My Baby
Woohoo! It's time to break out the bubbly! (The sparkling cider variety, of course.) By the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term -- which means it could really arrive any day now. Exciting, sure. Terrifying? Yeah, that too. But no matter how freaked you might be, you're way better off knowing as much as you can about D-day. So here's the deal. No one knows exactly what sets off the big event, but somehow your body knows when your baby's fully cooked and starts releasing chemicals (called prostaglandins) that thin, soften, and dilate your cervix. When produced in large amounts, these prostaglandins will trigger your uterus to start contracting, or making involuntary muscle movements to push your baby down and out. (At some point, your water will break, too, but this is more like a side effect of labor than an actual trigger.)
But contractions alone don't necessarily mean your baby's on the move just yet. They'll get stronger, longer, and more regular before you're actually ready to start delivering. And this early-stage labor can last hours or even days. So sit tight, be patient, and keep a watch handy. Once contractions start occurring about five minutes apart for at least an hour, it's probably time to grab your hospital bag and head out -- you're officially in active labor! (More on that in My Body.)
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