Oh, I see! Yes, I can understand your anxiety about identifying labour from all the rest of the aches and pains of late pregnancy. I think you are very correct in that the first stage of labour can be overlooked, as by this time women are so used to feeling BH contractions, and all the bizarre things that our bodies do while pregnant. However, you can be very confident that when your body begins to transition, you will know it!!! In order to get your cervix dilated from 4cm to 10cm, the contractions need to be *very* strong, and will come quite regularly. You may indeed overlook the first stage of labour, but by time you get to the second, there is no mistaking it. And don't worry too much that you are going to have the baby within minutes of realizing you're in labour. Stage Two of labour, the dilation of the cervix from 4-10cm, typically takes hours (and hours!). Unless you have a very atypical physique, you will not be having a casual chat on the phone one minute, and pushing out a baby five minutes later. That's only in the movies
And of course, you are not in this all by yourself. If you are at all questioning whether you're feeling contractions, but just aren't sure, you can always call your doctor/midwife. That's what s/he is there for.
With your cervix partially dilated, has the doctor said anything about "no baths or intercourse", or doing anything that might introduce bacteria into the uterus? I'm not saying this is a genuine concern, but I remember that it was a concern in the 6 weeks following birth, as it takes the cervix that long to close up again. I'm just wondering if the same thing applies to this situation? This question isn't based on anything I've read, it's only a question that crossed my mind.
Jen, this is going to be such an exciting experience!!
Cheers,
Sandra
