Every mom and soon-to-be mom wants to learn more about labor and delivery during childbirth. Many women love to recount their experiences, whether easy or difficult, with their loved ones. But not everyone wonders about what happens to the baby or what he/she goes through.
While the mom-to-be is having these painful contractions, things get tighter inside the uterus. As a result, the little one goes through some stressful moments as well, as he/she is constantly turning and twisting when passing through the birth canal. Not only that, but the baby practices breathing and hears everything you say (even the curses).
I’m sure that after carrying the baby for nine months and learning everything about the development that moms might want to learn a little more about those last 24 hours in the womb and what they have in store for their little one. The latter won’t remember much of his/her journey, of course, but with the help of science, there few things we can know now.
Here are 6 things that happen to the baby in the 24 hours before birth.
- The Little Ones Drop Down
It’s known that the first drop may happen 24 hours before birth, but what you might not know is that it can happen even a few weeks before the beginning of labor. This is a clear sign that the baby is coming on the way and that labor is imminent. Physically speaking, the baby is likely to be lower in the mama’s abdomen and she might feel relieved from the heartburn, but also will find trouble walking due to the pressure level, now that the baby is engaged in the pelvis. The baby’s head might be down or not, and you he is head down at this point as he/she is settling down above the birth canal and ready to pop out to the new world.
- Uses His/Her Head
Once the baby is in the right position in the pelvis, he/she begins using the head to support the delivery process. With that, the baby creates pressure with his/her head against the cervix, which slackens the mucus plug, causing the cervix to tighten before it starts to dilate. Therefore, the pressure is a key part of the opening of the canal’s birth. Though the baby is not fully aware of what he/she is doing, like playing with the umbilical cord and kicking his mom’s belly while his/her head does the work. Usually, moms don’t notice this, but they start feeling it at the beginning of contractions.
- Fluctuating Heartbeat
Doctors need to monitor the baby’s heartbeat during the labor and delivery process. For the simple reason that the baby sometimes could have trouble during the entire process, and it helps the doctors detect if there is a need for a C-section. The baby’s heartbeat is not consistent throughout the labor & delivery journey, but it is going to go up during active periods and down during periods of rest. The normal range of the baby’s heartbeat should be between 110 and 160 beats a minute. If it goes higher or lower, that should not be a sign of concern.
- Twists
The baby can make his way out of the birth canal in several ways, but can he come through the opening like a nail or a screw? Well, doctors believe it comes closer to a screw, though he/she is not going into full turns. The baby keeps turning and twisting until he/she finds the best way to get out and move around to help mama the labor and delivery. Isn’t that thoughtful of the little ones?
- Practices Breathing
24 hours is a long time for the baby to do a lot of things before coming to the world. As we mentioned earlier, there are active and rest periods; both mom and baby have to deal with different things to make the delivery easier. The baby gets to practice breathing, yes, that’s true! He/she takes the amniotic fluid, instead of oxygen, in his/her nose and mouth during the process; this way, the baby learns the basics before breathing fresh air.
- Can Hear It All
Hearing can be developed as the tiny ears start distinguishing voices. Right after birth, the baby can recognize his/her mom’s voice and is most likely to show preference to his parents’ voices and those who were around for a while. Definitely the baby is listening, so for the mamas to be, make sure to not curse while delivering, haha!
Even though labor and delivery can be a hard journey for both the baby and mom, the moment the baby comes out and you can hear the first cry, both will be relieved and focused on enjoying the mesmerizing moment of meeting up for the first time.
