Childbirth, while being a natural process in the female body, is a unique and special event for each woman. Even between the 2nd and 3rd births of the same mother, there can be differences. Some births occur within a few hours, while others can strain the mother’s physical and emotional state. While you may not know exactly how long and how your childbirth will proceed until it happens, knowing the processes of normal childbirth can make you feel more prepared.
What is a Normal Birth?
There are three stages of normal childbirth. The period from the start of regular contractions to complete dilation is called the first stage; the period from complete dilation to the birth of the baby is called the second stage, and the period ending with the detachment of the placenta is called the third stage.
How Does Normal Birth Occur?
First stage:
The cervix begins to open with the onset of regular contractions every 8-10 minutes. The mucus plug that seals the cervix is discharged slightly bloody. The first stage of labor is the longest stage of labor. Approximately 85-90% of the total labor time passes during the first stage. The patient should not tire herself during this stage.
You can engage in some activities that will relax you during this stage. These are briefly:
Take a light walk
Take a warm shower
Listen to relaxing music
Practice relaxing breathing techniques taught in childbirth education
Change positions
When the cervix is dilated to about 6-7 cm and the baby’s head exerts full pressure on the entrance to the birth canal, the amniotic sac ruptures. After the amniotic sac ruptures, the intensity of the pain decreases slightly due to the decrease in tension in the uterus, but then increases again.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST STAGE?
In the first stage, your baby’s heartbeats will be monitored, and the dilation of your cervix will be tracked by a nurse or doctor.
Second Stage:
When the cervix is fully dilated, the birth has begun. In this stage, the contractions have intensified and are now at their peak. Contractions occur every 2-3 minutes and last 60-70 seconds. In this stage, along with the pains, an involuntary urge to push begins. This stage lasts for about an hour for first-time mothers and about half an hour for mothers giving birth to their second or third child. It is important that this period does not prolong for the health of the baby. Therefore, the baby’s heartbeat is frequently monitored.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE SECOND STAGE?
To prevent this stage from prolonging, you need to push with contractions. The stronger you push, the faster your baby will progress through the birth canal. Eventually, the doctor will see the baby’s head. Thus, with one or two strong pushes, your baby will be born.
Third Stage:
At this stage, the mother has relaxed and taken her baby into her arms. Some hospitals allow the mother to breastfeed at this stage. The mother’s attention is now focused on her baby, but many events continue to occur in this stage. The placenta, which connects the baby to the mother, is still in the mother’s uterus.
After the signs of separation of the placenta are seen, the placenta is removed by massaging the uterus from the top. This stage does not exceed half an hour. While the placenta is being expelled, you may need to push one more time. After the placenta is expelled, the vagina and vaginal entrance are examined, and if there is any tear, it is sutured. The doctor also checks whether the placenta has come out in one piece. This procedure is important to ensure that there are no pieces of placenta left in the mother’s uterus. If the vaginal entrance has been cut to prevent irregular tearing before childbirth, the cuts made at that time are stitched up at this stage. The patient’s bleeding is controlled, and the childbirth is completed.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE THIRD STAGE?
Now relax and enjoy the first contact with your baby. If you feel pain during suturing, inform your doctor. They will apply the necessary procedure.
Normal Birth Signs
There are many signs of normal childbirth. Not all of these signs are observed in expectant mothers. For example, some signs like “show” may not be noticed or may not appear. The signs of normal childbirth include a discharge called “show,” regular contractions, water breaking, back pain, a feeling of lightness, feeling energetic and happy, and a frequent need to urinate.
Show (bloody discharge): To protect the baby from infections in the mother’s womb, there is a mucus plug in the cervix. With the descent of the baby and the approach of birth, this plug is discharged with a small amount of blood. Thus, when the mother goes to the toilet or sees a light pink or brownish stain in her underwear. This stain is called a “show.” The show can occur just before birth or a few days before birth.
Regular contractions: Regular contractions are the most reliable sign that labor has begun. You can change positions to understand the difference between real labor pains and false labor pains. If the contractions do not disappear or if they start to come more frequently and intensively, this is true labor pain.
Water breaking: The baby is in the womb in a sac filled with a fluid called amniotic fluid. When the membrane of the sac tears along with contractions, amniotic fluid flows out. This event is called water breaking. If your water has broken but you are not showing any other signs, you should definitely go to your hospital as soon as possible.
Back pain: The muscles that start to contract and stretch for childbirth can also affect your back muscles. Therefore, sometimes back pain can be observed more prominently in some pregnant women before childbirth.
Feeling of lightness: As the baby’s head sits in the birth canal, the mother’s belly is observed to be lower. As the descending baby no longer puts as much pressure on the lungs, the mother feels a sense of lightness.
Frequent urination: As the baby descends, the bladder will be squeezed even more, so the urge to urinate will increase even more.
Feeling energetic and happy: Some mothers feel energetic and happy shortly before labor begins.
When Does Normal Birth Occur?
Normal childbirth occurs between the 38th and 40th weeks of pregnancy. Births before the 37th week are called preterm births, and births after the 42nd week are called post-term births. Some of the signs of childbirth listed above may appear up to 4 weeks before the baby’s arrival. The best decision on when labor has started is made by the doctor.
Benefits of Normal Birth
There are numerous benefits of normal childbirth for both the mother and the baby. We can list the benefits of normal childbirth for the mother as follows:
Many techniques used in normal childbirth are non-invasive. Therefore, the risk of possible side effects such as infection and bleeding is minimized.
Mothers who give birth vaginally have much less postpartum pain than mothers who give birth by cesarean section.
Mothers who give birth vaginally are discharged from the hospital earlier. This is advantageous both in terms of risk and economically.
Many women who give birth vaginally feel strong during labor and experience a sense of success afterward. Research has shown that many women, despite experiencing pain, state that they would prefer vaginal birth
