Transition

Transition

At the very end of the first stage of labour, as the cervix finishes dilating to 10cm, many women find that labour becomes even harder. You may feel shaky and cold, or even be sick. You may become distressed. This is one of the hardest stages of labour. You may have a small bit of cervix left to dilate but your body wants to push. Your baby may be trying to find the best position to birth. Some women have no contractions during transition and there is a quiet period. Transition is generally the shortest phase of labour and tends to last between 15 - 60 minutes with contractions at their strongest when they come.

How To Cope

For the majority of women this is when they feel they need the support of their birth partner the most. They can massage your shoulders, put pressure on your acupoints and give you lots of encouragement while reminding you that baby will be here soon. Changing positions as your baby descends into the pelvis might help with the discomfort. Transition is a great time to focus on your breathing techniques to get through this phase.