What Is Happening?
You are reaching the end of the thinning and opening phase. Your surges are closer, stronger and more beneficial. The wall of your cervix has completely thinned, and the cervix is continuing to open sufficiently to allow the baby to begin to move down. When this happens, your body sends a message that it’s time to change from Slow Breathing to Birth Breathing—the gentle, but firm, breathing down that will help you to bypass lengthy, difficult and fatiguing “pushing” techniques used by other methods.
Time distortion usually sets in, and you lose track of time. You will be more aware of the working of your uterus with waves rising almost as though your birthing body is separate from the rest of your body; you may or may not be aware that the surges are becoming longer and higher. As you breathe each one up to the fullest, they become more efficient. The touch and voice of your birth companion will guide you through each surge. Your journey becomes more encouraging, as labor from this point can move along very quickly, especially as you deepen your relaxation.
You drift into an almost amnesiac state, focusing on your birthing experience. You are able to entirely shut out distractions and mentally go within to your baby. At the end of this phase, as your cervix becomes fully opened, you will feel the fullness within your body and, unless you experience a resting time, you will instinctively feel the need to change your breathing pattern to the downward Birth Breathing to assist the baby in his descent.
Hallmarks of Labor
During this period, you will probably experience at least one or more of the hallmarks of labor—those milestones that tell you that your labor is moving along. They are all very natural and good messages from your body. Your birth companion will remind you of the hallmarks as you pass each one. It’s exciting.
• Your body heat will rise and/or drop alternately. One minute you will be kicking off bedding; in another you’ll be requesting a warmed blanket.
• When you get up to empty your bladder, there will be a spot of blood on the Chux pad that was beneath you. The body is directing its efforts downward.
• You may begin to hiccup, burp, feel nauseated or even vomit as your diaphragm has an initial reaction to the lower pulsations in your body that will soon move your baby down to birth. The good news is that it doesn’t last long. (It happens rarely with HypnoBirthing moms because their bodies are calm and not in tumult.)
• Regardless of how calmly and well you have approached your birthing, you may all of a sudden feel the need “to escape.” Even a mom who is having a fantastic birthing has been known to express the thought, “I don’t think I want to do this any longer” or “I can’t do this anymore.” This last hallmark is one of the most exciting. It means that the birth of your baby is right around the corner. Your birth companion will remind you of this hallmark, and the mood changes for everyone in the room. Your baby is almost here.
What Feelings You May Experience
Your mood will remain calm and nearly euphoric. Your peaceful, relaxed state will turn into an almost fuzzy mood, where you will hear everything that is going on around you, but you’ll not care to respond. You may go through this final phase of opening in an almost dreamlike state. Nature’s amnesia will lull you so that you seem to drift in and out of alertness. It becomes even easier to place your awareness only on your baby and your birthing body.
As time distortion clicks in, the length of the surge will be distorted, and your time consciousness will fade. Twenty minutes will, indeed, seem like five. This is nature’s way of helping you remain placid and serene. At the end of this phase, your shift to Birth Breathing will give you a feeling of well-being, as you and your baby work together.
How You May Participate
At this time, you really settle into birthing. Your conversant stage has passed, and you are easing into the business of having a baby. Deep relaxation and a thoroughly limp body help you to block out your surroundings and go even further within to your baby.
By this time, many women have already adopted a lateral position. If you choose to stay on your back, your birthing companion needs to be sure that the head of the bed is elevated so that you are not lying flat. Lying flat can limit the supply of oxygen to your baby. Your birthing companion will help you to adjust your position if you slip down in the bed.
With deepened relaxation, you let go and let your baby and your body do what each can do best during this time. You will continue to breathe up with your uterine surges until your cervix opens, but it will seem almost effortless. With the signal of downward lower fullness, you will know instinctively that it is time to change your breathing to Birth Breathing. Your birth companion will assure staff that you are not going to push at this point and it is safe for you to change to a Birth Breath.
With no effort, you move closer to a place of utter comfort, moving in harmony with your body.
When your body sends the message that it is time to begin to nudge your baby down, you will follow the lead of your body and work with the shift of your pulsations that now direct your breathing downward in contrast to the upward breathing that you have been doing up until now. Often this is all accomplished with little notice, as the birthing mother continues to work with her surges quietly and serenely without changing position.
Your birthing companions should take turns going for food during this phase of your birthing. You should not be alone, even though you may appear to be perfectly relaxed and simply resting. That look can be deceiving, as few others are aware that you are breathing your baby down to the vaginal outlet.
The location of the baby’s head within the pelvic region is measured by what is known as the Pelvic Station. You will hear reference to the Pelvic Station both before and during your birthing. As the baby journeys downward, his progress may be explained to you as being at -1 or +1 or +2. Positive numbers are below the midsection of the pelvis; negative numbers are above the midsection. The measure is determined by where the “presenting part” or top of the baby’s head is. If you are told that the head is high, it means that the position is still in the minus level. The head is said to be engaged when the head is at 0.
Every child is unique. Every child must pass through the same stages, leading from an enclosed world to the open one, from being folded in on itself to reaching outward.
Frederick Leboyer, M.D., Birth Without Violence