How your body prepares for labour
Here are some of the ways your body will prepare both you and your baby for
the birth ahead.
Braxton Hicks contractions
In the weeks or days before you start having proper contractions, you may
experience Braxton Hickscontractions. This is your uterus tightening then relaxing. These
contractions don’t usually hurt and are thought to help your uterus and cervix
get ready for labour.
Braxton Hicks contractions may become more regular as you get closer to the
time of birth, but unlike labour contractions, they don’t change the shape of
the cervix and are sometimes referred to as ‘false labour’. Your midwife can
tell you if you’re experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions or if you are in
labour by doing a vaginal examination to look at your cervix.
Changes to the cervix
As labour gets closer, your cervix softens and becomes thinner, getting ready
for the dilation (widening) that will allow the baby to enter the vagina. You
may also see a ‘show’ which is a pinkish plug of mucus, stained with blood.
Engagement
Your baby may move further down your pelvis as the head engages, or sits in place over your cervix, ready for the birth. Some women feel
they have more room to breathe after the baby has moved down. This is called
‘lightening’.
Rupture of the membranes, or ‘waters breaking’
Some women find the sac of amniotic fluid containing the baby breaks before
labour, contractions start and the fluid runs (or gushes) out of the vagina.
This is referred to as rupture of the membranes, or ‘waters breaking’.
Let your maternity team know when your waters have broken and take notice of
the colour of the fluid. It is usually light yellow. If it is green or red,
tell your maternity team since this could mean the baby is having problems.
If your waters have broken but you have not started having regular
contractions within 24 hours, you may need your labour to be induced because there is a risk of infection. Your midwife or doctor will talk
to you about this.
How will you know when labour has started?
Movies often show women suddenly being struck by painful contractions and rushing to
hospital. In real life, many women are not sure if they have actually started
their labour.
You may feel restless, have back pain or period-like pain, or stomach
disturbances such as diarrhoea.
Labour officially begins with contractions, which start working to open up the
cervix. You should phone your midwife when your contractions start, although
you probably won’t be encouraged to come to the hospital or birthing centre
until your contractions are closer together.
How the pelvis is designed for childbirth
Your pelvis is located between your hip bones. Women typically have wider,
flatter pelvises than men, as well as a wider pelvic cavity (hole) to allow
a baby to pass through.
The organs sitting in a woman’s pelvis include the uterus, cervix and
vagina, which are held together by a group of muscles. During childbirth,
the muscles at the top of your uterus press down on the baby’s bottom. Your
baby’s head then presses on your cervix which, along with the release of the
hormone oxytocin (see ‘How hormones help you give birth’, below), brings on
contractions. Your cervix should dilate so your baby can pass through it.
Your pelvis has bones and ligaments that move or stretch as the baby travels
into the vagina. Your baby also has spaces between the skull bones called
‘sutures’, and the gaps where the sutures meet on the skull are
called fontanelles. This allows for the baby’s head to mould as the skull bones meet or
overlap, allowing it to fit more easily as it travels through your pelvis.