In our Childbirth Education small group classes, one of the things we deep-dive into is the process of labor and delivery.

As our teacher jokes, the labor process can be the world’s least organized flash mob. The members of team? Fetal engagement, cervical dilation, contraction patterns, and cervical effacement. In our class, we break down these terms and phrases, and how they are evaluated before and during labor.

We also walk through how the body prepares for weeks leading up to labor ever beginning, from your belly lightening to losing your mucus plug. Did you know only 10-15% of labors begin with your water breaking? The movies lie to us! We bust myths about what early labor might feel like, and how you’ll be able to tell when you’re actually in labor. While no labor is “textbook,” we discuss common signs and symptoms of early labor and the progression into active labor, as well as navigating decision-making around leaving for your birth location, depending on your plans and preferences. With evidence-based information presented in accessible language, you learn the physiology of the labor and delivery process in terms you can actually understand and associate with when the time comes to welcome baby!

In active labor, outside of intense contractions and cervical dilation, there are a host of other healthy signs that you might not know about, such as intense nausea or full-body shakes. We review the leap from active labor into transition, and what the “urge to bear down” means and feels like in the body. Pushing is its own stage entirely; the average first-time delivery pushes for two to three hours! You’ll get to know position options for pushing, how to help reduce perineal tearing, and what to expect of the golden hour.

Of our 3.5-hour class, discussing the labor process is the first hour. We follow that with comfort measures and coping through each stage of labor, and round it out with how to write a birth plan. Register now to join us at our next monthly class!