Many moms-to-be will experience some false alarms, in which they travel to the hospital expecting to deliver their baby, only to be sent back home to come back and try again tomorrow. By understanding the signs and stages of labor, you can better know when labor has truly begun.

Early signs of labor include:
- Nesting. For most of the pregnancy you have probably been fighting the urge to take a nap, so you’ll know when you start “nesting.” One day you will wake up feeling full of energy! You’ll start making hundreds of list of things to do, things to clean, things to buy and everything you’ve put off doing will become a high priority. Your body and mind are preparing your home for your new family member.
- Dilation and effacement. Dilation and effacement refer to the preparation of the cervix for birth. The cervix will thin or “ripen” and it will open. This ripening is called effacement and the opening is called dilation. These can only be observed through a vaginal exam. This typically occurs just days or even hours before labor.
- Lightening. Late in your pregnancy, your baby will settle down deeper into your pelvis. This is called “lightening.” Once this has occurred, you will notice decreased pressure on your lungs and you are able to breathe better. For many women, lightening can occurs as much as a couple of weeks prior to labor; for others it may occur just before labor is about to start.
- Rupture of Membranes. Sometimes referred to as your “water breaking, this is often accompanied by a trickle or even a gush of fluid. This fluid comes from the amniotic sac. The amniotic sac is a membrane filled with fluid that cushions your baby in the uterus. When this membrane ruptures and leaks or breaks, labor is generally not far away. If this happens, you should check with your health care provider immediately. He or she will evaluate you and your baby to determine the next steps.
- Bloody show. A thick mucus plug blocks the cervical opening during pregnancy to hold back bacteria from entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to thin and open, this plug will likely be discharged. You may notice a thick vaginal discharge or stringy mucus, typically brown and sometimes tinged with blood. Losing the mucus plug is a sign that labor may begin soon, but it’s not a guarantee. labor may still be a week or more away after you have a bloody show.
- Consistent Contractions. Finally, consistent regular contractions are a good sign you are going into labor. True labor contractions are regular, follow a predictable pattern (such as every eight minutes), become progressively closer, last progressively longer and become progressively stronger. Each contraction is felt starting in the lower back and then radiating around to the front or visa versa. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish these from “Braxton-Hicks” or “false labor.”

Labor is divided up into four stages. Because every woman is different, you may or may not be able to identify the stages as they are happening; or, a stage may last much longer than the average. Below are the four stages:

- First stage. This is typically the longest part of labor. For most first-time moms, the first stage of labor will last for around ten to fourteen hours. The First stage is broken up further into three phases. During the early phase, contractions are very light and are 20 minutes or more apart, becoming closer to 5 minutes apart. The active phase is next. During the active phase, contractions are about four to five minutes apart, and may last for a minute each time. This is the point at which you should head to the hospital. after this is the transition phase. During the transition phase, your contractions will narrow to 2 or 3 minutes between them, and will last for about a minute and a half.

- Second stage. This is the stage where you push. The pushing stage can last as long as three hours or more, but for most women it is shorter. A variety of factors, such as the position of tme mom, the position of the baby, and medications used can affect the duration of the second stage. Contractions space out somewhat, and will be about 4 minutes apart. The second stage ends when your baby is born.

- Third Stage. The third stage of labor is when it is time to deliver the placenta. You will be asked to push again, and the placenta will come out much easier than the baby. This usually comes a few minutes after birth, and usually within no more than an hour.

The postpartum stage is considered a fourth stage of labor. This is the time that yoru body sort of snaps back into place, and you recover so that you are able to take up your new duty of parenting.

From the beginning of the first stage until the end of the fourth stage is typically between 10 and 20 hours. For first-time mothers, this time lasts much longer; for some moms with subsequent pregnancies, this can occur much faster. Check with your health care provider as to when exactly you should head to the hospital, as she may be aware of specific needs for your situation.

