Giving birth

The body of the mother has been prepared for giving birth for the past nine months.

The nest syndrome:
This is not just a myth. If suddenly you find yourself painting the ceilings, cleaning the lamps or or putting order in all the drawers, don't be surprised; it's the nest syndrome.

If you can not stop cleaning and putting the house in order it is because the moment of giving birth is coming.

When time of giving birth is near, the mucous plug that was sealing the uterus entrance will come loose and fall away. This mucous protects the uterus and the baby from infection during the pregnancy. When this mucous plug comes away it's accompanied by a dark excretion in the underwear. This is nothing to be afraid off, it's normal and there is no need to run to the hospital just yet; it will still take a couple of weeks before giving birth.

But if the mucous plug comes away and is accompanied by a lot of blood, it's recommended to go to the hospital or call your gynecologist immediately.

Occasionally the mucous plug doesn't come off until moments before giving birth.

Position of the baby:
In the majority of first time mothers, the baby's head starts to get in position in the mother's pelvis around week 34.

However if it is the second child, the position of the baby the moment of giving birth is unpredictable, because the baby moves more comfortably in the mother's stretched abdomen muscles. It is possible that moments before giving birth the baby will adopt the correct position.

The gynecologist can tell the distance between the pelvis edge and the baby's head. If the baby's head is stuck in the pelvis, the most probable thing to happens is that at the moment of giving birth, the baby's head will come first - the best thing for the mother and the baby.

Many women vomit and have diarrhea before giving birth. The body prepares itself for giving birth, cleaning and purging itself.
The reason for this is the prostaglandin hormones which fortifies the uterus neck but also have the effect of moving the intestines.

The hormones your body produces during pregnancy prepare the mother's body for the moment of giving birth. These hormones help the flexibility of the pelvis ligaments so the baby can easily go through. They also prepare the uterus muscles to push and intensify the sensitivity to oxitocin which will stimulate the contractions.

The mother's body rehearses contractions with Braxton Hicks. The Braxton Hicks contraction appear a few weeks before the moment of giving birth. It's a method the body uses to prepare for giving birth.

When the water is breaks, it is a sign that it is time to give birth. Some women don't break the amniotic bag until moments before giving birth, while dilating.

When the water is broken the baby will be born in 24 hours, or it can risk infection without the protection bag.

Is recommended to call the doctor when the water is broken, if the amniotic liquid is clean the doctor might tell you to relax and wait a bit. If the liquid is dirty, that's a sign that the baby is suffering, so go immediately to the hospital.

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