Pregnancy: Common signs of approaching Labour

Pregnancy is considered as the most beautiful part of the journey of a woman’s life. The climax of this journey is delivery and before that is labour. In villages and places where the service of an obstetrician is seldom present and babies are born with the help of a mid – wife only, people say a lot about when the delivery is due by the appearance of the expectant mother. Most women are scared of pregnancy because of labour. Let’s find out the different signs of labour. The first sign that an expectant mother feels is a drooping feeling in the lower portion of the body. This is when the baby turns head down and drops to the cervix of the uterus. This puts a lot of pressure on the bladder causing the mother to urinate more often, and gives her a feeling of heaviness in her lower abdomen, making it difficult for some to have bowel movements. This drooping feeling would be more strongly felt in case of babies which were positioned higher in the uterus, and then suddenly drop. Because of this sudden drooping, some mothers find it easier to breathe comfortable comparatively. Other kinds of changes can be experienced in the cervix, though these changes will be more strongly felt by the doctors as they perform some internal check-ups a couple of weeks before the due date. The mouth of the cervix can be experienced as opening up a little more than normal and will feel softer. There is something called false labour, so named because it mimicks the actual labour pains. These pains are experienced more in the last stages of pregnancy but the frequency increases and they intensify at the end of pregnancy. These contractions are also called ‘Braxton Hicks’ contractions. These contractions are of course, different from actual labour contractions as they don’t really have a pattern, they don’t intensify and the duration does not increase with reduction in the gaps. Breaking of water bag is also a sign that it is time that you call your doctor or visit the hospital. There would be a sudden gush of fluid which is clear and odourless. It is not necessary that the fluid gushes out; it could seep out steadily. If the appearance of the fluid is a little different, then please take note to enquire with the doctor. There is a vaginal discharge, which is brownish or blood-tinged in colour. This discharge may mean that the labour is about to begin in a few hours or days. In other words, babay is on its way! Women might experience lower back pains or thigh pains persistently. Women can identify labour pains because it is a lot like premenstrual feeling of cramps. Also, frequency of urination will increase and some women may feel the urge to pass stools. Once the actual contractions have begun, with increase in frequency and reduction in breaks, accompanied by increased intensity in contractions, it is good to be well hydrated with plenty of fluids. Some women find it relaxing to keep walking in between contractions and resting when the contractions occur. This prepares the woman for the hard work in the labour process.