearance time is individual, and the absence is not a sign of pathology.
What are training fights like? They represent a paroxysmal contraction of the muscles of the uterus, which lasts about 30-60 seconds. Their frequency can be very different - from several times a day to several times within an hour. The uterus is so intense that it can be felt through the abdominal wall. Sometimes visually it looks like a pointed shape of the abdomen and resembles bulging a child’s head.
Symptoms
What are the most obvious symptoms of these contractions? What are these feelings like? They always cause a feeling of contraction in the abdomen, and it can be localized in different places - in the upper part of the uterus, in the groin, on the right or on the left.
These sensations are concentrated in one area, while in true contractions they are given through the entire abdomen to the lower back. Usually they are not too frequent, for example, it is uncharacteristic for them to occur more often than 6 times per hour. In addition, they are irregular and unpredictable. The intervals between such contractions are irregular.
Training fights tend to fade away and disappear. The most important distinguishing feature is the absence of pain or its weak severity. If you compare what the contractions before childbirth look like and how the training contractions appear, then in the second case there are never unbearable pains.
What causes training fights
Despite the fact that these stresses in the uterus are a normal, physiological phenomenon, it’s better not to provoke them again. Some situations cannot be avoided and there is no need to worry about this. But still it is better to know what can cause these sensations. They are provoked both by the physical activity of the mother, and by the vigorous movement of the child. In addition, their cause may be the emotional state of a woman. Dehydration, fullness of the bladder and orgasm during sex affect the state of the uterus.
Breathing exercises
Not all scientists agree that false contractions are the training of the uterus before childbirth. Some believe that they are just a reaction of the body to hormonal changes. But they provide an opportunity to practice the use of breathing exercises, which then help to facilitate childbirth:
- Thrifty breathing - slow and deep exhalation during labor, and after that - a deep breath. After the fight, repeat everything.
- Dog-like - it's easy to imagine this type of breathing, if you imagine how dogs breathe in the heat. True, a tongue is not necessary for this. The essence of the exercise in the frequency and superficiality of breathing. So you need to breathe during the fight. It is only important to understand that you should not breathe like a dog for more than 20-30 seconds, otherwise it can cause dizziness.
- Candle - a deep, slow breath through the nose and a sharp, short exhale through the mouth. As if blowing out a candle.
How to alleviate the condition
A slow walk will help relax the muscles of the uterus. A warm shower or bath is useful in this situation. In addition, sometimes tension arises from an uncomfortable posture and it is quite simple to change it. It does not hurt to drink water, juice or fruit drink, do breathing exercises.
The relaxation of the uterus can also cause general relaxation of the whole body in a comfortable position, to pleasant music.
True fights
What are labor contractions like? Oddly enough, often they can strongly resemble false fights, which leads many astray. But, one way or another, it is always a strong muscle contraction.
What the fights are like at the very beginning - the question is very individual. For all women, sensations may vary. It depends, for example, on the position of the baby in the uterus. Some have mild aching pain in the lumbar region, which gradually covers the abdomen and the entire lower half of the body. Other women, on the question of what pain during contractions look like, answer that the symptoms manifested during menstruation.
Pain can be combined with a feeling of petrification of the uterus. It is well felt outside, through the stomach. The uterus is really made hard to the touch. True, such signs can also be observed with false contractions. What are the differences then?
Distinctive features
True contractions are still more painful. An important criterion for the difference is the frequency of these sensations. Reductions occur regularly, at first intervals may be in the region of 10-12 minutes. Then this process occurs more and more often. Soreness increases each time.
While with false contractions, pain often occurs in the abdomen, with true pain it often begins in the back, lower back and only then spreads to the stomach. The reviews, what the contractions look like, indicate that the pain can be strong enough, but still not so worth it to be afraid of.
If there is a suspicion that the birth is about to begin, it is worth arming yourself with a stopwatch. It is necessary to measure the duration of the contractions themselves and the intervals between them. The duration of sensations will increase, and the intervals will be reduced.
Moreover, true contractions do not disappear and do not weaken when walking, taking a bath or changing position, as if they were false. They all continue to become more frequent and stronger.
Other symptoms
In addition to contractions, other symptoms of the onset of labor are noted. They also must not be overlooked:
- Pain in the stomach and intestines may appear, resembling poisoning.
- In addition, a mucous plug comes out before delivery. It looks like a thick yellowish or white vaginal discharge. True, the cork may come out 3-7 days before the birth.
- A watery discharge, in theory, should not yet be. They talk about premature discharge of amniotic fluid. In this case, you need to urgently go to the hospital.
- Also, a reason for urgent hospitalization will be bloody or brown discharge. If the water leaks slightly, then the amniotic fluid likely burst in the upper part. If they flow strongly and flow out in a few minutes - then at the bottom. In both cases, the baby must be born within 12 hours. If this does not happen, do a cesarean section.
When leaking water, you can not douche, take a bath, do an enema, shave your crotch. Rupture of the membranes leads to the fact that the child can quickly get an infection, and these procedures can provoke its spread.
In addition, it is undesirable to eat hearty and drink a lot, since there is a high probability of surgery - a cesarean section. It can be performed under general anesthesia, and such operations are most safe on an empty stomach.
Woman behavior
Finally, the expectant mother is armed with information on what the fights look like. If it becomes clear that regular contractions have come, you need to go to the hospital. It is best to be hospitalized when the interval between contractions is 5-7 minutes. Then the woman will not spend too much time in the hospital, but she will not be late either.
There, during the period of contractions, a woman is best to try to relax and be distracted. Pushing is not yet possible. In addition, you should not sit at this time. In a sitting position, the baby's head is squeezed. Constantly lying is also undesirable. If the state of the body allows, it is better to walk between the contractions - so the cervix opens faster.
Fighting Phase: Latent
What does the start of a fight look like? This phase begins when regular contractions are established, and ends with smoothing of the uterus and opening by 3-4 cm.
Uterine contractions last from 20 to 45 seconds, and breaks between them can be about 15 minutes. This phase is called latent because all sensations are not so pronounced. Severe pain is usually not observed. It lasts about 6 hours.
Active phase
At this time, labor activity becomes more intense and stormy. The cervix opens much faster. For 3-4 hours, it opens up to 8 cm.
What are the contractions in this phase like? Sensations are now much more painful. Fights become longer - up to a minute, and the gaps between them reach only 2-4 minutes. If the fetal bladder at the end of this phase remains intact, it is opened artificially.
Deceleration phase
This phase is not always present. It is characteristic of primiparas. With repeated birth, it may be absent or be very short. At the first birth, it can last from 40 minutes to 2 hours.
Fights last from one to one and a half minutes, the interval can be as little as a minute. This phase ends with maximum disclosure. Usually it is about 10 cm.
But all the difficulties and discomfort experienced are receding when the mother can see a miracle - her newborn baby! Some psychologists even believe that the more experienced and the more invested, the more people appreciate what has been achieved. Therefore, the pain experienced during childbirth, oddly enough, does not cause anger and rejection of the baby, but arouses maternal instinct.