How to understand that it is time to go to the maternity hospital. How do you know when it's time to give birth? Removal of the mucus plug

The last weeks of pregnancy are a time of exciting anticipation for every woman.

After all, the real date of birth does not always coincide with the one determined for you by the doctor.

It is especially difficult for expectant mothers giving birth for the first time.

The first contractions, the breaking of water, the change in the shape of the tummy - all this is known in theory. But what the harbingers of childbirth will be in practice still remains a mystery for mothers.

We will try to dispel all your doubts and tell you how they really begin.

First signs of labor

The normal time for labor to begin is 37-38 weeks. , lasting up to 41.5 weeks, is considered post-term.

But every pregnancy is individual: completely healthy and strong babies are sometimes born both at 36 and 42 weeks.

Labor begins suddenly in very rare cases. Most often they are preceded by the following symptoms (harbingers of labor):

1 The mucus plug comes off. A dense clot of mucus covers the cervix, protecting the fetus from possible infection. When the uterus contracts, the mucous plug is forced out. This usually happens 1-2 days before birth, but sometimes the plug can come out a week before the actual contractions.

Characteristic heavy discharge will indicate the removal of the mucus plug. Their consistency is quite thick; there may be pinkish and yellowish impurities.

2 Discharge of water. This sign occurs strictly 24 hours before the onset of labor.

The amniotic sac ruptures, and the waters that serve as the baby’s main nutrient medium come out.

The period when the child is unprotected by amniotic fluid should not exceed 12 hours.

A long anhydrous period threatens infection and complications during childbirth.

The water may recede quickly, or leaks may continue for some time. The color of the released water should be transparent or very light.

If there are cloudy, greenish or bloody impurities, the expectant mother should immediately consult a doctor.

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3 Real contractions. The most pronounced symptom of the onset of labor. Thanks to contractions, the cervix opens enough so that the baby's head can pass through the birth canal without any problems.

4 Painful sensation in the lower back. Periodic “shooting” pain will occur, somewhat reminiscent of the sensations at the beginning of menstruation. This sign appears no more than 2-3 days before birth.

If such pain haunts you constantly, be sure to tell your doctor. This may indicate that the baby is in the wrong position, and a caesarean section will have to be considered.

5 Prolapse of the abdomen. This happens 2-3 weeks before the onset of labor.

The placenta descends lower to the pelvic area, and the pelvic bones move apart to the sides.

As a result of uterine prolapse, a woman’s heartburn stops, digestion improves and it becomes easier to breathe. True, this will make it more difficult for you to sit and walk.

6 Frequent urination. Due to increased pressure from your prolapsed uterus on your bladder, you may experience a frequent urge to urinate. Moreover, some of them may be false. The same factor also affects frequent bowel movements.

7 Changes in the baby’s motor activity. A few days before giving birth, the expectant mother may notice that the baby is not behaving as before. Its tremors may intensify or, on the contrary, subside for a longer time.

8 “Nesting” syndrome. Rather a psychological, but very common sign of imminent labor. A woman has a natural desire to create all the conditions in the house in order to soon bring a tiny family member into it.

At this time, you are unlikely to want to go out with friends: the priority will be cleaning the house and creating coziness in the children's room.

If not you, then your family and friends will certainly notice changes in your mood. Sudden mood swings will be replaced by calm, harmony and the desire to smile.

9 Weight loss. Often, mothers’ appetite weakens before giving birth, and during the last week of gestation they lose up to 2 kg in weight. This can also be explained by increased urination and bowel movements.

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How to distinguish real contractions from false ones?

It is better to go to the maternity hospital when you fully feel the signs of the onset of labor. If labor is unsettled, there is no need to call an ambulance: you will simply waste time and may end up in the pathology department.

Often, women carrying a baby for the first time mistake false (training) contractions for real ones.

The main difference between training contractions and real ones is almost complete painlessness.

You may notice only slight discomfort when walking. Real contractions can be very painful, much more unpleasant than menstrual pain.

Real contractions are characterized by increasing intensity of pain. Contractions always occur regularly, but as labor approaches, their rhythm becomes more frequent.

Some women experience a feeling of rigidity in the abdomen during labor pains. When you touch your stomach, you will feel a hard and very elastic surface. This effect can last up to 1 minute, then the tension subsides.

While training contractions can be “calmed” by taking a warm shower or changing your body position, labor contractions cannot be managed.

How does labor begin in first-time mothers?

In mothers expecting their first children, signs of labor are diagnosed 1-2 weeks before the end of pregnancy. Among multiparous women, the percentage of rapid births is higher.

Many women carrying second or more babies begin to notice the appearance of precursors of labor only after 38 weeks.