Many women are, at first, stunned to realize that, after delivery, they still have not lost all of their pregnancy weight! Of course, only a portion of pregnancy weight gain is actually lost during delivery. To understand this, it is important to know where the weight you gain during pregnancy comes from. A woman who is of an average weight before pregnancy should gain between 25 and 30 pounds during pregnancy. Here is how this weight is broken down:
- Three pounds of blood.
- Two pounds in your breasts.
- Two pounds in the uterus itself.
- Two pounds of amniotic fluid.
- Four pounds of retained water.
- One to two pounds of placenta.
- Seven pounds of fats, proteins, and other important nutrients.
- Seven to eight pounds of baby.
So, during delivery, you should lose the weight of the baby, the placenta, the amniotic fluid, and perhaps some blood and water. Much of the rest of your weight is still there, and will be for some time after delivery.

Many women who have just had their baby are anxious to begin to take off that extra weight and get back to exercising. Keep in mind, though, that it took you 40 weeks to gain that extra weight, and that it might take another 40 to get it off. Still, there are things you can do to help during the postpartum period to help take off the weight. These include:
- Eat a nutritious and balanced diet. Especially if you are breastfeeding, it is important that your body gets all of the nutrition that it needs. Still, avoiding foods that are high in saturated fats or empty calories can help you to start to slim back down.
- Keep hydrated. Before and after you exercise, make sure you’re getting enough water. In addition, drinking 6 8 oz glasses of water a day will help with appetite control.
- Most health care practitioners recommend that you wait until at least six weeks after delivery before you restart or start an exercise regimen. In general, this is good advice; your body has just been through a rather traumatic experience, and it needs time to recover. Still, even during this period you can walk, stretch, do pelvic tilts, do yoga and do kegel exercises.
- After your health care provider gives you the OK to exercise, Focus on tummy exercises. crunches, pushups, and other toning exercises will help you loose weight where you need it most.
- Cardiovascular exercises, as well, will help with rapid weight loss.
- Make sure you are getting enough rest and relaxation. The harried life of a new mom can be stressful. This stress can lead to eating problems, and a lack of motivation for exercise.
- Hook up with other new moms for exercise. Either exercise together, or take turns watching the babies so that each of you can get some exercise time in.
- Vitamin supplements, while they are not a substitute for proper diet and exercise, can definitely aid the process of weight loss along. Use a daily multivitamin supplement that meets your daily requirements.

Labor can be a frightening time for many moms-to-be, especially first-time moms. On television and in the movies, a woman will go from her first labor pains to full birth in less than twenty minutes. This is, of course, extremely unrealistic. Fortunately, you can ease your anxieties about labor by understanding exactly what occurs during labor and what to expect.

Labor is divided up into four stages. Because every woman is different, you may or may not be able to identify the stages as they are happening; or, a stage may last much longer than the average. Below are the four stages:

- First stage. This is typically the longest part of labor. For most first-time moms, the first stage of labor will last for around ten to fourteen hours. The First stage is broken up further into three phases. During the early phase, contractions are very light and are 20 minutes or more apart, becoming closer to 5 minutes apart. The active phase is next. During the active phase, contractions are about four to five minutes apart, and may last for a minute each time. This is the point at which you should head to the hospital. after this is the transition phase. During the transition phase, your contractions will narrow to 2 or 3 minutes between them, and will last for about a minute and a half.

- Second stage. This is the stage where you push. The pushing stage can last as long as three hours or more, but for most women it is shorter. A variety of factors, such as the position of tme mom, the position of the baby, and medications used can affect the duration of the second stage. Contractions space out somewhat, and will be about 4 minutes apart. The second stage ends when your baby is born.

- Third Stage. The third stage of labor is when it is time to deliver the placenta. You will be asked to push again, and the placenta will come out much easier than the baby. This usually comes a few minutes after birth, and usually within no more than an hour.

The postpartum stage is considered a fourth stage of labor. This is the time that yoru body sort of snaps back into place, and you recover so that you are able to take up your new duty of parenting.

