What are the early signs of labour, how long does it normally last, will my waters break and what do contractions feel like?
GIVING birth is the most magical time of a woman's life (or so people who have never had kids try and tell us).
The fact is, having a baby is a difficult and painful time and everyone's experience is different. Here are some answers to your baby questions...
What are the early signs of labour?
This can differ greatly from woman to woman but there are some telltale signs that may indicate you are going into early labour.
- Lower back pain or abdominal pain
- Painful contractions
- Waters breaking - more on that below
- A brown discharge
- Diarrhea
- Disturbed sleep
How long does labour normally last?
Unfortunately for expectant mums - there really is no way to predict how long labour will last.
And the experience differs for each person.
For first time mothers the average labour is eight hours long but it could easily be much shorter or (gulp) much longer.
Experts suggest that it is unlikely to last more than 18 hours but we've all heard the 36-hour labour horror stories.
Once the cervix is fully dilated (so 10cm wide) it'll probably be an hour or two of pushing before you get your bundle of joy.
If you've already had a baby and are going for number two (or three or four etc...) it is likely to be far quicker.
On average active labour takes five hours with few deliveries going over 12 hours.
Do waters always break?
Your waters breaking is actually the membranes rupturing with a gush or a trickle of amniotic fluid.
Although every pregnant woman has an amniotic sac, only about 10 per cent of mums-to-be have their waters break before giving birth.
It can happen a while before the woman actually gives birth but it definitely means they would need to alert the midwife and potentially head into hospital.
MORE ON PARENTING
What do contractions feel like?
Again - this is very different from woman to woman.
A lot of women report that contractions start off less painful and become more intense as labour progresses.
For some women contractions feel like extreme period pain, while others describe them more as back pain.
Some women say that the pain is a feeling of pulling up across your womb while for others it is focused on one or two areas.
You can read more about contractions and Braxton Hicks with our full article.