A mother goes through innumerable emotions and feelings during birth. But does it feel like for the baby? How does birth feel to your baby?
First Stage Of Labor
during the first stage of labor, you may experience contractions every 20 minutes or so. Your contractions in the first stage of labor are generally mild and your baby will feel a gentle squeeze around its body. Your baby follows a regular sleeping pattern during pre-labor and even during early labor sometimes. Your baby moves and turns around such that its chin is close to her chest preparing for the birth. As your labor progresses, your contractions may become much longer, stronger and frequent. As your baby’s head pushes across the cervix, your uterus begins to shorten and close together dilating the cervix in the process. Your baby feels congested and squashed with all the contractions. A few babies may actively help you during the labor by kicking and pushing with their feet. A few other babies may keep still and endure the uterine contractions. This is a mechanism which allows your baby to cope up with the fluctuating levels of oxygen during the contractions. When your uterus contracts, it compresses the blood vessels which carry the oxygen to the placenta. Your baby’s heart rate slows, in order to conserve oxygen, blood, and energy during the contractions. Once your contractions are done, your baby’s heart rate picks up once again. Further, during your contractions, the pressure helps squeeze any fluid from your baby’s lungs. This helps your baby to be prepared for the first breath of air after birth.
Second Stage Of Labor
During the second stage, your contractions are more strong and full dilation of your cervix occurs. The involuntary contractions of your uterus push your baby downward into your birth canal. Your newborn’s skull is soft and the plates of its skull are still not fused. Due to this, these plates can move and shift making it easier for the head to fit in the birth canal. Therefore, babies have a cone shaped head when they are born and return to their normal shape later. During the journey through the birth canal, your baby feels as much pressure as you do. Your baby comes head first and has her head and chest turned towards your back. Your baby may push and kick equally helping you get done with labor as soon as possible.
The Moment Of Birth
Once your baby’s head is out, you can feel a pulse while it wriggles its shoulders to allow the rest of its body to come out too. Most babies are born with their eyes closed and open them soon after birth. Your baby’s vision develops the last and it is advised to make sure you dim the lights so as not to hurt your newborn’s sight. It takes one final push for the baby to come out after which you can place your baby on your chest or stomach depending on how long your umbilical cord is. Immediately after birth, your baby might splutter and cough as it’s not used to the sudden air and breathing. These few breaths might the most difficult breaths your baby will ever take in its life. While it is a common belief that babies cry at birth but this is not the case with all babies. Sometimes babies don’t cry at birth but start crying when united with their mothers.
It is beautiful how pregnancy progresses and at the end of it, you get to hold your bundle of joy and the definition of love is completely changed to you. There is no love greater than the mother’s.
