Every birth in Istanbul Basari Hospital is as unique and personalized as every mother and baby. In addition, women can have completely different experiences with each new birth compared to the previous one. Giving birth is a life-changing event that will leave an impression on you for the rest of your life.
Of course, like all moms, you'll want to make sure it's a positive experience and know what to expect. Here is brief information about the process you will go through while giving birth to your baby.
Birth Plan Preparation
As you approach the final part of your pregnancy, you may want to prepare a birth plan. Think carefully about what is important to you during childbirth.
The birth plan outlines your ideal birth and may need to be rearranged as the hour of birth approaches.
Talk to your partner and decide who you want to be with at the birth. Some couples think it's a special time and prefer others not to be there.
A birth plan can include information about pain relief during labor, birthing positions, and more.
Early Stages of Birth
Amniotic sac
The amniotic sac is a fluid-filled membrane that surrounds your baby. This sac is almost always ruptured before the baby is born, but in some cases it remains intact until birth. Bursting of this sac is often described as 'water breaking'.
In most cases, your water will break before or at the beginning of labor. The liquid should be clear and odorless. If the color of the fluid is yellow, green or brown, contact your doctor immediately.
Contractions
Contractions are the tightening and relaxation of your uterus. These movements will help your baby pass through the cervix. The contractions can feel like a heavy cramp or pressure that starts in your back and moves forward.
Contractions are not a reliable indicator of the onset of labor. You may be feeling Braxton-Hicks contractions that may have started in your second trimester.
The general understanding is that contractions that occur at intervals of five minutes and last for one minute, and continue for an hour, indicate the onset of labor.
Cervical Enlargement
The cervix is the lowest part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. The cervix is a tubular structure 3 to 4 centimeters long that connects the uterine cavity to the vagina.
During labor, the cervix expands or opens enough to allow the baby to pass, facilitating the delivery of the baby.
Fundamental changes that occur towards the end of pregnancy result in softening of the cervical tissue that helps prepare the cervix and thinning of the cervix. Active labor is considered to continue when the cervix dilates 3 centimeters or more.
Birth
For delivery, the cervical canal should be opened until the diameter of the cervical opening reaches 10 centimeters and the baby passes into the birth canal.
Your skin and muscles are stretched as the baby enters the vagina. The labia and perineum (the area between the vagina and the rectum) eventually reach their maximum stretch. At this point, the skin may feel like it is burning. At this time, your doctor may decide to perform an episiotomy. You may not feel the episiotomy, depending on how tightly your skin and muscles are stretched.
As the baby's head comes out, the pressure you feel will be greatly reduced, although you will probably feel some discomfort.
Your nurse or doctor will ask you to stop pushing for a moment as they clean the baby's mouth and nose to clear the amniotic fluid and mucus. It is important to perform this cleaning before the baby begins to breathe and cry.
Typically, the doctor will rotate the baby's head a quarter turn to align the baby's head with the baby's body still inside you. You will then be asked to start pushing again to allow the baby's shoulders to come off.
Then, with one last push, you deliver your baby!
Removal of the Placenta
The placenta and amniotic sac, which supports and protects the baby for nine months, are still in the womb after birth. The placenta and amniotic sac must leave the mother's body after delivery. This process can happen spontaneously and can take as long as half an hour. Your midwife or doctor may rub your tummy down below your belly button to help tighten the uterus and loosen the placenta.
Your uterus is the size of a large grapefruit at this time. You may need to push to help remove the placenta. You may feel some pressure as the placenta is expelled, but the amount of pressure will be much less than you felt when the baby was born.
Your doctor will examine the removed placenta to make sure the placenta is completely removed. In rare cases, part of the placenta may remain attached to the uterine wall. If this happens, your doctor will reach into your uterus to remove any remaining pieces to prevent heavy bleeding from a ruptured placenta.
Pain and Other Feelings During Childbirth
If You Prefer Natural Birth
If you decide to have a "natural" birth (birth without pain relief), you will feel everything. The two feelings you will most experience are pain and pressure. When you start pushing, the pressure feeling will ease a bit.
As the baby descends into the birth canal, the pressure you feel only during contractions will turn into a constant and increasing pressure.
If You Choose to Have an Epidural
In the case of epidural use, how you feel during labor will depend on the effectiveness of the epidural block. If the medicine calms the nerves properly, you may not feel anything. If it's moderately effective, you may feel some pressure.
You may feel a very small amount of pressure during labor after using an epidural. You will not feel the stretching of the vagina and the possible procedures such as episiotomy.
You can find more information about painless normal delivery (epidural analgesia) using epidurals on our website.
Possible Tearings
While significant injuries during childbirth are not common, the cervix can rupture during the opening of the cervix and may require treatment.
Vaginal tissues are soft and flexible, but these tissues can rupture if delivery occurs quickly or with excessive force.
In most cases, tears are minor and easily repaired. Rarely, they can be more serious and cause longer-term problems.
Normal labor often causes injury to the vagina and/or cervix. Up to 70 percent of women who give birth for the first time experience some type of vaginal tear that requires an episiotomy or treatment.
Fortunately, the vagina and cervix are rich in blood flow. Therefore, injuries in these areas heal quickly and leave little or no scars that can cause long-term problems.
About the Birth Process
Preparing yourself for the birth process is not a difficult one. However, birth is an unpredictable process in many respects. Understanding the timeline and hearing about other mothers' experiences can give you ideas to make giving birth less mysterious.
