Pregnant moms would know if they are about to go into labor because of labor cramps or if their water has already broken, but there are actually more possible things that could happen during a woman's labor that most women do not know about.
Labor is extremely difficult and tough on a woman's body. Although some are lucky to experience calm and smooth labor, the majority of women who go through labor experience a lot of pain and contractions. However, that's not the only thing that we can expect during a woman's labor. Some of these events may be common during labor while others rarely happen to almost every woman who goes into labor. Either way, it is important for pregnant women to know what are other things to expect when they're going in labor.
Unexpected bowel movements
This normally happens during the start of a woman's labor. The reason to why this happens is women use the same muscles in pooping during labor. You might slip a poop out during pre-labor but keep in mind that it is perfectly normal. In fact, this is a good sign because it only means your muscles are working and are ready for labor.
Vomiting and nausea
This may be the most common thing that you can experience during pregnancy, but a lot of women do not know that this is also possible when you are about to give birth. Vomiting and nausea can happen during the actual labor, and this happens usually if you are already pushing your baby out. Your blood pressure will drop down during labor which causes you to vomit during the process as well.
Extended labor
There are three stages of labor: the latent phase, the active phase, and the transition phase. However, not everything can happen fast. There are labors that are prolonged in any of the stages. Mostly, extended labor happens in the first phase, which is the latent phase, which can actually last more than 20 hours for first-time moms and 14 hours for moms who have given birth before. Extended labor can be very exhausting and tiring for expecting moms, and it may lead to certain complications that may even lead to rough labor.
Drastic labor
If extended labor exists, there is also rapid or drastic labor. It is always possible for pregnant women to give birth sooner than they expected. This is also known as precipitous labor. This happens when a woman gives birth to her baby three hours after she feels the contractions. In this type of scenario, you will have faster and earlier labor, however, the problem will mostly be the time for you to make it to the hospital for pain medications and the presence of doctors to help you during your labor.
Tearing of vaginal tissues
This problem will occur if the vaginal opening is not wide enough for you to give birth. Instances like this happen to 90% of pregnant women during childbirth. For this situation, a doctor may have to perform a surgical incision to enlarge the vaginal opening. First and second-degree tears may cause minor discomforts for a few weeks, but for third to fourth-degree tears, this may take weeks for it to fully heal.
