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Labor Facts..
• The first stage is divided into 3 phases; the
latent phase, the active phase and the transitional
phase.
• Typically the first stage lasts for up to 12
hours on the average with anything more considered as
slow progress
• The latent phase is the longest; contractions
though frequent and intense are not too appalling. During
this phase the mother should conserve her energy for
the more intense phase which is to follow. During this
phase expect dilation to measure up to 4cm
• The active phase is shorter lasting about 3
to 5 hours. Expect contractions to be more forceful
and painful. Dilation can progress to measure at 8cm.
You may seek pain relief now. It is your choice.
• The transitional phase is the shortest but the
most intense of all three phases. It lasts for not even
an hour and its timing is just before the delivery
Contractions
• Initial contractions can be likened to intense
period pains for some women while for others they can
be compared to intervals of sharp energy rushes. For
some it can be a mild backache. In true labor the contractions
are more regular, intense with the pain traveling and
tightening around the lower abdomen
• Each contraction comes gradually, peaks, and
then fades away. The uterine muscles harden and tighten
when the contraction peaks and the pain diminishes when
the muscles relax. With time when the contractions are
spaced with shorter intervals, the relaxation time before
and after each contraction lessens considerably leaving
the mother to recall the peak only.
• At the start one contraction can be felt every
10 minutes lasting for 40-50 seconds. Finally it reaches
a stage where the contractions will last longer than
a minute with a gap of less than a minute. The resting
time decreases quite a bit. It is normal if one strong
contraction is followed by a weaker one as it is normal
to feel one strong contraction after another.
• The effect of each contraction is two-fold -
first it restricts the space in the uterus forcing the
baby into the softened section of the cervix.
• Second, the muscular fibers of the cervix shorten
and pull upward with each contraction. This is termed
effacement. Simultaneously the cervix muscles are widening
the opening; this is also known as dilatation.
• The purpose of contractions is to force the
baby down into this opening. Every contraction causes
the cervix to open up and pull back. By the end of the
1st stage, the cervix would have totally effaced and
will be fully dilated in preparation for the birth.
• At first labor progresses very slowly. Several
hours may pass by where nothing seems to happen. Contractions
come and go, and with time gain momentum and intensity.
Yet dilation is no more than half a cm. Don't panic
- this is normal.
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