How to ie pregnant?

• Exercise.
• Sex.
• Nipple stimulation.
• Acupuncture.
• Acupressure.
• Castor oil.
• Spicy foods.
• Waiting for labor.

The length of labour​ varies for different women. The average active phase of labour lasts for 8–12 hours in your first pregnancy. Labour is often shorter for subsequent pregnancies.

This is often the least painful stage of the labour. During this phase, you may experience very non-specific symptoms such as a mild backache, abdominal cramps, bloody show or passing of the mucous plug. Ambulation can help by distracting you from these symptoms and hasten this phase. You may start to prepare to head for the hospital once the contractions increase or if your water bag bursts. ​

During this phase, the contractions increase in intensity and frequency, lasting for up to 45 seconds at times. By this time, you should have been in the hospital for an internal vaginal examination to assess the extent of cervical dilatation. You would have been admitted into the delivery suite for the management of this phase of labour.

It is a common practice to manage your labour actively. This entails artificially rupturing your membranes and getting you started on an intravenous medication known as oxytocin to maximize your contractions. Studies have shown that this shortens the labouring process and thus avoids the problems associated with a prolonged labour, such as infections and post-delivery bleeding.

Furthermore, the rupture of the membranes enables your doctor to assess the colou​r of the liquor to see if meconium (motion) has been passed out by your baby, which may indicate that your baby is under stress. Be assured that there is nothing unnatural about this as it merely serves to assist your natural delivery process. Furthermore, it does not increase your chance of having a cesarean section.

You will also be offered a variety of pain relief options (readthe article on Labour Pain Relief​).

This is the stage where you are required to work the hardest to help push your baby out. Your doctor and/or the midwives will be beside you to help guide you​ through this. You may notice an urge to bear down owing to the pressure of the baby’s head on your perineum and back passage. This may be accompanied by the passage of faeces but do not be embarrassed. To aid the delivery, your legs may be raised up to allow more room within your birth canal. It is also here that an episiotomy may be made for the delivery (read the article on Pushing and delivery: Is an episiotomy needed?)

At times, your obstetrician may even need to assist you by using either a vacuum, forceps device or even fundal pressure to help deliver the baby’s head (read the article on Vacuum and Forceps delivery​).

Once the baby is delivered, your uterus will continue to squeeze out the placenta so that it separates from the wall of the uterus (Figure 35.2). ​

This separation process is usually accompanied by a sudden gush of blood from your vagina. Prior to this, the baby’s cord blood will be collected​. You can help at this stage by remaining patient while your episiotomy or vaginal tear is being repaired.

In almost all the cases, we do actively manage your third stage of labour. This includes administering an intramuscular injection of an oxytocic after the delivery of your baby, followed by the delivery of the placenta through a controlled cord traction technique. Again, this has been found to reduce the incidence of post-delivery bleeding.

Rarely, separation does not occur and this results in a retained placenta. In addition to causing discomfort, it can also give rise to increased bleeding. Under these circumstances, it may be wise to have your doctor remove it manually by inserting his hand into your womb through the vagina under a general or regional anesthesia (manual removal of placenta).

Some patients may opt to claim back the placenta for personal or religious reasons. For others, the hospital would dispose of it in an appropriate manner.

Immediately after a seemingly uneventful vaginal delivery, some common problems may arise in the immediate postnatal period. These include: ​

Unfortunately, there have not been conclusive studies to look into the advantages and risks of the different birthing positions. Thus, it is important to discuss your birth plan and communicate your desired birthing position with your obstetrician so that preparation can be made when you are admitted to the delivery suite. This discussion should commence before you reach term (i.e. 37 weeks of pregnancy).

This concept of delivery involves the labouring mother sitting in a warm tub of water in an attempt to reduce the pain and discomforts of labour in a more “natural” way. Some women who had opted for this have found it a more satisfying method of delivery.

However, there are certain disadvantages associated with it. Some of the hospitals are not equipped with the facilities to support such a birth. Monitoring of the baby’s condition becomes difficult with the mum submerged in the water. Infections may also occur as the water is contaminated with urine and faeces. Owing to the warmth of the water, blood loss may be greater after the delivery of the placenta. Great care must be practised to remove the baby from the water immediately after the delivery to reduce other complications.​

​You should speak to your obstetrician in greater detail if you have any queries over this. ​

Engagement is the movement of your baby’s head into the pelvis. It occurs at the end of your pregnancy. Your baby is considered engaged when the head has descended below the pelvic bone. In primips (first time mothers), engagement typically occurs before labour. In multips (those who have delivered before), the baby may not engage until the start of labour. During engagement, your abdomen may seem smaller as the baby enters your birth canal. You may also feel some aches or heaviness in your pelvic joints and perineum as well.

In most pregnancies, babies are born head first. This means that most would have turned to a head down position by 37 weeks. In only 3% to 4% of cases, the babies are found to be breech at time of delivery. After 37 weeks, if the baby is still not in a head down position, it is very unlikely that the baby would turn spontaneously.

In some cases, there may be frequent changing of fetal lie and presentation after 36 weeks. This is termed as an unstable lie.

In such situations, your obstetrician will need to assess you properly and decide on the best mode of delivery.

Source: Dr TAN Thiam Chye, Dr TAN Kim Teng, Dr TAN Heng Hao, Dr TEE Chee Seng John, The New Art and Science of Pregnancy and Childbirth, World Scientific 2008.

