Transcript: How To Know When You’re in Labor
Preggie Pals
How To Know When You’re In Labor
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Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.
[Theme Music]
SUSAN MELNIKOW: If you have never given birth before you’re maybe wondering how to know if your labor is the real thing or just a warm up round? Does loss of your mucus plug mean anything? What about a short contraction here and there? Can you be dilated one or two centimeters without being in labor? I’m Susan Melnikow, a Certified Nurse Midwife, and today we’ll be discussing how to know if you’re really in labor. This is Preggie Pals episode 92.
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ANNIE LAIRD: Welcome to Preggie Pals broadcasting from the Birth Education Center of San Diego. Preggie Pals is your weekly online, on-the-go support group for expecting parents and those hoping to become pregnant. I’m your host Annie Laird. Thanks to all of our loyal listeners who have joined the Preggie Pals Club. Our members get special episodes, bonus content after each new show, plus special giveaways and discounts. See our website for more information. Another way for you to stay connected is by downloading our free Preggie Pals app, available in the Android and iTunes market place. Now Sunny our producer is going to tell you a little bit more about our virtual panelist program.
SUNNY GAULT: Hey everybody, so if you’re not located right here in beautiful sunny San Diego where we record our shows, you can still be part of them. You can join us on facebook so you can friend us, find our page which is Preggie Pals on facebook. If you are bg twitters, you can also find us on twitter at Preggie pals, actually it’s Preggie underscore Preggie Pals because Preggie Pals was taken believe it or not. And so you can also, look for hash tag #preggiepalsvp, because we’re going to be posting questions before we start recording our shows and even throughout our recordings of the same questions we’re going to be asking panelists right here in the studio and of course we want everyone to be able to participate. We’re going to read them on our show and then we’re also going to select a winner that can win a free one month subscription to the Preggie Pals club just for participating. So, we hope to see you guys online
ANNIE LAIRD: Great. Well let’s introduce ourselves Sunny and myself as I think this topic is really applicable not only for first time parents of course they are wondering of how do I know that I’m in labor but even for our multips or moms giving birth many times before. It’s a different experience every time. So, my name’s Annie, I’m the host. I’m thirty five years old. During the day, I am a contractor for the navy.
I teach sailors and that’s a lot of fun. On the weekends I do Preggie Pals. I don’t have a due date, I think we’re done with due dates for a while I have three little girls at home. Had a rough night last night and so I told my husband when we we’re playing with the toddler at six in the morning that we we’re done- done-done-done-done, we’re done, w e’re done, very done, so, but you know each of my three girls, I got an eight year old a toddler and the newborn and each of the times I had that thought of how do I know that I’m in labor. Yeah you don’t know so then over to you Sunny.
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah so I’m a mommy of four I have two little boys Sayer and Urban. Sayer’s my oldest he is gosh almost three and a half and Urban is he’s over twenty months, I think twenty one twenty two, I had to do the math right now mommy brain is working hard so I’m not sure the exact age of him. I do have, I don’t know, Annie are they newborns now I mean my girls
ANNIE LAIRD: Their newborns. They’re in zero to three months closing
SUNNY GAULT: Zero to three? Okay. Okay so my girls, I’ve got identical twin girls to round out my family, we are done after this. And so, they are two, about two and a half months old. And yeah you’re right like every time with all of them I did wonder if I was in labor, if I was good going to go in labor my second, my first. Right so my first was a vaginal birth, I didn’t know what to expect at all as far as going in to labor is concerned. And then my second was a planned cesarean, I thought, when am I going to go to labor before this you know c section. It was planned two weeks prior to his due date
ANNIE LAIRD: So that you wouldn’t go in to labor
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah exactly. But a lot of people ask me. They were like, well why don’t you still go into labor. I’m like no you know if I know I’m going to have a cesarean, I don’t want to go into labor. I just, you know I want the baby to be big enough so it’s healthy and there are no complications. But, I don’t want to go into labor if I know it’s going to result into cesarean.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah that you needed to have that
SUNNY GAULT: Exactly, and then you know God heard me and then with the twins I go into labor at thirty five weeks with a planned cesarean
ANNIE LAIRD: She had a video on facebook, it was very awesome. It had a lot of likes
SUNNY GAULT: Oh yeah that was, we’re on our way to the hospital, my water broke. Usually you know you’re in labor before your water breaks right so I had no idea I just started leaking. And then I was like I’m either peeing myself. When I was when I was getting into the shower too so I was like my gosh what is going on here. How can I just pee, you know there’s a lot of pressure with twins. I’m like common, I’m not just going to pee just for no reason
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. I never been pregnant with twins but I have been pregnant with very big babies. So that is a question towards the end there of like, am I peeing myself or is that my water breaking, I don’t know
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah. Exactly
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Paula: Hey Preggie Pals this is Paula from Cuhayoga Falls, Ohio. And I have a quick question about drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Before I got pregnant my husband and I really like having a glass of wine with dinner or while we’re sitting relaxing watching TV. And I don’t have that glass of wine anymore but really there’s so much information out there with different opinions from different experts about benefits of having maybe an occasional glass of wine while I’m pregnant. So, really I just want to know what the real information is. Are there any health benefits to drinking wine or are they having any other types of alcohol during pregnancy. Thanks.
Dr. Atkins: Hi Paula, this is Dr. Atkins, I just wanted to thank you for your question. It’s a great question, it is quite controversial. I’ll let you know what the current issue congress of OBGYN stand is. We currently say no to alcohol during pregnancy. The big question is we don’t know how much alcohol you needed to cause the condition called fetal alcohol syndrome. That condition is very devastating and we don’t know what level of alcohol can cause it so the current recommendations again here in the US by ACOG is no alcohol. Having said that you’re correct there are several European studies that have said there may be some benefits to an occasional glass of wine. There was a French study that says there may be a decrease rate in ADHD in sons born to women who have an occasional glass of wine. Having said that, because of the fact that no one’s really going to do a blind randomized study active women alcohol and then test the effects on their children in the US again the current recommendation is no alcohol. I hope that helps. I hope you have a great pregnancy. And if you have any questions give us a call. Thank you so much. Bye.
