Signs That Warn You That Your Baby Is Ready for a Natural Birth

The natural birth represents the success of the 9 months of waiting for the most precious being on earth, namely the baby. The 9 months of pregnancy pass quite quickly, and the birth of the baby is imminent.

Mothers need to know the signs before birth to see a doctor promptly. The first signs are the contractions of the uterus which are externalized by pain similar to those before menstruation, but with a higher intensity.

You may be accustomed to these pains and have learned to control them, but if they do not stop when you use different methods of relaxation (walking around the room, lying in bed, hot bath) it means that the baby is ready to be born.

Among the signs that show that the baby is ready for natural birth we mention:

• painful contractions that do not stop, but intensify both in pain and in duration;

• loss of amniotic fluid. Before the natural birth, the gelatinous plug that protected the little one from the outside during the 9 months of intrauterine life softens and allows the amniotic fluid to drain;

• loss of clean blood in small quantities;

• intensifying the child's movements;

• pain in the lower abdomen radiating to the back.

All the symptoms mentioned above are signs that the natural birth is about to take place and you have to pack for the maternity and possibly notify your doctor of your arrival and especially of the imminent birth.

The phases involved in natural birth are:

• The expansion phase which in turn includes the latent phase, the active phase, and the transition phase;

• The expulsion phase of the newborn;

• Placental expulsion phase.

The latent phase is the longest and can last from a few hours to a few days. In this phase, there are systematized contractions of short duration but at regular intervals.

Contractions occur every 30 minutes and last between 35 and 45 seconds. When the contractions shorten their appearance, they are longer and more painful, which means that you have passed into the active phase.

In the active phase, the natural birth is fast approaching, the contractions follow each other at intervals of 3–5 minutes and can last up to 1 minute. The active phase of birth is much shorter than the latent phase, lasting a maximum of 4 hours.

The transition phase follows when the baby begins to descend even further to the vaginal opening. If you are in the transition phase and you are not in the hospital yet, then you have a big problem.

The natural birth is imminent, the transition phase lasting a maximum of 20 minutes. You can easily recognize this phase because this time the contractions are the most painful lasting 1 minute and are almost without a break (one contraction does not end as another does appear).

The expulsion phase of the newborn must catch you in the hospital because it represents the natural birth itself. The baby's head can be seen through the vaginal opening, and the dilation is complete. The baby's body will swing back and forth following the contractions of the uterus.

If the doctor deems it necessary during this period, an incision will be made at the level of the vaginal orifice so that the birth of the baby will be easier.

At this stage, your role is crucial, even if you are exhausted from prolonged labor and you are afraid of the pain that is about to intensify, think that the baby's life depends on you and that the 9 months of pregnancy would be in vain, if you do not succeed in the most important phenomenon, namely natural birth.

The medical staff will guide you by observing the rhythm of the contractions, telling you when you can push and when you can relax. Listen to your doctor and when instructed to push harder, do so even if you feel out of strength.

With the last push to push you will expel the baby from the uterus, the head will pass through the vaginal orifice, and slowly - slowly by rotation will appear and shoulders. By the time the shoulders appeared through the vaginal opening, all your torments had stopped, and the baby was born.

The explosion phase of the placenta is incomparably less painful than all the labor you have gone through, most women do not even perceive it.

During this phase, the doctor will have to manually check the vaginal cavity for the placental abscesses that can cause infections if they are not completely evacuated. Also, the doctor will now massage the uterus to stop the bleeding and will sew the incision made earlier.

The little one will be taken over by the neonatologist who will inspect the vital signs and depending on them will give a grade, which the higher the better. You will hear the baby crying and most likely before being transported to the salon specially designed for his needs, you will be able to hold him and calm him.

Natural birth is a unique phenomenon and with it, a connection is made that cannot be ignored between the mother and her child.