Giving birth is the most natural thing in the world, but this doesn’t mean you can’t be a little nervous and scared. If you are a first-time mommy, you most likely have no idea what will happen when your waters break and you feel the first contractions.
Here is a useful break-down of what you can expect during the early stages of labour.
The first stage of labour starts when you first start to experience regular contractions until you are fully dilated and ready to push.
This can be a lengthy stage and it’s divided into different phases:
Also see: Tips for nurturing and nourishing your bump with a well-balanced diet
All the signs below indicate your baby is on its way:
Also see: Expecting moms considering home births: What you need to know
It’s always useful to think of labour as a marathon and not a sprint. It’s usually long and requires endurance both physically and mentally. Early labour, also known as the latent phase, can last anything from 5-6 hours to a few days before you move into active labour.
Thankfully, this is not the most intense phase of labour and it can often be managed at home. First deliveries are usually longer than second or third births. Uterine contractions are irregular and spaced out at first, but they become more regular and closer together.
“I was in labour from the Saturday until Monday afternoon. My daughter was born at 4pm. The doctors kept telling me it was false labour. The umbilical cord was wrapped around my baby’s neck – that’s why my waters didn’t break. I had to have an emergency C-section.” – Namitha Gopikisson
“With my first born, I was only in labour for two hours after being induced, but with second child I was in labour for 11 exhausting hours.” – Mpho Molefe
“I had contractions for 14 hours (mild until the last hour), and pushed for 25 minutes.” – Lisa Cunliffe
“My baby was born at 36 weeks. Thought I had flu, instead it was pre-eclampsia. I was induced immediately. 12 hours of mild contractions and 72 hours of insane contractions then… ended up having an emergency C-section. So 84 hours total. I have a healthy, beautifully strong 7-month-old girl.” – Suzzanne Klopper Smith
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