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ANNIE LAIRD: Well today on Preggie Pals, we’re discussing how to know if you are really in labor. Joining us today is our expert Susan Melnikow. Susan’s been a Certified Nurse midwife for thirty years. She’s practiced full scope midwifery at home, birth center and in hospitals. And very exciting new, she was opening up her own birth center, Tree of Life for healthy birthing and parenting. Susan 0welcome to the show and thanks for joining us.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Thank you so much. I’m happy to be here.
ANNIE LAIRD: Alright. So, Sunny and I are talking about you know what week of pregnancy do women normally go into labor and you know for me it was, it was like forty one weeks and I’ve never gone before my due date. And you we’re mentioning Sunny in the intro that your twins were thirty five weeks. What about your other two boys?
SUNNY GAULT: Let’s see my first was forty weeks and three days, went into labor naturally and then my middle guy was born in about thirty eight weeks via cesarean. Never went into labor
ANNIE LAIRD: Right. So, Susan, what week of pregnancy due is full term
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Well it’s interesting because when I at the very first visit when I see someone prenatally and we’re going over all the pregnancy and what tooks back. I tell them we choose a due date that it’s a five week window. And that surprises people. But it’s not
ANNIE LAIRD: Is that new?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: No. It’s not new at all. It’s just that we live in a culture that is so exact. And we’re used to knowing absolutely everything and we kind of lost some of the mystery. But to be honest between thirty seven weeks of pregnancy up to forty two weeks is perfectly normal. That’s considered term for pregnancy. So, that, you know there aren’t that many people that will go into labor at thirty seven weeks, but if they do, it’s perfectly okay. And we’ve chosen that as term because that’s when we know. Researchers show as these baby’s lungs are fully mature at thirty seven weeks
ANNIE LAIRD: So that’s the last thing that develop it’s the lungs
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It is the last thing, exactly. And we want to know that that little baby is going to be able to breathe on its own when it’s born. Prior to thirty seven weeks we call that pre term
ANNIE LAIRD: And I mention that could be a concern for a lot of our listeners. You know, if you are in those early thirty weeks, yeah the baby probably be okay but I mentioned that the breathing might be a real issue and nursing
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Yeah. We usually need assistance with breathing up until about thirty four to thirty five weeks. And sometimes even beyond that but not often. And then , yes the nursing is one of the last things to develop in terms of the neurological system. So we even know that at thirty seven weeks sometimes babies aren’t as good at nursers as they are at thirty eight or thirty nine.
ANNIE LAIRD: I imagined that women usually go into labor is it correct that they usually feel contractions vice you know water breaking, is that the normal way thing happens or
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Well you know we see so much about the dramatic water breaking in the movies that we have. You see the mad rush to the hospital after the water has broke and that’s really rare. Okay the water breaking usually it will be the first thing to happen in about twenty percent of pregnancies and it will be one of those last things to happen in about eighty percent of pregnancies. And we just, you know it can be very very different for each woman and for each pregnancy. And identifying when the water has broken can sometimes be difficult because it’s not always the big gush of fluid to the floor that we see in the movies. Sometimes it can be just a little trickle. But it will be constant. It won’t stop once it started and that that can help you, you know to know is this really my water bag or is it just a little bit of discharge, what’s going on? So usually if a woman calls, I’ll tell her put on a pad and let’s see what happens. And if the trickle continues and she’s getting wet, the pad continues to get wet, then she needs to be evaluated because it probably is her water bag.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah I had a client, a doula client last summer it was kind of her practitioner told her the same thing. I had advised her after the birth that it was a really good idea to get some adult and cottons diapers. So she had depends on hand and it was just very, I found it’s very easy after I gave birth to instead of dealing with the pads and the shifting and all of those blood on the sheets. It’s just go get yourself, there’s your free tip of the day from Annie Laird. Go get yourself some adult diapers, it is worth it. But anyways, so she at least some adult diapers on hand I said watch where you while it depends. And so she did and sure enough, it just kept coming and coming and she needed to change her own diaper. And that’s how she knew so yeah very interesting. Now what do women usually describe a contraction? So say it’s not their water and like that it’s a contraction. What do women say that that feels like?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: I have found that it really varies a lot
ANNIE LAIRD: Is that what makes it so hard though
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It does
ANNIE LAIRD: How do I know? Am I just having a back ache or you know
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly. I do find that oftentimes women will have like pre menstrual type sensations for a week or two before they go into labor. And then when the labor contractions start, some women can feel it in the front down low, like a sharp discomfort. And other people feel it in their back. And they don’t realize that they’re having contractions, they say I’ve got this low back pain and I’ll always ask well is it rhythmic? Is it coming and going? And they’ll say yeah. And then if I’m with them and I put my hand on their abdomen, I can feel that her abdomen is tightening and she’s having a contraction while she’s dealing lower back pain. So it can be really variable for different women.
ANNIE LAIRD: What is a Braxton Hicks contraction?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: A Braxton Hicks contraction is where the uterus rhythmically contracts and it’s felt later in the pregnancy that actually starts at about sixteen weeks in women
ANNIE LAIRD: And I imagine most women can’t feel that though yeah
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly! Most women can’t feel it but it’s very normal and it’s rhythmic contractions that the uterus does, which tells us that the hormones are working perfectly. There will be more Braxton Hicks after sexual activity with orgasm. And there also be more with walking and physical activity. But they’re perfectly normal, they can be uncomfortable but it’s a different type of sensation than usually labor contractions.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. I mean, how would a woman know though if it’s a rhythmic contraction if it’s a Braxton Hicks or if it’s the actual labor?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Because it doesn’t, in my experience, it doesn’t have the same quality than a labor contraction will, and again that’s difficult if you’ve never had a baby if it’s your first baby. But usually like I said it’s uncomfortable but it’s not really painful.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. It doesn’t have that moment of this just got real.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly because, I tell people really go inside and pay attention because when labor does start, usually a woman knows. And it’s like oh yeah, this is different than anything that I’ve experienced previously.
