Has a baby already determined his position in the womb? Friends, and quite strangers ask you this question? What do they say? How do you know? What are signs of labor that will help you determining the approach of birth?

By the end of pregnancy fetus has a definite position in the womb, convenient to expect “emigration”. The most common position - head down (more than 95% of toddlers take it). In this case, his chin is pressed against chest. Some babies, especially in primiparous, literally fall through small pelvis entrance. In this case, the cervix is not always expanding, and fetus is completely in the womb, but his head is located in the pelvic aperture, not above it. Doctors and midwives call this process “formation of fetus.”

Formation of fetus is also known as “lightening”. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in such fetus position a woman suffers from typical manifestations of pregnancy less. When fetus falls down, the pressure on the stomach and diaphragm is decreasing. At the same time a future mother often ceases feeling heartburn and shortness of breath. Naturally, these symptoms are simply replaced by other signs of labor - for example, increased pelvic pressure. In addition, some women feel discomfort when walking, because they think that a baby’s head is between their legs. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that many women feel no signs of labor, so they do not even notice when fetus head occupies position in the pelvic opening. We should not rule out the possibility that fetus head will take the proper position immediately before delivery.

There are other signs of labor. For example, loss of mucus plug covering the cervix from vagina, while uterus softening and thinning, as it approaches delivery date. The mucous plug may fall several hours or even days before childbirth. In some cases, rupture of amniotic sac membranes ( “water waste”) occurs within minutes or hours before childbirth. After break of shells, one should immediately call a doctor or go to the hospital. Some doctors or midwives insist on expectant mother’s coming for inspection, others advise waiting for the beginning of spontaneous labor.

Many pregnant women feel other signs of labor, including diarrhea, back pain or abdominal cramps. In addition, many women are also observed psychological changes - some women do not feel maternal instincts throughout pregnancy, however, a few hours or days before giving birth, they are literally flooded with a wave of love for an unborn baby. Also there may appear episodes of increased activity, when a pregnant woman feels an irresistible urge to remove and clean all around, restore order and create coziness, though only a few days before she could not find the strength to move around the house.

Is it possible to stimulate one’s own birth? There are plenty of “grandmother’s” means you can try for yourself. Some women believe their childbirth was accelerated due to piquant food, others believe rapid delivery happened due to castor oil. There is an opinion that intense sex is a good childbirth stimulator  (in this case, you will at least enjoy the process). Unfortunately, these tools do not work, and their effectiveness is due to mere coincidence. Delivery will be start only when a child is ready to be born, and not a moment sooner.