After
around 40 weeks of growing and carrying a new life, a pregnant
woman's hardest work begins -- the process of labor. And unless a
medical condition requires an early cesarean, every mother
experiences labor.
Labor
means work. It's been compared to pushing a grand piano across a
warehouse floor. It is strenuous, exhausting work. And, women will
have emotional responses to labor as well.
The
contractions of labor are the result of the tightening and
releasing of the uterus. Effacement is the thinning or shortening
of the cervix to prepare it to dilate to let the baby through. The
cervix gradually disappears as it is being pulled up by the
contractions. Dilation is the opening of the cervix from its
closed state to a diameter of 10 centimeters. These terms are used
to gauge the progress of labor, signaling the changing of phases
and stages.
Labor
is often said to have three stages, but there are really four. The
fourth stage, which takes place after the birth, is often
overlooked.
The
first stage, called cervical dilation, has three phases. Second
stage is the actual pushing phase. Third stage comes after the
birth of the baby and continues through the delivery of the
placenta. And the fourth stage is the initial recovery period for
the mother.
There
is no way to predict how long a labor will last. Though the
typical "textbook" labor lasts 12 to 14 hours, every
labor and birth is unique to the individual. Contractions may
continue for several days, but in prolonged early labor, the
contractions are usually mild and there is plenty of time to rest
between them.
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