Although there are very few deliveries that respond exactly to a certain pattern, what they do have in common are common times and parameters for this physiological process, which ends with the birth of the baby and the exit of the placenta.
The first phase of delivery is dilation, in which we can differentiate a first moment of early, latent or passive dilation, which is when the opening of the cervix begins. This stage is usually the longest and luckily the least intense; in fact, most women will not even notice its incipient dilation until the gynecologist explores them in their pre-delivery consultations.
The erasure, softening and dilation of the cervix up to 3 centimeters that characterize this stage can be reached in a period of days or weeks without annoying contractions.
Oxytocin passes gently into the blood and the woman begins to have poorly noticeable contractions. These contractions are common from the 35th week of gestation, but they do not become regular, progressive or intense enough to think that the time for delivery has arrived and go to the clinic. However, they are a sign that the day is coming.
The symptoms that can be perceived are back pain (either with each contraction or constantly), belly pain similar to menstruation, indigestion, diarrhea, sensation of heat in the abdomen ...
To a large extent, the quality of our delivery may depend on this stage, since it is not the same to reach true contractions with 3 centimeters "of advantage" and with the cervix cleared, that is, already thinned and shortened.