ANNIE LAIRD: What’s considered a good pattern of contractions?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Again it’s variable but oftentimes, not always, but oftentimes labor will start with contractions just spread out maybe one in hour, one in every thirty minutes. And then will gradually increase to one every twenty, every fifteen, every ten, but when we know we consider an act of labor when you’re having really good strong contractions at least step out every four minutes. And they’re all lasting a minute where they’re pretty uncomfortable for a minute and they’ve been that way for an hour. That’s kind of our rule of thumb we sometimes call it 4-1-1.
ANNIE LAIRD: Okay. How do you measure the four minutes?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: You look at the clock and you time from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction
ANNIE LAIRD: I see so that includes the time that you’re actually having the contraction
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Correct! That’s what we call the frequency. How frequently they’re coming. I know that there are phone apps now. I’ve talked to a lot of people that have those apps.
SUNNY GAULT: I was using that. I was using that once I’ve realized what this definitely was my water breaking with the twins.
ANNIE LAIRD: Oh did you have a pattern of contractions then
SUNNY GAULT: I did I was trying to figure them out but, there was so much I was doing and you know, well it’s sometimes hard to tell when a contraction is starting and ending. And you would think you would know but sometimes it’s so vague and it’s that you know just a little twinge of a pain or is that really part of the contractions still
SUSAN MELNIKOW: And that’s where, if you’re not real strong you can put your hand on the top of your abdomen the fund us of your uterus and feel if it’s getting firm and how long it stays firm. And that’s where someone else around you, your doula, your partner a family member, a friend may put their hand there if you’re kind of. It’s easier, objectively to do if it’s somebody else, that they can place their hand on the top of your abdomen and feel it actually get hard. And that’s how we as providers time the contraction
ANNIE LAIRD: Now, Susan, Is that normal when a care provider will tell a woman that it’s time to go to the hospital or birthing center when it’s 4-1-1. Is that the typical?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: We always tell people, well, I shouldn’t say always, not all providers do that the practices that I’ve worked in, we tell women to call and talk to us. Because we can usually tell by talking someone on the phone
ANNIE LAIRD: “I’m having a baby today! Yey!” Should I come in? I’m so excited to have a baby. No probably not
SUSAN MELNIKOW: No, now I have been fooled a couple of times you know so it’s not, it’s not sure fire. But usually we can tell by the sound of your voice. And I oftentimes will keep someone on the phone for fifteen, twenty minutes and time them myself. And she’ll tell me when she’s starting, when and when she’s ending so we can get a feel for it
ANNIE LAIRD: Okay. What I was always afraid of is at least especially for my first born of I would go to the hospital and just everything would stop
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Now that’s an interesting thing because that’s very common. And there’s a reason for that
ANNIE LAIRD: And it’s so depressing too you know. That’s never actually happen to me, but I heard enough women that said it happened to them. And I was just like oh for the love of God like I want to go and pushing like I always know all the pain the first time around you know I was just like you know I’m going to get my epidural but you know I didn’t want to be sent home
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It happens really frequently and it’s most people have heard of the fright or flight response of hormones and that’s can go on in labor very easily. And when you get up and you pack everything up and you get in the car, your hormones kind of respond to what’s happening and you arrive at your place, the hospital or the birth center where you are going to give birth, everything’s different. And so you secrete some stress hormones. And stress hormones compete with oxytocin. It’s like your body can’t do both at the same time. So, we oftentimes will see the contractions spread out when someone first arrives when they’re going to give birth. But a good provider will know that’s a common thing and won’t make a quick evaluation on what’s going on at that time but gives some time. You know I usually say let’s give it an hour and kind of see what’s happening because once a mom feels secure and comfortable where she is, her oxytocin kicks back in. And then we see the contractions frequently again.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. I had a girlfriend who gave birth at birth center that and that very thing and that was one that scared me the most because she was just a really good birthing lady. It just happened, I would not say precipitously but it was very straightforward like she knew when she’s having a baby and you better believe her. You know she went to her best birthing center and like everything stopped and her husband wanted to get in the car and go you know up to like or something up north which was like an hour and a half north up here and she told him no, we’re staying here. And she actually gave birth in the parking lot of birth center. You know but she went from no contractions to like two hours later she just walked around park and you know. Yeah so that was insane and so I think that’s something a lot of
SUSAN MELNIKOW: That doesn’t usually happen with the first baby although yeah
ANNIE LAIRD: It was her second baby. But what they say about second
SUSAN MELNIKOW: But seconds, yeah, exactly they can be very surprising
ANNIE LAIRD: It’s expeditious, yeah. Alright! Well when we come back we’re going to be discussing some other signs that you may think that you’re in labor. We’ll be right back
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ANNIE LAIRD: Welcome back. Today we’re talking about how to know if you’re really in labor. Now Susan let’s talk about the mucus plug. So what is mucus plug look like?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It can look different for each woman. Sometimes it can look like nasal snot. And it’ll be kind of a yellowish whitish sometimes even greenish. Sometimes it comes out as a big solid plug and it’s very distinguishable. You know women know when asked what this is. But oftentimes it doesn’t come out like that and it will kind of start to come out as a discharge, a heavier discharge. It won’t be as watery. It can be more kind of pasty with still some mucus threads to it. Oftentimes it’s common to have a little blood mixed in with it as it comes, you know it sloughs down from the lining of the cervix
ANNIE LAIRD: Is a mucus plug different than like bloody show then?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It’s about the same. It can be the same.
ANNIE LAIRD: Okay. Oh gosh it’s so hard to decipher them, oh my goodness, yeah
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly. And every woman’s different some women will never ever see bloody show and others will have quite a bit of bloody show mixed with mucus.
ANNIE LAIRD: And that’s so hard too I think because towards the end of pregnancy you have just so much. So that was a real you know shocker to me as a first time pregnant mom and I wasn’t really excited about the second and third time around. You went to going back to wearing pant liners at the end of the pregnancy. And like, what is this, I thought I had you know a good nine months off of period. Yeah, you’re right back to that again.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Obviously if there’s heavy bleeding a woman needs to seek care immediately
ANNIE LAIRD: So you’re talking like bright red
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Yeah, if it’s flowing and it’s bright red that would not be normal. But the bloody show it can be a dark brown, a pink or it can be bright red. But it will be self limited. It will be like you wiped and you see it a couple of times. And it’s not like its flowing. Like you’re actively bleeding. That would be different.
