Narrator: In the weeks before birth, your body slows down production of the hormone progesterone while increasing production of other hormones – including prostaglandins, which soften the cervix, and oxytocin, which triggers the uterine muscles to contract. True labor contractions are rhythmic and painful, and grow consistently stronger. As the long vertical muscle bands of the uterus tighten, they pull the cervix open. The strong muscles at the top of the uterus push down and release, guiding your baby toward the cervix. The mucus plug, a collection of thickened cervical mucus that's sealed your cervix shut for nine months, may be expelled days before or in the midst of labor. When the amniotic sac ruptures, your water has broken. It can feel like a trickle or a gush of fluid. Your cervix will begin opening and thinning, known as dilation and effacement. Once you reach about 4 centimeters, your body will move into active labor. In active labor, contractions become stronger and...
Narrator: In the weeks before birth, your body slows down production of the hormone progesterone while increasing production of other hormones – including prostaglandins, which soften the cervix, and oxytocin, which triggers the uterine muscles to contract. True labor contractions are rhythmic and painful, and grow consistently stronger. As the long vertical muscle bands of the uterus tighten, they pull the cervix open. The strong muscles at the top of the uterus push down and release, guiding your baby toward the cervix. The mucus plug, a collection of thickened cervical mucus that's sealed your cervix shut for nine months, may be expelled days before or in the midst of labor. When the amniotic sac ruptures, your water has broken. It can feel like a trickle or a gush of fluid. Your cervix will begin opening and thinning, known as dilation and effacement. Once you reach about 4 centimeters, your body will move into active labor. In active labor, contractions become stronger and...