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What happens to the female body during childbirth
The birth of a child is the most amazing, but at the same time painful sensation in the life of a young mother. What happens to the female body during the birth of a baby? Read in our material.
In most films, which have episodes related to childbirth, the process is shown in such a way as not to shock the viewer too much. As a rule, we observe how the heroine suffers during contractions, how her water flows away and how an excited husband takes her to the hospital. This story ends with shots with happy young parents who cannot stop looking at their angel.
We think you can guess that the birth of a baby is actually much more difficult than it is shown in the films. Many hours pass from the moment the contractions begin until the first breastfeeding, and many different complex processes take place in the female body at this time.
Water discharge
Intrauterine development of the baby takes place inside the fetal bladder, which fills with amniotic fluid. It surrounds the embryo from all sides, nourishes it, and protects it from damage and infection. Shortly before the moment when the child is ready to be born, one of the walls of the bubble bursts, and liquid begins to flow out of it. This can happen before or after the onset of the contractions.
This is the main sign of the onset of labor – which means that the baby will be born in the next twenty-four hours.
After that, you need to go to the hospital, because the fetus is already without food. By the way, every woman’s water flows out differently: someone flows out in a thin trickle, while someone’s, like Miranda from Sex and the City, abruptly and all at once.
Lack of hunger and fatigue
Expectant mothers are sure that childbirth is a exhausting process, and they will want to eat at the most inopportune moment. This is logical, because the birth of a baby takes a lot of energy. However, in fact, the woman in labor does not think about food at all thanks to … hormones. The fact is that the level of progesterone at the time of “X-day” reaches its maximum – it is because of him that the digestive system “turns off”, and the woman does not feel hunger.
Hormones are also responsible for ensuring that the young mother does not get tired prematurely. There is a release of adrenaline, norepinephrine and dopamine into the bloodstream, which gives strength for attempts.
The onset of contractions
After the twentieth week of pregnancy, Braxton-Hicks contractions occur – pulling pains appear in the lower abdomen and in the lower back. This is due to the increased level of estrogen in the body of the expectant mother, due to which the uterus becomes more excitable and begins to contract. So she “trains”, preparing for childbirth, and her neck gradually softens and shortens. Unpleasant sensations disappear after taking an antispasmodic or a warm shower.
Training or false contractions occur two to three weeks before childbirth.
It is their future parents who are often confused with real ones and go to the hospital. These contractions do not lead to the opening of the cervix, are characterized by large and at the same time irregular intervals (twenty, thirty minutes, or even an hour) and, as a rule, stop by themselves.
Real labor pains occur periodically, at regular intervals. As a rule, the first ones usually last no more than fifteen seconds and are similar to a pulling sensation in the lower abdomen. Thanks to contractions, the cervix opens. As labor develops, contractions gradually intensify and lengthen – they last about a minute, and the intervals between them are gradually shortened to three. When the cervical dilatation is ten centimeters, the expectant mother can already begin to push.
Backache
Many pregnant women have back pain from the third trimester. If you are in the last weeks, and the discomfort has intensified, perhaps this means that the contractions have begun. Usually the child passes through the birth canal, pressing his face against the mother’s spine, however, there are times when the baby is pressed against the back of the head, which causes pain. This phenomenon is observed in about a third of women.
Excretion of mucus
During childbirth, not only amniotic fluid flows out of the uterus, but also mucus. A mucous plug builds up throughout pregnancy and separates the cervix from the organ itself, protecting the fetus from infections. The separation of this clot occurs due to the expansion of the birth canal. Mucus can come out either just before the water is draining, or right during childbirth.
For many women, this plug comes out gradually a few days before the baby is born. It can be clear, white, or yellow and contain blood. This is normal, because the cervix prepares for childbirth, gradually opens, the vessels begin to burst, and a little blood flows into the vagina. There are times when a pregnant woman does not notice the separation of a clot at all due to the fact that this is happening in the shower or toilet.
Blood loss
In addition to the fetal fluid and mucus, blood is also secreted from the uterus. Slight blood loss (about two hundred and fifty to four hundred milliliters) is normal during childbirth, and blood is also contained in the placenta. The body of the expectant mother prepares for this in advance. Already in the first trimester, the volume of circulating blood increases, and closer to childbirth, its coagulability increases – this insures the body against large blood loss.
Separation of the placenta
A young mother loses even more blood after the birth of a baby. After giving birth, she continues to have mild contractions to separate the placenta.
The contraction of the uterus occurs due to the release of the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream.
Along with the afterbirth, blood also flows out – this process lasts no more than thirty minutes. If the placenta does not come out, it can lead to severe bleeding. That is why, in such cases, the doctors themselves get it out of the woman’s uterus.
Kim Kardashian also faced this complication at one time. “After childbirth, the placenta must leave the body by itself. However, in my case, it got stuck. Because of this problem, women in labor most often die – they simply bleed out. To prevent death – and this is terrible – my doctor literally had to stick his hand into me and scrape out the afterbirth. Unbearable pain, “- said the Instagram star in an interview.
“Disappearance” of the cervix
Before childbirth, the cervix softens and opens so that the fetus passing through it does not damage it. Experts call this process smoothing. Full disclosure (ten centimeters) Western gynecologists call the “disappearance” of the cervix, because at this moment it is shortened so much that the uterus immediately passes into the vagina. After childbirth, the cervix returns to its previous shape.
Stretching the vagina
During childbirth, the walls of the vagina are stretched, swelling appears, tears and abrasions are possible. In order for the child to pass through the birth canal as quickly as possible, the relief of the walls changes and becomes smoother.
Absolutely all young mothers are concerned about how soon the organ will recover. The vaginal muscles do lose their tone for a while, this is natural and will pass over time.
On average, rehabilitation takes six to eight weeks.
During this time, the uterus will contract and gradually take on its former forms, muscle tone will be restored and microflora normalized. To speed up healing, you can do Kegel exercises, and a warm bath will help with swelling and pain.
You may vomit
Many women experience severe nausea during childbirth (especially during labor), and some may vomit. Firstly, such a reaction of the body may be due to painful shock. Secondly, if the expectant mother ate well before giving birth, then, most likely, nothing will be digested. Digestion stops during labor, and you may vomit due to a full stomach. In addition, some drugs used for epidural anesthesia cause hypotension: low blood pressure can trigger an episode of nausea.