ANNIE LAIRD: Now, just because she lost the mucus plug, does that mean that she’s in labor?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: No. Unfortunately! I’ve seen some women lose a mucus plug a couple of weeks before they have the baby.
ANNIE LAIRD: Along that same vein so you could be a couple of centimeters dilated then
SUSAN MELNIKOW: You know if it’s your second baby. I’ve had several moms be four or five centimeters dilated for a month. So that doesn’t you know, it’s really hard because you get so excited, if your provider checks you and tells you you’re three, four centimeters dilated. It doesn’t tell us when you’re going in to labor though
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah so it’s definitely not a magic eight ball type of thing. Oh let’s go have a check, okay you’re going to be in labor twenty three hours from now. You know before the break we talked about when a woman’s water breaks. And that, you know, is that a sure sign of labor? Do you know that you are in labor when your water breaks?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: We consider it that you’re starting labor for sure. But you may, your water might break and you might not have contractions immediately. And every care provider kind of has a different standard. The midwives that I worked with we use a twenty four hours standard we kind of want to know that you’re in active labor within twenty four hours. Some hospitals and physicians use a shorter amount of time and some midwives use a longer amount of time. But one of the really important things to look for when you think your water bag is broken as what color is this water that’s coming out. It should be clear like tap water. It might have a little mucus flex in it. It might have a little white from the baby’s vernix, but it definitely shouldn’t have a deep yellow green black or brown color to it
ANNIE LAIRD: What does the color indicates Susan?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: If it were any of those colors it could indicate meconium. Which is the baby’s first bowel movement. And if you’re pass your due date forty one or forty two weeks sometimes it’s common for the baby to have passed meconium and it might not necessarily be a sign of distress. But sometimes meconium can be a sign of distress. So if we see that kind of color it’s very important to get in and have your provider check the baby. See what’s going on, do a full assessment. And then we would want to watch the baby closely if that were going on.
ANNIE LAIRD: What are the kind of things if a woman water breaks, say that her water breaks and she knows that it her water as we talked about beforehand, it’s either huge gush or a constant trickle. What are some other things that she should be looking for?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Well it’s important to understand what that membrane. You know the baby has grown in the amniotic sac which holds the water and there’s usually two to three liters of water with the baby. So once that sac has broken, if there’s little hole that happens in the membrane, that’s when you start leaking water. The protective barrier for infection is gone. So, because that baby has been protected that whole time, so once that’s gone that when we get a little bit more concerned about.
We want to know that the baby is still safe. So, that’s why we all have different time periods that we think is okay to wait for the baby to, for you to be in act of labor and for the baby to be born. The other thing that’s real important, most providers will check for group strep bacteria in women at around thirty six weeks of pregnancy. Group A strep bacteria is a very common bacteria. It’s not an infectious process for a mother. It’s normal for adult people to have those bacteria in their intestines.
But for some people it grows abundantly during pregnancy and it comes out, and it’s in the vaginal perennial area. It can cause a problem for the baby. So that’s the other thing to consider if your water bag is broken you want to know what your group a strep status is. If you’re negative, then we’re not as concerned. But if you’re positive, then we want to know that you know you, most providers will be providing antibiotics in labor and once the water bag breaks, we would want to start the antibiotics
ANNIE LAIRD: Right away then.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly.
ANNIE LAIRD: Group a strep, I mean is that common to go from negative to positive and positive to negative. You could be forty two weeks. If you get tested at thirty six weeks can that change from one step to another? From positive to negative?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It can. And that’s why the test is now deemed valuable for about forty five weeks. And if you go past that time, oftentimes providers will test again. Especially if it was a negative, if it’s positive the first time most providers won’t test again they just say you know you were positive
ANNIE LAIRD: Well great. Thanks Susan for joining us today. For more information about Susan and her midwifery practice as well as about her new birth center. It’s opening up in North County in San Diego. Visit our episode page on our website. This conversation continues for members of our Preggie Pals Club. After the show Susan will be discussing what to do if your water breaks but you have no contractions. To join our club, visit our website, www.preggiepals.com
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SUNNY GAULT: Before we wrap with today’s show here’s Jeanette McCulloch with some of the best online pregnancy resources.
JEANETTE MCCULLOCH: Hello Preggie Pals, I’m Jeanette McCulloch of BrithSwell. We at BirthSwell believes that you as a mother will make the right health decisions for your pregnancy and birth, when you have access at evidence based information and a strong support system. That’s why I’m here to share with you new media tools to find information that’s right for you. You may have heard of Ina may Gaskin, she’s the legendary midwife who founded the Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee in the 1970’s.
She’ll tell you just how important it is to hear birth stories, all kinds of birth stories while you’re pregnant. If you were showing you probably already heard more than one birth story. If it was well meaning but felt a little more than a war story than a love story, you’re not alone. There’s something about our birth culture that makes the sharing a positive stories taboo. But as Ina May would say well stories can’t tell you what your own experience will be like, they can illustrate how wide the range of normal birth is.
That’s why www.birthstoriesondemand.com is such a great resource for preparing for birth. Click on the read the birth story and you’ll find everything from natural birth story to home birth to quick birth. While there’s plenty of positive options to explore including sections on midwife assisted birth. The site doesn’t shy away from the kinds of stories that help us know the full range of experiences. Including perinatal birth disorders. You can also listen to her podcast, watch her new birth stories on twitter and of course share your own birth story if you’d like. You can find the site at www.birthstoriesondemand.com. Thanks for listening to today’s tool for finding the information that’s right for you and be sure to listen to Preggie Pals for more great pregnancy tips in the future.
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ANNIE LAIRD: That wraps up our show for today, we appreciate you listening to Preggie Pals, don’t forget to check out our sister shows Parent Savers, for parents with newborns, infants and toddlers. Our new show, Twin Talks for parents with twins babies and our show The Boob Group for moms who breastfeed their babies. This is Preggie Pals, your pregnancy, your way.
[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.
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Episode Transcript
Preggie Pals
How To Know When You’re In Labor
[00:00:00]
Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.
