Possible harbingers of birth
A few weeks before birth, the baby changes position and the female body begins to prepare for birth. Pregnant women can feel these changes more or less clearly: the abdomen lowers, which makes breathing easier. At the same time, however, the pressure of the baby on the bladder and intestines increases the urge to urinate and defecate. Tiredness and a feeling of heaviness, loss of sleep and appetite or general restlessness are further harbingers. Not all women notice these changes. In contrast, rupture of the membranes, mucus plug discharge and contractions are recognizable and typical signs for all pregnant women.
Birth: Clear signs
A clear sign of birth is the expulsion of the mucus plug that closes the cervix during pregnancy. One to two days before the birth, or on the day of birth at the latest, it detaches and comes off in mucus, followed by slight bleeding. This process is also called drawing.
Descending and preterm labor
Irregular contractions begin as early as the 20th week of pregnancy and increase significantly in regularity and intensity as the pregnancy progresses. About three to four weeks before birth, the so-called descending contractions begin to affect the change in position of the baby and the lowering of the abdomen. You can read more about these contractions here.
Strong but irregular preterm contractions accumulate as a sign of birth, especially in the last few days. Even though these contractions are sometimes very painful, they merely cause the fetal head to press firmly into the pelvic inlet. The transition to the actual labor pains, also called opening contractions or cervical contractions, is smooth.
40th week: Signs of birth
The so-called opening contractions determine the actual start of labor. They last an average of 30 to 60 seconds each and occur regularly every five to 20 minutes. Due to these continuous contractions and various metabolic processes, the cervix gradually begins to open. Pain associated with opening contractions is perceived very differently by women.
Birth approaching: When to the clinic at the latest?
Mucus plug, rupture of the membranes and contractions are clear signs: Birth is imminent, the baby is making its way. You should leave for the hospital or birth center or inform the midwife about the upcoming home birth if regular contractions come at intervals of ten minutes or less and last longer than half an hour.
