Pre-Childbirth: What Are the Symptoms and Stages of Childbirth

About 15 days before the baby is born, the woman can already enter into a clinical condition called pre-delivery – especially first-time mothers (primigravidas). It is important to know the symptoms of this period and what to do to prepare yourself for the big day.

This minimizes the stress and possible complications of late pregnancy and labor . All prenatal care , which includes pre-delivery, provides health and quality of life for women, as well as postpartum care . Some include, for example, classes with midwives and gymnastic exercises.

What exactly is pre-delivery in your body? It is when the baby moves and begins to put itself in the ideal position for normal delivery . This happens, on average, from the 35th week of pregnancy. The baby turns to the lower part of the belly, which causes the internal pressure to pass from the diaphragm to the bladder.

Thus, the symptoms of shortness of breath are alleviated, but, on the other hand, the need to go to the bathroom intensifies. Sometimes, pre-delivery symptoms may appear on the same day of delivery, especially if it is not the first pregnancy. See other related symptoms and this stage:

  • Cramps and groin pain
  • Weight loss (about a pound) or no gain
  • Power spikes and drops
  • Reduced fetal movements
  • Larger and thicker vaginal mucus
  • Expulsion of the mucous plug
  • Bloody or pink mucus: labor has started!
  • Increasingly frequent and strong uterine contraction
  • Diarrhea

Each delivery is unique and not all symptoms occur, even at the same time. Even so, there is a lot to do to prepare and lose your fear!

Pre-Childbirth Gymnastics

Some exercises recommended to relieve pre-delivery symptoms generate benefits not only for the well-being of pregnant women, but for all women, at different stages of life. We have, as an example of pre-delivery gymnastics, Kegel exercises or pompoirism, some Yoga and Pilates postures and dating also helps a lot.

A tip for pregnant women: do you want to improve the pleasure of sex during the gestational phase? Use water-based lubricating gels that play the role of cervical mucus and still control vaginal pH, reducing the chances of proliferation of fungi and bacteria responsible for infections. Famivita has developed the perfect lubricant for pregnant women and pregnant women, the FamiGel . You can buy it here in our online store.

IMPORTANT: Drink plenty of water before and after gymnastics, breathe well, protect your back when you get up and rest an hour after exercising. Avoid stretching too much.

Kegel exercises

Known as the initial exercises of an ancient oriental technique, derived from Tantra, Kegel exercises help to strengthen the pelvic floor and muscles of the perineum, a region that will be overloaded during childbirth . They also prevent hemorrhoids and help heal the perineum. This gymnastics can be done anywhere, in any position.

The instructions are: contract the muscles around the vagina as if trying to stop urination; hold the contraction, counting to five, then relax for ten seconds. Repeat ten times.

This is a series, which can be done in sequence two to four times, it is recommended to reserve two times a day to do the series. It can be done from the beginning of pregnancy and even during pre-delivery. The more practice, the more seconds the exercise can last.

Yoga Positions

Considered as a moderate gym, Yoga also contains some good postures for pre-parturient women.

The “cat posture” (Marjaryasana), strengthens the abdominal muscles and relieves the cramps and pains of contractions in labor. It is made on your stomach, with your knees on the floor, hands at the same distance from your shoulders and arms outstretched, in the “on all fours” position.

Instructions: accompany the breath inhaling and raising the back in the shape of an arch and contracting the abdomen and glutes. Slowly release the air and return to the starting position. It can be repeated at your own pace.

The “butterfly posture” (Baddha Konasana), in turn, relaxes the hip joints, facilitating the preparation of the body in the pre-delivery period. In addition, it can help to open the pelvis to the baby’s exit. It can be done every day before bed.

Instructions: Sit on the floor, with your back erect or against the wall, your knees bent and the soles of your feet against each other . Lightly press your knees to touch the floor, without pushing your limit.

The “chair posture” (Utkasana) is another exercise that helps to open the pelvis, in addition to strengthening the leg muscles . With your feet slightly apart and your spine straight, you should inhale by raising your arms straight in front of your body with your palms facing downwards, and then slowly exhale by flexing your knees. There are other good squatting strings that are beneficial for pregnant women.

For those who have a Pilates ball, a tip is to do the posture by reserving 30 minutes of the day to watch TV, for example, sitting squatting on the ball .

What to do in childbirth?

Fear in the face of the unknown in the prepartum is not uncommon. Many doubts arise about what to do during labor , how it will be. Currently, there are pre-delivery class services that soothe patients and leave future mothers and companions well informed about the stages of childbirth and how to go about it in a healthy way.

Classes are usually a meeting with a group led by a midwife or other people specializing in obstetrics. All aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood are discussed . Future mothers also exchange information with each other, which contributes to the feeling of welcome.

Labor itself is divided into three stages : pre-labor, period of expulsion and exit from the placenta. In the first stage, there are training or Braxton-Hicks contractions as it is known, which probably happened weeks before, painless and sometimes imperceptible, but now they happen every five minutes on average, lasting up to 60 seconds.

It is not necessary to go to the hospital at this stage, which still allows the pregnant woman to walk and follow the routine normally. The ideal is to rest as much as you can and eat easily digestible meals.

After the contractions become stronger, arriving at intervals of three to four minutes, breathing and positioning techniques can help control anxiety and shortness of breath. The pregnant woman may already be in the hospital at this stage, and she needs care: some women shiver, feel cold, nausea or diarrhea.

The uterus dilates until it reaches an opening of 10 cm , when the entrance to the second stage is considered: the expulsive period. Sometimes there is a gap in the contractions between the end of the first phase and the beginning of the second.

Moment of Expulsion

It is from the expulsive period that the uterus begins to push the baby through the vagina during normal delivery . With each contraction, it is necessary to exert force so that it descends each time, a little. Until, just before the head comes out, there is a burning sensation, and when the head has already passed through the vagina, it is no longer necessary to apply force, the birth can run at a slower pace without the risk of injury to the perineum.

The last phase is the exit of the placenta. After the baby is born , less intense contractions return so that the placenta detaches from the uterine wall. This takes five to fifteen minutes, and the doctor must carefully examine the placenta and the bag of amniotic fluid (which can be expelled before birth too) to make sure that there is nothing left to be eliminated. Probably, the mother will not be thinking about it, as it is time to enjoy the child and feed him in the breast for the first time!

See Also: Childbirth – How to Recognize the Time Has Come

Dr. Alexis Hart
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My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.

Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

Dr. Alexis Hart

My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

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