[Theme Music]
SUSAN MELNIKOW: If you have never given birth before you’re maybe wondering how to know if your labor is the real thing or just a warm up round? Does loss of your mucus plug mean anything? What about a short contraction here and there? Can you be dilated one or two centimeters without being in labor? I’m Susan Melnikow, a Certified Nurse Midwife, and today we’ll be discussing how to know if you’re really in labor. This is Preggie Pals episode 92.
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ANNIE LAIRD: Welcome to Preggie Pals broadcasting from the Birth Education Center of San Diego. Preggie Pals is your weekly online, on-the-go support group for expecting parents and those hoping to become pregnant. I’m your host Annie Laird. Thanks to all of our loyal listeners who have joined the Preggie Pals Club. Our members get special episodes, bonus content after each new show, plus special giveaways and discounts. See our website for more information. Another way for you to stay connected is by downloading our free Preggie Pals app, available in the Android and iTunes market place. Now Sunny our producer is going to tell you a little bit more about our virtual panelist program.
SUNNY GAULT: Hey everybody, so if you’re not located right here in beautiful sunny San Diego where we record our shows, you can still be part of them. You can join us on facebook so you can friend us, find our page which is Preggie Pals on facebook. If you are bg twitters, you can also find us on twitter at Preggie pals, actually it’s Preggie underscore Preggie Pals because Preggie Pals was taken believe it or not. And so you can also, look for hash tag #preggiepalsvp, because we’re going to be posting questions before we start recording our shows and even throughout our recordings of the same questions we’re going to be asking panelists right here in the studio and of course we want everyone to be able to participate. We’re going to read them on our show and then we’re also going to select a winner that can win a free one month subscription to the Preggie Pals club just for participating. So, we hope to see you guys online
ANNIE LAIRD: Great. Well let’s introduce ourselves Sunny and myself as I think this topic is really applicable not only for first time parents of course they are wondering of how do I know that I’m in labor but even for our multips or moms giving birth many times before. It’s a different experience every time. So, my name’s Annie, I’m the host. I’m thirty five years old. During the day, I am a contractor for the navy.
I teach sailors and that’s a lot of fun. On the weekends I do Preggie Pals. I don’t have a due date, I think we’re done with due dates for a while I have three little girls at home. Had a rough night last night and so I told my husband when we we’re playing with the toddler at six in the morning that we we’re done- done-done-done-done, we’re done, w e’re done, very done, so, but you know each of my three girls, I got an eight year old a toddler and the newborn and each of the times I had that thought of how do I know that I’m in labor. Yeah you don’t know so then over to you Sunny.
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah so I’m a mommy of four I have two little boys Sayer and Urban. Sayer’s my oldest he is gosh almost three and a half and Urban is he’s over twenty months, I think twenty one twenty two, I had to do the math right now mommy brain is working hard so I’m not sure the exact age of him. I do have, I don’t know, Annie are they newborns now I mean my girls
ANNIE LAIRD: Their newborns. They’re in zero to three months closing
SUNNY GAULT: Zero to three? Okay. Okay so my girls, I’ve got identical twin girls to round out my family, we are done after this. And so, they are two, about two and a half months old. And yeah you’re right like every time with all of them I did wonder if I was in labor, if I was good going to go in labor my second, my first. Right so my first was a vaginal birth, I didn’t know what to expect at all as far as going in to labor is concerned. And then my second was a planned cesarean, I thought, when am I going to go to labor before this you know c section. It was planned two weeks prior to his due date
ANNIE LAIRD: So that you wouldn’t go in to labor
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah exactly. But a lot of people ask me. They were like, well why don’t you still go into labor. I’m like no you know if I know I’m going to have a cesarean, I don’t want to go into labor. I just, you know I want the baby to be big enough so it’s healthy and there are no complications. But, I don’t want to go into labor if I know it’s going to result into cesarean.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah that you needed to have that
SUNNY GAULT: Exactly, and then you know God heard me and then with the twins I go into labor at thirty five weeks with a planned cesarean
ANNIE LAIRD: She had a video on facebook, it was very awesome. It had a lot of likes
SUNNY GAULT: Oh yeah that was, we’re on our way to the hospital, my water broke. Usually you know you’re in labor before your water breaks right so I had no idea I just started leaking. And then I was like I’m either peeing myself. When I was when I was getting into the shower too so I was like my gosh what is going on here. How can I just pee, you know there’s a lot of pressure with twins. I’m like common, I’m not just going to pee just for no reason
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. I never been pregnant with twins but I have been pregnant with very big babies. So that is a question towards the end there of like, am I peeing myself or is that my water breaking, I don’t know
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah. Exactly
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Paula: Hey Preggie Pals this is Paula from Cuhayoga Falls, Ohio. And I have a quick question about drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Before I got pregnant my husband and I really like having a glass of wine with dinner or while we’re sitting relaxing watching TV. And I don’t have that glass of wine anymore but really there’s so much information out there with different opinions from different experts about benefits of having maybe an occasional glass of wine while I’m pregnant. So, really I just want to know what the real information is. Are there any health benefits to drinking wine or are they having any other types of alcohol during pregnancy. Thanks.
Dr. Atkins: Hi Paula, this is Dr. Atkins, I just wanted to thank you for your question. It’s a great question, it is quite controversial. I’ll let you know what the current issue congress of OBGYN stand is. We currently say no to alcohol during pregnancy. The big question is we don’t know how much alcohol you needed to cause the condition called fetal alcohol syndrome. That condition is very devastating and we don’t know what level of alcohol can cause it so the current recommendations again here in the US by ACOG is no alcohol. Having said that you’re correct there are several European studies that have said there may be some benefits to an occasional glass of wine. There was a French study that says there may be a decrease rate in ADHD in sons born to women who have an occasional glass of wine. Having said that, because of the fact that no one’s really going to do a blind randomized study active women alcohol and then test the effects on their children in the US again the current recommendation is no alcohol. I hope that helps. I hope you have a great pregnancy. And if you have any questions give us a call. Thank you so much. Bye.
