In relation to labor a contraction is referred to the tightening of the uterine muscles. The uterus is a very strong muscle. So, just like when you’re working out or lifting that heavy Halloween candy basket, your muscles are contracting to do its work. When you get to the end of your pregnancy, the uterus has grown to a very large size to enclose your baby, placenta and amniotic fluid. Normally your uterus is about the size of your fist. So, in the end its main goal is to push your baby out and shrink back down from the size of large watermelon to the size of an orange. That’s a lot of work. The contractions first help the cervix to thin out, then to dilate and ultimately push the baby down into your pelvis.
Your cervix starts out very thick and completely closed and the contractions do a few things to help you get to where you need to be. We use a percentage to measure the thickness of the cervix. We call this effacement and the goal is to be 100% effaced or thinned out. Along with this the cervix needs to dilate enough for the baby to pass through. The goal of this is for it to become 10cm wide. The last thing we look at is how far down the babys’ head is into the pelvis. We look at this in relation to a specific bone in your pelvis and we call this the babys’ station.
So, when we say the cervix is 10cm, 100% effaced, and +1 station this is a good time to start pushing but not in every situation. If you’re 10cm and 100% the baby may be still high in the pelvis and a lot of nurses and providers will do a practice called ‘laboring down’. This allows the contractions to do more of the work without you pushing. This can save you pushing time and energy for when it’s really time to push. Of course, if the mom feels a strong urge to push that’s ok to push. Again, this is not true in every situation.
After the baby is born this doesn't mean the contractions are done. The uterus also has to push out the placenta and then, like I said before, the uterus has to get back to its original size. In order for this to happen, it has to contract. Yes this sucks but it's essential. And don't worry, you'll forget how it felt eventually in a delusion vortex somewhere, which is why women decide to have additional children.
Below I have attached a video that is good at showing how contractions work.
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