From the beginning of the first stage until the end of the fourth stage is typically between 10 and 20 hours. For first-time mothers, this time lasts much longer; for some moms with subsequent pregnancies, this can occur much faster. Check with your health care provider as to when exactly you should head to the hospital, as she may be aware of specific needs for your situation.

Labor and delivery can be a scary time for some women. There are a variety of complications that can occur during labor & delivery. Knowing a little bit about the various complications and how they are handled can help an expectant mother be at least a little more at ease.

One of the most common complications that is faced during labor an delivery is when the baby is not positioned normal. In general, a baby that is ready for delivery will be head down, and facing toward the mother’s backside. If the baby is not positioned this way, there can be problems with the baby moving through the birth canal. Depending on how the baby is positioned, this may be handled by the physician trying to move the baby around externally (known as “version”). If the baby cannot be moved into a good position, it is often handled by doing a Cesarean section instead of a vaginal birth.

Another potential complication during labor & delivery is an abnormal heart rate for the baby. If the baby’s heart rate is above the normal range, it can indicate fetal distress. This is sometimes handled by giving oxygen to the mother, increasing her intake of fluids, or changing her position.

Problems with the placenta can also cause complications during labor and delivery. Placentia previa, in which the placenta blocks or obstructs the cervix, is generally handled with a c-section, as is Abruptio placentia, in which the placenta separates early from the uterus.

Fetal meconium can also be a complication during labor and delivery. If the baby has passed her first bowel movement in the womb, the meconium can cause fetal distress. Often fetal meconium is handled by a pediatric specialist.

Sometimes, labor does not progress in a normal pattern, or might be abnormally slow. When this complication occurs, many physicians will choose to use medications such as pitocin to induce labor.

The anesthetic medications used during labor and delivery can sometimes cause complications as well. Occasionally, a mother will have an allergic reaction, or will go into respiratory distress because of an anesthetic. When this happens, the specific problem is generally addressed through the most appropriate means.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the desire of women to have their birth experience take place in the comfort and familiarity of home. A home birth can help to avoid many of the routine but unnecessary medical interventions that can accompany a birth in a hospital. A home birth may be less expensive that a hospital birth, as well.

Having a home birth is not for everyone. Moms-to-be who are more likely to have complications during childbirth, who have “high-risk” pregnancies, should give birth in a hospital. This includes:
- Women with a medical condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
- Women who have had a previous c-section or other uterine surgery.
- Women who experience any number of pregnancy complications, such as premature labor, preeclampsia, or a baby in the breech position at 37 weeks.
- Women who are carrying twins (or multiples).

Studies show that the average hospital birth ranges in cost from five to seven thousand dollars, depending on the staff and the location. An average home birth tends to cost less than two thousand dollars. A hospital birth requires a physician, whose fees range from $1500 to $3000. In addition, there is the cost of the anesthesiologist, hospital costs, cost of supplies and other fees. In contrast, the fees for a midwife, who typically assists in a home birth, range from about $1000 to $2000. The midwife’s cost generally includes prenatal care, childbirth classes, as well as birthing supplies.

How much home birth practitioners charge can vary considerably from place to place and from one caregiver to another. If you are considering a home birth, you should find out not only what the home birth will cost but also what additional costs you’d have to pay if you needed to be transferred to another provider or a hospital during pregnancy, labor, birth, or postpartum. Some insurance carriers cover home birth, but others don’t. If you have insurance through an HMO that doesn’t have an in-network provider who does home births, you may be able to get the HMO to provide some coverage for an out-of-network provider, although you’ll probably have to be persistent.

Home births, for low-risk mothers, are relatively safe. The death rate among babies born at home was similar to low-risk hospital births. The rates of medical interventions, including epidurals, episiotomies, and cesarean deliveries, was, however, found to be much lower among home births.

You should discuss your plans for a home birth with your health care practitioner.