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ANNIE LAIRD: Well today on Preggie Pals, we’re discussing how to know if you are really in labor. Joining us today is our expert Susan Melnikow. Susan’s been a Certified Nurse midwife for thirty years. She’s practiced full scope midwifery at home, birth center and in hospitals. And very exciting new, she was opening up her own birth center, Tree of Life for healthy birthing and parenting. Susan 0welcome to the show and thanks for joining us.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Thank you so much. I’m happy to be here.
ANNIE LAIRD: Alright. So, Sunny and I are talking about you know what week of pregnancy do women normally go into labor and you know for me it was, it was like forty one weeks and I’ve never gone before my due date. And you we’re mentioning Sunny in the intro that your twins were thirty five weeks. What about your other two boys?
SUNNY GAULT: Let’s see my first was forty weeks and three days, went into labor naturally and then my middle guy was born in about thirty eight weeks via cesarean. Never went into labor
ANNIE LAIRD: Right. So, Susan, what week of pregnancy due is full term
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Well it’s interesting because when I at the very first visit when I see someone prenatally and we’re going over all the pregnancy and what tooks back. I tell them we choose a due date that it’s a five week window. And that surprises people. But it’s not
ANNIE LAIRD: Is that new?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: No. It’s not new at all. It’s just that we live in a culture that is so exact. And we’re used to knowing absolutely everything and we kind of lost some of the mystery. But to be honest between thirty seven weeks of pregnancy up to forty two weeks is perfectly normal. That’s considered term for pregnancy. So, that, you know there aren’t that many people that will go into labor at thirty seven weeks, but if they do, it’s perfectly okay. And we’ve chosen that as term because that’s when we know. Researchers show as these baby’s lungs are fully mature at thirty seven weeks
ANNIE LAIRD: So that’s the last thing that develop it’s the lungs
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It is the last thing, exactly. And we want to know that that little baby is going to be able to breathe on its own when it’s born. Prior to thirty seven weeks we call that pre term
ANNIE LAIRD: And I mention that could be a concern for a lot of our listeners. You know, if you are in those early thirty weeks, yeah the baby probably be okay but I mentioned that the breathing might be a real issue and nursing
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Yeah. We usually need assistance with breathing up until about thirty four to thirty five weeks. And sometimes even beyond that but not often. And then , yes the nursing is one of the last things to develop in terms of the neurological system. So we even know that at thirty seven weeks sometimes babies aren’t as good at nursers as they are at thirty eight or thirty nine.
ANNIE LAIRD: I imagined that women usually go into labor is it correct that they usually feel contractions vice you know water breaking, is that the normal way thing happens or
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Well you know we see so much about the dramatic water breaking in the movies that we have. You see the mad rush to the hospital after the water has broke and that’s really rare. Okay the water breaking usually it will be the first thing to happen in about twenty percent of pregnancies and it will be one of those last things to happen in about eighty percent of pregnancies. And we just, you know it can be very very different for each woman and for each pregnancy. And identifying when the water has broken can sometimes be difficult because it’s not always the big gush of fluid to the floor that we see in the movies. Sometimes it can be just a little trickle. But it will be constant. It won’t stop once it started and that that can help you, you know to know is this really my water bag or is it just a little bit of discharge, what’s going on? So usually if a woman calls, I’ll tell her put on a pad and let’s see what happens. And if the trickle continues and she’s getting wet, the pad continues to get wet, then she needs to be evaluated because it probably is her water bag.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah I had a client, a doula client last summer it was kind of her practitioner told her the same thing. I had advised her after the birth that it was a really good idea to get some adult and cottons diapers. So she had depends on hand and it was just very, I found it’s very easy after I gave birth to instead of dealing with the pads and the shifting and all of those blood on the sheets. It’s just go get yourself, there’s your free tip of the day from Annie Laird. Go get yourself some adult diapers, it is worth it. But anyways, so she at least some adult diapers on hand I said watch where you while it depends. And so she did and sure enough, it just kept coming and coming and she needed to change her own diaper. And that’s how she knew so yeah very interesting. Now what do women usually describe a contraction? So say it’s not their water and like that it’s a contraction. What do women say that that feels like?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: I have found that it really varies a lot
ANNIE LAIRD: Is that what makes it so hard though
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It does
ANNIE LAIRD: How do I know? Am I just having a back ache or you know
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly. I do find that oftentimes women will have like pre menstrual type sensations for a week or two before they go into labor. And then when the labor contractions start, some women can feel it in the front down low, like a sharp discomfort. And other people feel it in their back. And they don’t realize that they’re having contractions, they say I’ve got this low back pain and I’ll always ask well is it rhythmic? Is it coming and going? And they’ll say yeah. And then if I’m with them and I put my hand on their abdomen, I can feel that her abdomen is tightening and she’s having a contraction while she’s dealing lower back pain. So it can be really variable for different women.
ANNIE LAIRD: What is a Braxton Hicks contraction?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: A Braxton Hicks contraction is where the uterus rhythmically contracts and it’s felt later in the pregnancy that actually starts at about sixteen weeks in women
ANNIE LAIRD: And I imagine most women can’t feel that though yeah
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly! Most women can’t feel it but it’s very normal and it’s rhythmic contractions that the uterus does, which tells us that the hormones are working perfectly. There will be more Braxton Hicks after sexual activity with orgasm. And there also be more with walking and physical activity. But they’re perfectly normal, they can be uncomfortable but it’s a different type of sensation than usually labor contractions.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. I mean, how would a woman know though if it’s a rhythmic contraction if it’s a Braxton Hicks or if it’s the actual labor?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Because it doesn’t, in my experience, it doesn’t have the same quality than a labor contraction will, and again that’s difficult if you’ve never had a baby if it’s your first baby. But usually like I said it’s uncomfortable but it’s not really painful.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. It doesn’t have that moment of this just got real.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly because, I tell people really go inside and pay attention because when labor does start, usually a woman knows. And it’s like oh yeah, this is different than anything that I’ve experienced previously.