Visit Parent Hub, for more useful tips and guides for a healthy pregnancy.

When your cervix dilates, it opens up over time to allow your baby to pass through the birth canal. But just being dilated doesn't mean labor is definitely around the corner. You could be four centimeters dilated, and stay that way for weeks—or your cervix could be completely closed and you could find yourself in active labor hours later. Again, it's just a measure of progress.

"There are no foolproof ways to tell that labor is imminent, or that it is a long ways off," says Marjorie Greenfield, M.D., vice chair of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, in Cleveland, and author of The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book. "Even [people] who have had babies before may experience each labor differently."

It's important to note that a cervical exam late in the pregnancy can pose some risks—like vaginal infection or the premature rupture of membranes. Be sure to consult your health care provider about whether or not you really need one and whether it's a good idea for you to check yourself.

If you decide to examine yourself, you should still be working with your provider in some fashion. If you're checking your cervix in preparation for a home birth, you should consult a certified professional midwife trained in handling emergencies. "No one should have a home birth without excellent experienced support and lots of education," says Dr. Greenfield.

You can do this, but it's not simple. "Learning to assess cervical dilation takes a while," admits Dr. Greenfield. "Even those of us who routinely do cervical checks and who might have tried to check ourselves aren't that accurate—it is hard to reach!" Here's how to perform a self-exam.

It's not easy, and not very dependable, so this might be one DIY worth skipping.

There are safer, more noninvasive ways to figure out how dilated you are. Since the result doesn't really predict what will happen next, going another route might not be so bad.

Enter the red/purple line. As weird as it sounds, a reddish or purplish line can appear in the natal cleft—aka butt crack—of some pregnant people as their cervix dilates and they come closer to giving birth. Some doulas prefer to track a pregnancy this way and avoid internal exams.It's not 100% reliable, but it doesn't hurt to check. Simply have a partner or support person take a picture—yes, of your butt crack. The farther away from your anus and closer to your lower back the line appears, the closer to labor you might be.

It’s possible to check the position and firmness of your cervix at home. You can do this by inserting a finger into your vagina to feel for the cervix. Your middle finger may be the most effective finger to use because it’s the longest, but use whichever finger is easiest for you.

It’s best to perform this test after taking a shower and with clean, dry hands to minimize the risk of infection.

If you wish to use this method to detect pregnancy, check your cervix daily throughout your cycle and keep a journal so that you can identify your normal cervical changes and monitor the differences. Some women master the art of performing this test, but for others it’s more difficult.

You may also be able to identify ovulation through your cervix position. During ovulation, your cervix should be soft and in a high position.

Knowing when you’re ovulating can help you conceive. Just remember that you’ll have the best chances for conception if you have sex one to two days before ovulation. Once you detect the changes, it may be too late to conceive that month.

Each woman’s anatomy is different, but in general, you can determine the position of your cervix by how far you can insert your finger before reaching the cervix. Become familiar with where your own cervix sits, and it will be easier to notice changes.

The following are some common signs that labor has begun or will begin shortly:

Contractions

Contractions are the tightening and releasing of the uterine muscle.

Many women experience contractions throughout a pregnancy. These are common, though they can be concerning if a person is pregnant for the first time.

When contractions happen before labor, the medical community calls them Braxton-Hicks contractions. They are the body’s way of warming up the muscles responsible for delivering the baby.

The key differences between Braxton-Hicks and labor contractions involve their duration, frequency, and associated pain.

If contractions seem to occur randomly and they are painless, they are likely Braxton-Hicks contractions. Contractions that occur close to a due date are usually more frequent, longer-lasting, and painful.

The time between contractions is an important indication of labor. When contractions start to occur regularly and cause pain, let a healthcare provider know.

Losing the mucus plug

When pregnancy begins, a mucus plug seals the opening of the cervix. This plug will break apart and fall away as dilation progresses.

When the plug falls away, it may look like discharge. The color can range from clear to pink, and the plug may be slightly bloody.

A woman may go into labor within a few days or weeks of losing the mucus plug.

Water breaking

When labor is about to start, the membrane surrounding the baby can break and fall away. The water breaking is one of the most commonly recognized signs of labor.

It can result in a sudden gush of liquid, or only a trickle. Some women may not notice because there is so little fluid.

Notify a doctor about any fluid leakage and other symptoms, such as cramping and contractions.

There are normally three stages of labor during childbirth.

Stage one is the longest stage, and it’s broken down into three parts. During early labor, the cervix dilates to 3 cm. Active labor occurs between 3 and 7 cm dilated. The transition phase is between 7 cm and full dilation at 10 cm.

Stage two is after full dilation until the baby is born.

During this stage, the placenta is delivered.

During your month 9 of pregnancy, your doctor will begin looking for signs that your body is preparing for labor. These prenatal visits may include internal exams to check your cervix. Your doctor will confirm whether your cervix has dilated and effaced.

Other things happen during the dilation and effacement process. You’ll lose the mucus plug, which has sealed the opening of your cervix during your pregnancy.

You may notice this in your underpants or the toilet. You could lose the mucus plug anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before labor begins.

You may also notice bloody show, a term that refers to rupturing capillaries in your cervix. This can streak vaginal mucus pink or red.