Natural Birth, Having a Baby

False Labour: You may start noticing signs and feeling symptoms of false labor up to one month before you actually give birth· The contractions continue to be irregular or have a sporadic pattern. There is no consistent length or intensity of contractions and no pattern develops. There is no increase in the intensity of contractions. You may feel contraction lower in abdomen without the radiation feeling. Changing activities affects contractions.

Genetic Counseling or Test

True Labor: With timing the contractions, you determine that they are coming consistently and getting closer together. Each contraction is lasting anywhere from 30-70 seconds and getting longer. The contractions do not go away even if you change your level of activity. Usually with true labor, the contractions have a radiating feeling in your lower back and upper abdomen. The intensity of the contractions becomes greater as time progresses.

Labor may be nearing if your baby's head "drops" down into your pelvis, you have bloody show, your water breaks, you have diarrhea or if you are nesting.

Down's syndrome Diagnostic Tests

Labor has three stages: First: is the longest and cervix reaches full dilatation. It begins with the onset of true labor contractions. First stage is divided into two phases: Latent phase, cervix dilate to 3 cm, can last up to 12 hours if you had children and for 20 hours if you are having your first baby; Active phase, rapid cervical dilatation from 3 to 10 centimeters and the baby descend deeper into birth canal, it lasts an average of five hours in nulliparous, and two hours in multiparous. The Second stage is the delivery of the baby and takes a few minutes of pushing in some women but it may be normal to push for 1 to 2 hours. The Third stage of labor is the passage of the placenta, which can be immediate, or take up to thirty minutes. It may be sped up naturally by breast-feeding (which releases oxytocin), or medically by administering Syntocinon.