ANNIE LAIRD: What’s considered a good pattern of contractions?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Again it’s variable but oftentimes, not always, but oftentimes labor will start with contractions just spread out maybe one in hour, one in every thirty minutes. And then will gradually increase to one every twenty, every fifteen, every ten, but when we know we consider an act of labor when you’re having really good strong contractions at least step out every four minutes. And they’re all lasting a minute where they’re pretty uncomfortable for a minute and they’ve been that way for an hour. That’s kind of our rule of thumb we sometimes call it 4-1-1.
ANNIE LAIRD: Okay. How do you measure the four minutes?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: You look at the clock and you time from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction
ANNIE LAIRD: I see so that includes the time that you’re actually having the contraction
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Correct! That’s what we call the frequency. How frequently they’re coming. I know that there are phone apps now. I’ve talked to a lot of people that have those apps.
SUNNY GAULT: I was using that. I was using that once I’ve realized what this definitely was my water breaking with the twins.
ANNIE LAIRD: Oh did you have a pattern of contractions then
SUNNY GAULT: I did I was trying to figure them out but, there was so much I was doing and you know, well it’s sometimes hard to tell when a contraction is starting and ending. And you would think you would know but sometimes it’s so vague and it’s that you know just a little twinge of a pain or is that really part of the contractions still
SUSAN MELNIKOW: And that’s where, if you’re not real strong you can put your hand on the top of your abdomen the fund us of your uterus and feel if it’s getting firm and how long it stays firm. And that’s where someone else around you, your doula, your partner a family member, a friend may put their hand there if you’re kind of. It’s easier, objectively to do if it’s somebody else, that they can place their hand on the top of your abdomen and feel it actually get hard. And that’s how we as providers time the contraction
ANNIE LAIRD: Now, Susan, Is that normal when a care provider will tell a woman that it’s time to go to the hospital or birthing center when it’s 4-1-1. Is that the typical?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: We always tell people, well, I shouldn’t say always, not all providers do that the practices that I’ve worked in, we tell women to call and talk to us. Because we can usually tell by talking someone on the phone
ANNIE LAIRD: “I’m having a baby today! Yey!” Should I come in? I’m so excited to have a baby. No probably not
SUSAN MELNIKOW: No, now I have been fooled a couple of times you know so it’s not, it’s not sure fire. But usually we can tell by the sound of your voice. And I oftentimes will keep someone on the phone for fifteen, twenty minutes and time them myself. And she’ll tell me when she’s starting, when and when she’s ending so we can get a feel for it
ANNIE LAIRD: Okay. What I was always afraid of is at least especially for my first born of I would go to the hospital and just everything would stop
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Now that’s an interesting thing because that’s very common. And there’s a reason for that
ANNIE LAIRD: And it’s so depressing too you know. That’s never actually happen to me, but I heard enough women that said it happened to them. And I was just like oh for the love of God like I want to go and pushing like I always know all the pain the first time around you know I was just like you know I’m going to get my epidural but you know I didn’t want to be sent home
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It happens really frequently and it’s most people have heard of the fright or flight response of hormones and that’s can go on in labor very easily. And when you get up and you pack everything up and you get in the car, your hormones kind of respond to what’s happening and you arrive at your place, the hospital or the birth center where you are going to give birth, everything’s different. And so you secrete some stress hormones. And stress hormones compete with oxytocin. It’s like your body can’t do both at the same time. So, we oftentimes will see the contractions spread out when someone first arrives when they’re going to give birth. But a good provider will know that’s a common thing and won’t make a quick evaluation on what’s going on at that time but gives some time. You know I usually say let’s give it an hour and kind of see what’s happening because once a mom feels secure and comfortable where she is, her oxytocin kicks back in. And then we see the contractions frequently again.
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah. I had a girlfriend who gave birth at birth center that and that very thing and that was one that scared me the most because she was just a really good birthing lady. It just happened, I would not say precipitously but it was very straightforward like she knew when she’s having a baby and you better believe her. You know she went to her best birthing center and like everything stopped and her husband wanted to get in the car and go you know up to like or something up north which was like an hour and a half north up here and she told him no, we’re staying here. And she actually gave birth in the parking lot of birth center. You know but she went from no contractions to like two hours later she just walked around park and you know. Yeah so that was insane and so I think that’s something a lot of
SUSAN MELNIKOW: That doesn’t usually happen with the first baby although yeah
ANNIE LAIRD: It was her second baby. But what they say about second
SUSAN MELNIKOW: But seconds, yeah, exactly they can be very surprising
ANNIE LAIRD: It’s expeditious, yeah. Alright! Well when we come back we’re going to be discussing some other signs that you may think that you’re in labor. We’ll be right back
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ANNIE LAIRD: Welcome back. Today we’re talking about how to know if you’re really in labor. Now Susan let’s talk about the mucus plug. So what is mucus plug look like?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It can look different for each woman. Sometimes it can look like nasal snot. And it’ll be kind of a yellowish whitish sometimes even greenish. Sometimes it comes out as a big solid plug and it’s very distinguishable. You know women know when asked what this is. But oftentimes it doesn’t come out like that and it will kind of start to come out as a discharge, a heavier discharge. It won’t be as watery. It can be more kind of pasty with still some mucus threads to it. Oftentimes it’s common to have a little blood mixed in with it as it comes, you know it sloughs down from the lining of the cervix
ANNIE LAIRD: Is a mucus plug different than like bloody show then?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It’s about the same. It can be the same.
ANNIE LAIRD: Okay. Oh gosh it’s so hard to decipher them, oh my goodness, yeah
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly. And every woman’s different some women will never ever see bloody show and others will have quite a bit of bloody show mixed with mucus.
ANNIE LAIRD: And that’s so hard too I think because towards the end of pregnancy you have just so much. So that was a real you know shocker to me as a first time pregnant mom and I wasn’t really excited about the second and third time around. You went to going back to wearing pant liners at the end of the pregnancy. And like, what is this, I thought I had you know a good nine months off of period. Yeah, you’re right back to that again.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Obviously if there’s heavy bleeding a woman needs to seek care immediately
ANNIE LAIRD: So you’re talking like bright red
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Yeah, if it’s flowing and it’s bright red that would not be normal. But the bloody show it can be a dark brown, a pink or it can be bright red. But it will be self limited. It will be like you wiped and you see it a couple of times. And it’s not like its flowing. Like you’re actively bleeding. That would be different.
