Pregnancy: What Happens Next

Pregnancy is a wonderful yet scary part of a womans and mans life. You never know what to expect when you enter the hospital. You never know exactly what the pain will be like. Labor pains feel like cramps- only they pulsate and come and go. The night before you do into labor you may have a stomach ache. Labor pains are not very painful until you reach about 6 centimeters. You will want to go to the hospital as soon as the labor pains are too much to handle or they are about 7 minutes apart. I went to the hospital when my contractions where 6 minutes apart and the nurse told me that my cervix was opened up to 7 centimeters- I gave birth a few hours later. Do not wait until you are 5 minutes apart to come to the hospital.

When you get to the hospital they will probably make you walk the hallways to bring on the labor. They will check to see if your water has broken- and most likely break your water on accident when they check. At this point, the labor pains will become horrible. You will need an epidural as soon as possible. The pain will feel like you are being stabbed and the only thing you will be able to think about it pain medication. At this point the labor will go very quickly and you will be ready to push in a few hours to a few minutes.

You will feel a tremedous amount of pressure and you will have to go to the bathroom. There will be a LOT of blood. It will look as if somebody was murdered in the bathroom. Do not be scared, this is completely normal. If they break your water- it's about enough water to fill a bathtub a few inches deep- a lot of water. Do not be scared about your water breaking, most of the time it happens while you are sleeping.

Make sure to get the epidural as soon as possible. They will need to do blood work before you can have the epidural. They will hoist you up on the bed and make everybody leave the room. You will hear crunching noises and have to remain 100 percent still during this time. If they accidently hit something if you move, you could possibly be paralyzed. Wait until the contraction has just ended to have the epidural. Hold on the the nurse when the next contraction hits or you will be squirming all over the place.