Hello, expectant mothers! Today our article is again devoted to the problems of pregnancy and childbirth. We'll tell you how to understand that it's time to go to the maternity hospital. And also about the basic rules that must be followed during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a blessing

For many, pregnancy is a lifelong dream and a desire to create strong family, and for some - panic fear of two lines on the test. The reasons for this can be very different:

• - age;
• — living conditions;
• — loving person or relatives who are against the child;

The choice to continue or terminate the pregnancy depends only on the woman.

What to do during pregnancy

How is pregnancy progressing? early stages? Dizziness, abnormal stool, pain in the mammary glands, nausea, mood swings, heightened sense of smell, vomiting, fever from 36.9 to 37.2 - all these are early signs of pregnancy. It's time to visit a doctor, take the necessary tests, do an ultrasound and register with the antenatal clinic. Throughout your pregnancy, the doctor will monitor your weight, abdominal girth, blood pressure and check your blood tests, and there will be a lot of them throughout your pregnancy. During pregnancy, you should monitor your health, especially your diet.

Closer to childbirth, it is worth deciding in which maternity hospital the long-awaited baby will be born. Doctors will determine, based on the course of pregnancy, whether the woman will give birth on her own or whether a caesarean section is necessary.

How to understand that it’s time to go to the maternity hospital

The most crucial, important moment has arrived - childbirth. But a woman does not always understand that real contractions have begun. Very often they are confused with harbingers. Precursors are irregular, chaotic, scanty pain in the pelvic area, lower abdomen, lower back, and sacrum. Over time, their symptoms gradually weaken and stop.

Real contractions are regular contractions that occur after an equal amount of time, stretching in the lower abdomen and lower back at the same time. There is no need to delay your journey to the maternity hospital. If a woman gives birth for the first time, labor can last from 11-18 hours, if multiparous, from 8-10 hours. But as statistics show, surveys of women who have given birth again noted that labor lasts 4-8 hours.

Main stages of childbirth

There are 3 stages of labor:

— the first is when the uterus opens and contractions occur;

- second - pushing and when the baby passes through the birth canal;

- third - the period after childbirth, expulsion of the placenta.

When a long-awaited child is born, he is weighed, measured, and examined by a pediatrician. The baby is placed on the mother's chest and given a taste of colostrum. Colostrum is a storehouse of useful vitamins, microelements and beneficial properties. After 2-3 days, the mother’s breast milk “arrives.”

And from that moment on, the life of mom and dad changes, there are no longer two of them, but three. So much happiness, joyful troubles and worries about the baby await them ahead.

Women preparing to become mothers should know exactly when to go to the maternity hospital. This issue is especially relevant for first-time mothers.

An obstetrician or gynecologist must tell the expectant mother what is happening to the body during contractions and the breaking of water, so that she understands when it is time to go to the maternity hospital.

Classmates

All women are puzzled by the question of when to go to the maternity hospital during their first pregnancy. The doctor caring for the pregnant woman should inform her about her health status, which will determine the nature of the delivery. At 35-36 weeks, the expectant mother will find out the planned place of birth, so that at 39 weeks of pregnancy, when it’s time to go to the maternity hospital, no unnecessary problems arise.

The woman undergoes numerous examinations reflecting the condition of the baby and the pregnant woman herself. The decision when to go to the maternity hospital as a first-time mother is based on an individual assessment of the results of all studies and risks.

During the first pregnancy, labor can last on average 12 hours and begin with pulling, cramping sensations that appear with temporary regularity. If such pain appears after the 37th week, you should suspect the onset of labor and understand that it is time to go to the maternity hospital, as was recommended by the doctor according to plan.

Contractions have started - is it time?

Contractions are muscle contractions of the uterus. Their occurrence marks the fact that the woman began to give birth. You should go to the maternity hospital immediately during contractions, when the cervix begins to dilate. This is especially true in the second and subsequent pregnancies, because a woman gives birth much faster than for the first time in her life.

There is a danger of rapid and rapid labor, when the fetus is expelled in a shorter period of time than expected. Therefore, if contractions occur before childbirth, it is urgent to go to the maternity hospital when the baby has just begun his journey.

At what interval should contractions not be postponed?

During various periods before childbirth, women experience false contractions, which are irregular and painless. Primiparas often cannot distinguish false contractions from true labor contractions and wonder which contractions to go to the maternity hospital with.

Labor pains:

• go at regular intervals;
• are painful and their intensity depends on the pain threshold of the woman in labor;
• the interval between contractions decreases;
• pain intensifies from contraction to contraction.

At what interval of contractions to go to the maternity hospital depends on the woman’s health condition. But it is better to call an ambulance when detecting the regularity of uterine contractions, without waiting for the cervix to open.

If there is a minute between contractions, then labor is already in full swing and the cervix is ​​fully dilated.

If the amniotic fluid has broken

The rupture of water during normal delivery indicates the end of the first labor period and complete dilatation of the uterine cervix. If your water breaks, you need to go to the maternity hospital, when the amniotic sac is opened, without delaying for more than a minute, because there is very little left before the birth of the baby. In the second period, the mother needs to start pushing to expel the baby from the uterus. When your water breaks, you should go to the maternity hospital faster for repeat births because of the possibility of giving birth before reaching the hospital.