ANNIE LAIRD: Now, just because she lost the mucus plug, does that mean that she’s in labor?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: No. Unfortunately! I’ve seen some women lose a mucus plug a couple of weeks before they have the baby.
ANNIE LAIRD: Along that same vein so you could be a couple of centimeters dilated then
SUSAN MELNIKOW: You know if it’s your second baby. I’ve had several moms be four or five centimeters dilated for a month. So that doesn’t you know, it’s really hard because you get so excited, if your provider checks you and tells you you’re three, four centimeters dilated. It doesn’t tell us when you’re going in to labor though
ANNIE LAIRD: Yeah so it’s definitely not a magic eight ball type of thing. Oh let’s go have a check, okay you’re going to be in labor twenty three hours from now. You know before the break we talked about when a woman’s water breaks. And that, you know, is that a sure sign of labor? Do you know that you are in labor when your water breaks?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: We consider it that you’re starting labor for sure. But you may, your water might break and you might not have contractions immediately. And every care provider kind of has a different standard. The midwives that I worked with we use a twenty four hours standard we kind of want to know that you’re in active labor within twenty four hours. Some hospitals and physicians use a shorter amount of time and some midwives use a longer amount of time. But one of the really important things to look for when you think your water bag is broken as what color is this water that’s coming out. It should be clear like tap water. It might have a little mucus flex in it. It might have a little white from the baby’s vernix, but it definitely shouldn’t have a deep yellow green black or brown color to it
ANNIE LAIRD: What does the color indicates Susan?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: If it were any of those colors it could indicate meconium. Which is the baby’s first bowel movement. And if you’re pass your due date forty one or forty two weeks sometimes it’s common for the baby to have passed meconium and it might not necessarily be a sign of distress. But sometimes meconium can be a sign of distress. So if we see that kind of color it’s very important to get in and have your provider check the baby. See what’s going on, do a full assessment. And then we would want to watch the baby closely if that were going on.
ANNIE LAIRD: What are the kind of things if a woman water breaks, say that her water breaks and she knows that it her water as we talked about beforehand, it’s either huge gush or a constant trickle. What are some other things that she should be looking for?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Well it’s important to understand what that membrane. You know the baby has grown in the amniotic sac which holds the water and there’s usually two to three liters of water with the baby. So once that sac has broken, if there’s little hole that happens in the membrane, that’s when you start leaking water. The protective barrier for infection is gone. So, because that baby has been protected that whole time, so once that’s gone that when we get a little bit more concerned about.
We want to know that the baby is still safe. So, that’s why we all have different time periods that we think is okay to wait for the baby to, for you to be in act of labor and for the baby to be born. The other thing that’s real important, most providers will check for group strep bacteria in women at around thirty six weeks of pregnancy. Group A strep bacteria is a very common bacteria. It’s not an infectious process for a mother. It’s normal for adult people to have those bacteria in their intestines.
But for some people it grows abundantly during pregnancy and it comes out, and it’s in the vaginal perennial area. It can cause a problem for the baby. So that’s the other thing to consider if your water bag is broken you want to know what your group a strep status is. If you’re negative, then we’re not as concerned. But if you’re positive, then we want to know that you know you, most providers will be providing antibiotics in labor and once the water bag breaks, we would want to start the antibiotics
ANNIE LAIRD: Right away then.
SUSAN MELNIKOW: Exactly.
ANNIE LAIRD: Group a strep, I mean is that common to go from negative to positive and positive to negative. You could be forty two weeks. If you get tested at thirty six weeks can that change from one step to another? From positive to negative?
SUSAN MELNIKOW: It can. And that’s why the test is now deemed valuable for about forty five weeks. And if you go past that time, oftentimes providers will test again. Especially if it was a negative, if it’s positive the first time most providers won’t test again they just say you know you were positive
ANNIE LAIRD: Well great. Thanks Susan for joining us today. For more information about Susan and her midwifery practice as well as about her new birth center. It’s opening up in North County in San Diego. Visit our episode page on our website. This conversation continues for members of our Preggie Pals Club. After the show Susan will be discussing what to do if your water breaks but you have no contractions. To join our club, visit our website, www.preggiepals.com
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SUNNY GAULT: Before we wrap with today’s show here’s Jeanette McCulloch with some of the best online pregnancy resources.
JEANETTE MCCULLOCH: Hello Preggie Pals, I’m Jeanette McCulloch of BrithSwell. We at BirthSwell believes that you as a mother will make the right health decisions for your pregnancy and birth, when you have access at evidence based information and a strong support system. That’s why I’m here to share with you new media tools to find information that’s right for you. You may have heard of Ina may Gaskin, she’s the legendary midwife who founded the Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee in the 1970’s.
She’ll tell you just how important it is to hear birth stories, all kinds of birth stories while you’re pregnant. If you were showing you probably already heard more than one birth story. If it was well meaning but felt a little more than a war story than a love story, you’re not alone. There’s something about our birth culture that makes the sharing a positive stories taboo. But as Ina May would say well stories can’t tell you what your own experience will be like, they can illustrate how wide the range of normal birth is.
That’s why www.birthstoriesondemand.com is such a great resource for preparing for birth. Click on the read the birth story and you’ll find everything from natural birth story to home birth to quick birth. While there’s plenty of positive options to explore including sections on midwife assisted birth. The site doesn’t shy away from the kinds of stories that help us know the full range of experiences. Including perinatal birth disorders. You can also listen to her podcast, watch her new birth stories on twitter and of course share your own birth story if you’d like. You can find the site at www.birthstoriesondemand.com. Thanks for listening to today’s tool for finding the information that’s right for you and be sure to listen to Preggie Pals for more great pregnancy tips in the future.
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ANNIE LAIRD: That wraps up our show for today, we appreciate you listening to Preggie Pals, don’t forget to check out our sister shows Parent Savers, for parents with newborns, infants and toddlers. Our new show, Twin Talks for parents with twins babies and our show The Boob Group for moms who breastfeed their babies. This is Preggie Pals, your pregnancy, your way.
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This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.
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