Labor at home until active labor

Labor is the hard work of giving birth to your baby. It will start with uterine contractions and end with the delivery of your placenta. 

Let’s talk about how the stages of labor work

Stage 1

Your cervix will dilate from 0 cm to 10 cm and it will efface to 100% (open and thin out).

Stage 2

You will begin pushing in stage 2 and this stage will end with the birth of your baby.

Stage 3

This stage starts from the birth until delivery of your placenta.

Stage 1 – Active Labor

We are looking at the frequency, duration, and intensity of your contractions to determine if you are in active labor or not.

1. Frequency (regular contractions)
   1. We use the term active labor when your cervix is around 4-6 cm dilated, but this is not always the case. You might be in active labor around 2 cm dilated. 
   2. Regular contractions are frequent.
      1. Less than 5 minutes time between each contraction.
   3. Early labor contractions last for several hours (20 hours) 
      1. These contractions are not frequent because they come every 5 – 30 minutes. 
   4. Active Labor contractions can last 12-18 hours
      1. These contractions come every 2-4 minutes, and cannot be ignored.
2. Duration (Length of time)
   1. Contractions usually last 60-90 seconds.
   2. The duration means that you are having frequent contractions for at least 1-2 hours.
3. Intensity (Pain)
   1.  Pain is intense and increasing.
   2. Mom’s demeanor has changed (Mom cannot function, is all over the place, not acting like her normal self).

How to labor at home in active labor?

1. Take a birth class to learn all that you can to prepare for labor.
2. Make sure you have a labor coach by your side throughout labor.
3. Practice breathing techniques, movement & meditation.

Now is the time to get ready for your birth journey. Take your next step by downloading the FREE workbook below to get Annabelle’s 4 Step Process to a birth you will love to remember.