The stages of labor and birth

I found out a website that provides all I need, a tons of information about pregnancy, labor, postnatal care and chid care. Although practice is different from theory, I think understanding the whole process will help me reduce anxiety. 

http://www.babycenter.com/ <- This is amazing ! 

According to the baby-center, the following are ten smart ways to prepare for your baby's birth.

• Learn about the birth process 
• Find a doctor for your baby 
• Get on the same page as your partner 
• Talk to veteran moms
• Prepare older siblings- and pets 
• Line up help for after the birth 
• Know what to do when labor starts 
• Decide who will attend the birth 
• Pack your back 
• Stock up on the essentials.  

For the first step, today I will learn about the birth process. I will extract all information from the baby-center, and summarize them. 

What are the stages of labor and birth? 

<The first stage>

Early labor

- This stage lasts for 6 to 12 hours until my cervix is about 4 to 6 centimeters dilated. 

- Contractions will gradually become longer, stronger, and closer. 

- As I reach the end of early labor, contractions will be coming every five minutes and lasting 40 to 60 seconds. 

- I may see a tinge of blood. But if I see more than a tinge of blood or my water breaks, I have to call hospital. 

※ Coping tips

- Don't become a slave to my stopwatch just yet,  Instead, get a sense of what's going on.
- Stay rested, since I may have a long day (or night). Try to doze off between contractions.
- Be sure to drink plenty of fluids so I stay well hydrated. And don't forget to urinate often, even if I don't feel the urge.
- Try some relaxation exercises or do something to distract myself a bit – like watching a movie or reading a book.

Active labor 

- Contractions become increasingly intense - more frequent, longer and stronger each lasting about 60 seconds. 
- It's time to call my midwife or doctor, or head to the birth center. 
- This stage usually lasts 4 to 8 hours. If I have an epidural or a big baby, it may last longer. 
- I will no more be able to talk through them. 

※ Coping tips

- Use the pain-management and relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and visualization. I will learn about this next time. 

- Ask my husband for a massage. 

- Take a warm shower or bath.

Transition (The last part of active labor) 

- This stage is the most intense part of labor. Contractions are usually very strong, coming every two and a half to three minutes or so and lasting a minute or more, and I may start shaking and shivering losing faith in my ability to handle the pain.  (Sounds so horrible) 
- There's often a lot of bloody discharge. I may feel nauseated or even vomit.
- If I'd like to be more active participant in the pushing stage, ask to have my epidural dose lowered at the end of transition. 

※ Coping tips

- Ask a massage if I want. 

- Change position. 

- Use a cool cloth on my forehead or a cold pack on my back. (😭 Using a cool cloth or cold pack? Koreans believe that whatever cold including air and water during labor injures women's health for good.) 

- Focus on the fact that those hard contractions are helping my baby make the journey out into toe world. Try visualizing her/his movement down with each contraction. 

- If I don't take medication, I can be coached through transition, one contraction at a time. 

<The second stage>

Pushing 
- Many hospitals coach women to push with each contraction in an effort to speed up the baby's descent. But I can ask them to wait until I feel a spontaneous urge to bear down. 
- If I have an epidural, the loss of sensation can blunt the urge to push, so I may not feel it until my baby's head has descended quite a bit. 
- A slow, controlled delivery can help keep my perineum from tearing. 

<The third stage>

Delivering the placenta 
- Minutes after giving birth, my uterus begins to contract again. The first few contractions usually separate the placenta from my uterine wall. This is usually one short push that's not at all difficult or painful. 

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What I learned from this session is that the length of painful period is longer than I expected, and taking epidural has pros and cons. What would you like to choose? Epidural? Or natural birth? I will think it over after learning more about pain-management and relaxation techniques in the next session. 

And I found it interesting that unlike Korea there's no three (so-called) humiliations - getting an enema, depilation, and perineal incision- during labor process in the U.S. 
What if I p..o..o..p.. while pushing? >.< (sorry! I don't know another elegant expression)  I don't want to lose my face in front of my husband !