Starting Labor

Lots of women in the very last stages of pregnancy get impatient/miserable enough to try anything to start labor quicker. I've heard all kinds of things and foods can start labor like pineapple, eggplant, spicy food, castor oil, raspberry leaf tea, rosemary tea, foot massages, back massages, scrubbing floors, walking, etc. None of these have been medically proven to work. Some women swear up and down that one of the above started their labor. Others said nothing worked. I've decided that if a woman tried one of these things and went into labor that night, it was completely coincidental. I'm a skeptic. If the baby ain't ready, she ain't gonna come no matter what I do.

I also learned something new last night. I was reading the labor/delivery portion of the What to Expect When You're Expecting book and apparently, if you're at all dilated and/or effaced, you're technically in early labor. Labor is split in three stages with the first stage having three parts, the second stage is delivery, and the third is the afterbirth.

The first stage is split in three parts: early (or latent), active (contractions 3 minutes apart), and transitional (10 cm and ready to push). You're in early labor (1st phase of 1st stage) if you're up to 3 cm dilated (along with other symptoms, which I have). As you know, I was 1 cm dilated two weeks ago. I have had contractions that aren't too painful that I can't walk or talk through them but I'm pretty uncomfortable or I wince. Last night, I was woken up by a particularly nasty one. They're far apart enough that I haven't bothered timing them so I know I'm not in active labor just yet.

It's weird to realize I'm technically in labor and yet I'm going about my normal routine. I go to the doctor on Tuesday and hopefully we'll find out if there has been any more progress in dilation and effacement.

Stay tuned.