If it is your first pregnancy and chances are that you do not have an experience woman around you; you will not know when you get into labor. The last weeks of pregnancy make you heavy and you get aches and pains in parts of your body that you didn’t even know existed and hence you are not aware that your baby will be arriving in a few hours. In this stage your body is getting ready to help you to deliver your baby.

When you realize that your contractions have begun, you need to relax. First wait and see how far are they from each other. At first they will be wide apart and you with lesser intensity than they are going to be later. Call the hospital and inform them. Call your birthing partner and get ready to go to the hospital. In this stage you are going to get shooting pains sin the lower part of your back and you will feel like they are moving from your back towards your abdomen.

Till you are ready to go to the hospital you must stay calm. Panicking will not help you. Walk around the house and listen to soothing music. Burn a few aromatic candles. If you have older children then you must inform them that you will be going to the hospital and you will be back with the baby that they have been waiting for.

Have your birthing partner massage your back, rub the palms of your feet and press your feet. That’s what they are there for. Keep yourself well hydrated. Water and orange juice is good. Apple juice is a good option as well.

Focus on your breathing. You will experience the pains getting closer to each other and the intensity increasing. You are nearing your delivery time. By this time you will be in the hospital and in the care of certified practitioners.