Delivery

When are you going to call?

For most women, labor starts with increasing abdominal pain, or hard bellies that turn into contractions. These gradually increase in strength and frequency. With a first child you can call if you have contractions for an hour that come every 4 minutes. A good contraction lasts 1 to 1.5 minutes and becomes more and more powerful. If you have already given birth, we will give you personal advice during consultation hours.

If you are concerned or have any questions, you can always call us.

At home or in the hospital

The choice of place of birth depends on your own preference and situation. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable and that you can relax as much as possible. Relaxation is important for a smooth delivery. Some women do this best at home and others feel more comfortable in the hospital. It is good to think about where you want to give birth before giving birth.

Your midwife may also advise you to give birth in hospital for medical reasons. In many hospitals there are regular guided tours. You can already get a taste of the atmosphere. Maybe this will help you make a choice. You may have thought so much about where you want to give birth in advance, but at the ultimate moment things can turn out differently. Sometimes you have to go to the hospital for medical reasons. During a first birth, this happens in almost half of the women giving birth. Or you actually wanted to go to the hospital, but you actually like it just as much at home.

The first stage of labor

We guide you during the pregnancy and prepare you for the period when the baby is born. Every woman experiences pregnancy differently. It is important to listen carefully to your body and to set boundaries.

The distinction between pre-contractions and incipient contractions becomes clear when you notice that the contractions of the uterus follow each other faster and faster, the contractions last longer and become more painful. The first stage of labor is called the latent stage. This is the phase from 0 to 3 cm dilation. The contractions are regular, but often do not last a full minute. You can still catch them well and you get enough breaks in between to relax. At this stage, try to continue what you were doing, find some distraction. For some women who give birth to their first child, this is a very long phase. Very long births, arise or are judged in this way because the initial phase sometimes lasts a day. So save your energy and try to get some sleep if you can. Paracetamol and a warm shower or water bottle can provide some relief during this period, look for a little distraction, do the last laundry, do some ironing, etc.

Time to arrange babysitting or keep standby for siblings when the next phase begins.

To relax

Did you know that you have less pain if you regularly change position during labour? It helps you to relax, which can shorten the delivery time. Try out what feels best to you!

• absorb a contraction standing up, while rocking your hips or leaning on a table or chair
• sitting on a stool or on a skippy ball
• leaning forward on the table or  countertop
• sitting on your hands and knees during back contractions
• walk around
• sitting on the birthing stool while pushing
• standing or sitting under the hot shower

The active phase

A contraction is a contraction of the uterine muscle. It feels like a kind of cramp in your lower abdomen that comes on slowly, gets worse, and then goes down again. You can compare such a contraction with a wave that washes up on the beach. In the beginning you feel the wave of pain rolling in. Just before the wave hits, the pain is at its worst. Then the wave recedes and you feel the pain diminishing again. Between contractions there is peace in your stomach. The contractions get stronger, come more often and more regularly and hurt more as the labor progresses.

Abdominal and back contractions

Some women find the pain of contractions tolerable, other women find it unbearable. Most women mainly have pain in their abdomen during contractions. But there are also women who mainly feel the pain in their back and/or their legs. Sometimes the pain can switch places. According to some women, back contractions hurt more than abdominal contractions.

Dilation contractions

The dilatation contractions ensure that your cervix opens far enough (10 cm) for the baby to be born. This is called 'disclosure'. Strong contractions are required for dilation. They last longer (1-1.5 minutes) than pre-contractions and come regularly, about every 3 to 5 minutes. You feel them as a painful cramp throughout your pelvic area. One feels them more in the stomach, the other in the back. Some women feel them (also) in their legs. The contractions become more powerful and painful as the dilation progresses. They are most intense during the last centimeters of dilation (8-10 cm). This is a difficult time for many women. Fortunately, the end is in sight! The midwife will check how many centimeters you are dilated via an internal examination.

Clear or .....

The membranes usually only break after a while of contractions. That's good too, because the membranes and amniotic fluid protect the baby and help to open your cervix due to the pressure they give. If the membranes have not yet ruptured spontaneously, the obstetrician will only break them at the end of dilation. Or sometimes sooner, if the contractions weaken or if you are not dilated enough. That doesn't hurt. You only feel a little warm water running. Even after that, you keep making amniotic fluid again, so that your baby is never 'dry'. If you are not having strong contractions yet, you should not take a bath because of the risk of infection. After all, the baby is now in open connection with the outside world. Your temperature will be measured after the membranes rupture to quickly detect any infection.

The pushing

If you are dilated enough to allow your baby to be born, the dilation contractions will turn into contractions. The midwife will usually first do an internal examination to make sure that the dilation is complete. Due to the large opening of your cervix, the head has fallen down. At the peak of the contraction, you then feel an urge to press. This is an incipient urge to press. You can't stop it. It indicates that the baby can go outside. The contractions usually come every 5 minutes. They are very strong.

squeeze

The end is near. Good contractions already do a lot of work. You can now actively participate in pushing. During a contraction, press with all your strength towards your vagina and anus. Like you have to poop. At first, you don't always feel where you're pushing. But when the head gets deeper, it becomes clearer how you can use such a contraction to push.

Finally your baby on your chest

Roll partner and cut umbilical cord

How does that work?

The placenta, or placenta, absorbs nutrients and oxygen from your blood and carries it to your child via the umbilical cord. Hormones and antibodies also reach your baby via the umbilical cord. These protect your baby against various types of infections for about three months after birth.

Waste products and carbon dioxide from your baby go the other way: via the umbilical cord to the placenta. The placenta passes this on to your blood, so that your body clears up the dust from your baby. The umbilical cord and placenta are therefore of vital importance.

Stitch