What sensations make it clear that it’s about to start?

In addition to contractions and rupture of amniotic fluid, a woman will be told when to go to the maternity hospital during pregnancy by the release of the mucous plug covering the uterine cervix. It is an accumulation of dense mucus about three milliliters in volume and can come out a maximum of two weeks before birth, or maybe already during labor. The presence of blood streaks in the plug is normal and should not frighten the expectant mother.

Amniotic fluid and mucus plug

During the second and third births

It is easier for a woman to understand when to go to the maternity hospital during her second birth, since she can focus more accurately on her feelings experienced during her first birth.

It is necessary to go to the maternity hospital during the third birth, when regular cramping pains begin, as soon as possible in order to ensure the safety of the mother and the child, who will be born within five hours.

A gynecologist will tell a pregnant woman how to understand that it is time to go to the maternity hospital. There are the following methods for determining the date of birth of a baby:

• according to gynecological examination;
• according to the date of expected conception;
• by last menstruation;
• at the first movement of the fetus.

A woman prepares for childbirth in advance by visiting a gynecologist and specialists, undergoing examinations. Participation in classes at a school for pregnant women gives a positive result to the preparation, where they will competently tell you about when you need to go to the maternity hospital, how to behave there, and about the first steps in caring for a newborn baby. It is useful to prepare not only morally, but also physically, so that the body reacts correctly, and the muscles relax and tense where necessary. Breathing, yoga and walking will help with this.

When you need to go to the maternity hospital, the question arises of what you should take from the essentials. Maternity bag includes:

• documents: passport, insurance, exchange card, referral, sick leave;
• clothes for mom: robe, shirt, underwear, socks, washable slippers;
• hygiene items: pads, wet wipes, toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, brush, comb, shampoo;
• mug and spoon;
• clothes for the baby: diapers, caps, vests, rompers;
• for the child: diapers, disposable diapers, cotton pads, diaper cream, pacifier.

Approximate contents of the bag to the maternity hospital

Conclusion

1. should be aware of the timing of travel to the maternity hospital, which is individual in each case and depends on the health of the woman and her baby.
2. Gynecologists need to familiarize pregnant women with the order in which contractions occur, the peculiarities of cervical dilatation and the discharge of amniotic fluid.
3. Starting from the 37th week, a woman should be ready to go to the maternity hospital, knowing about the procedure for delivery and the rules of caring for a newborn baby.

Closer to childbirth, the expectant mother begins to be tormented by the following questions:

• when to go to the maternity hospital?
• How to recognize the first signs of labor?
• Are there any special signs of early labor?
• and what are these first signs of labor in general?

We answer in order. There are three main signs of the onset of labor:

First sign of labor:

the appearance of regular contractions of the uterine muscles - contractions

Most often, labor begins with contractions. Contractions are regular contractions of the uterus, accompanied by nagging pain in the lower abdomen and (or) lower back. At first, contractions are weak, lasting a few seconds, and the interval between them is 10 - 12 minutes.

Sometimes contractions immediately begin every 5 - 6 minutes, but are not very strong. Gradually contractions become more frequent, stronger, longer, and more painful. During the period between contractions, the stomach is relaxed. When your stomach is relaxed, you should try to rest.

Typically, in primiparous women, contractions last 10 - 12 hours, in multiparous women - 6 - 8 hours. Sometimes contractions are rare - every 20 - 30 minutes. These are not labor pains, but harbingers of labor.

If they don’t tire you too much, then you can wait and not go to the maternity hospital. It's possible that everything will stop. It is better to go to the maternity hospital when contractions are more frequent than once every 10 minutes.

Second sign of labor:

vaginal discharge of cervical mucus - mucus plug

The mucus plug may come off 2 weeks before birth, or maybe 3-4 days. This usually occurs after uterine contractions begin to widen the cervical canal - thereby displacing the mucus plug.

The mucus plug keeps the canal closed during pregnancy. Loss of the mucus plug is a definite sign of the onset of labor. Discharge of colorless, yellowish, or slightly blood-stained, faintly pink mucus may occur.

Third sign of labor:

water breaking

The amniotic sac may leak, then the water will slowly flow out.

It may burst suddenly, then the waters will “gush out in a strong stream.” Sometimes this happens before the rhythmic contractions of the uterus begin.

This occurs more often in multiparous women. When the amniotic sac ruptures, no pain is felt. If the water breaks immediately, before the onset of rhythmic contractions, you should go to the maternity hospital immediately, since the longer the water-free interval, the greater the likelihood of a complicated course of labor, infection penetration into the uterus and the fetus.

How do you know when it’s time to go to the maternity hospital? What were the first signs of labor you noticed?