subject: Pregnancy Calendar: Month 9 & Labour [print this page] Month 9 Month 9
As you enter the final month of your pregnancy calendar, all of your babys systems are developed and ready to go. With all the major work done, she will simply continue to mature, putting on around 8oz of fat a week for the remainder of your pregnancy. The average baby weighs about seven-and-a-half pounds at birth, though your baby could be a dainty six pounds or a whopping 10 pounder!
By the final stages of pregnancy you may experience lower body pain due to your muscles and ligaments stretching from the weight of the baby and uterus. Practice your pelvic floor exercises as often as you can and hold your pelvic floor muscles tightly when getting up or sitting down.
As your babys head engages, you may get pain that appears to come from between your buttocks or sudden, shooting pains down your legs if your baby's body compresses a nerve. Your cervix may have started to thin and dilate, but only your midwife or doctor can confirm this by performing an internal examination.
This stage of pregnancy is a waiting game; try to relax and take your mind off things - watch films, meet up with friends and, dare we say it, rest and sleep as much as possible!
Labour
Labour begins with the onset of regular contractions. You'll recognise when contractions have begun as real ones are painful and become progressively more intense and close together. The general rule is to wait until your contractions last about a minute each and are approximately five minutes apart before calling your midwife or maternity hospital.
As labour progresses, your contractions will continue to become more frequent and intense, until they last for 1-1.5 minutes with breaks of 15-30 seconds between each. When regular contractions are established, you're in the first stage of labour.
During labour, the muscle fibres of your uterus will draw upward using waves of contractions, as many as 300 for first-time mothers, and 200 for mothers with experienced wombs. Your cervix will gradually open over this period until you become "fully dilated", meaning your cervix is about 10cm in diameter. This usually takes about 10-12 hours for first time mothers and 4-5 hours for subsequent births.
Transition is the shortest but most intense phase of labour. Your contractions will be coming thick and fast now; you may be trembling, nauseous and feel out of control. It is now that you are most likely time to demand pain relief - and loudly!
Once the mouth of the cervix is completely open, the second stage of labour begins. Unless you've had an epidural, you will feel a powerful urge to push. This stage is shorter than the first and may last only 20 minutes to an hour.
During this stage, you'll feel the pressure of your baby's head between your legs. As you push with each contraction, your baby will move down through your pelvis. The hot, stinging sensation of your baby's head stretching the opening of the vagina signals that your baby's head has "crowned". As your baby begins to be born, your midwife may ask you to stop pushing and gently pant to help make sure that your baby is born gently and slowly.
Once your baby is born the placenta will peel away from the uterine wall. With some strong squeezes from your uterus, the placenta and membranes will be delivered smoothly and quickly - either naturally or you may choose the help of a dose of Syntometrine, which the midwife will inject into your thigh as the baby is being delivered.
