At last the time is near. This part of the garden was designed to help you be prepared before you actually head to the hospital. Many arrangements can be made in advance and will save, or at least cut down on, that last minute panic!

Tip number one
know your route to the hospital, and how long it will take to get there. If you're new to the area or unsure of the best route to the hospital, a dry run might be a good idea. Be sure to ask what entrances will be open especially on nights and weekends. Many facilities close all but one entrance after normal business hours.

Tip number two
if you have young children or pets, arrange for someone to take care of them while you're at the hospital. Make sure that this is someone who will be available anytime and at a moment's notice. A back-up resource is also a good idea, just in case your original plans fall through.

Tip number three
have an alternative plan for getting yourself to the hospital just in case your coach is not able to take you right away.

Tip number four
make a list of phone numbers that you'll need to call friends and family, and put them in an obvious place like on the refrigerator. This way you'll be able to find them when you're flying out the door.

Tip number five
prepare your home for your return before you leave for the hospital. Although it isn't necessary to have the nursery completely done, and the house spotless, make sure that you have everything you'll need to take care of your baby.

Tip number six
fix and freeze several meals in advance, this saves time and cooking during your first days at home.

Another important thing that you can do to be prepared is to pack a labor bag and suitcase for your visit to the hospital. You may need it sooner than you think.

We practice special breathing techniques because breathing properly helps to make sure your baby is getting plenty of oxygen while you're in labor. Concentrating on breathing can also help distract you from the pain of labor and help you relax.

Let's watch a demonstration of a cleansing breath.

Cleansing breath is just a nice, deep breath, in through your nose and out through your mouth. It's kind of a way of signaling, "here comes the contraction and I’m ready to work with it." gives you and the baby good oxygen. Looks like this.

Taking a cleansing breath also lets your coach know when a new contraction is about to start.

Next, let's take a look at slow-paced breathing.

Next thing we're gonna do is something called slow-paced breathing. This is the breathing that you would use when your contractions were first starting to get a little bit uncomfortable, and you wanted to have just a little bit of help. It's just going to be nice, deep breaths in though your nose and out through your mouth. And as you inhale you'll think mentally, "in one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three." then, "out one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three." and it looks like this.

Slow-paced breathing should feel comfortable, and not be slower than half of your usual breathing rate.

Now, let's look at a demonstration of modified-paced breathing.

This is the modified breathing. This one is shallower, it's up in your throat rather than in your chest, and you're gonna do the rate about twice your normal rate. Sounds like this, it's just...

The modified-paced rate is approximately 32 to 40 breaths per minute, but should not be faster than twice your normal breathing rate.

You can also combine this with your slow-paced breathing to give you a little bit more flexibility. So we would do the slow breathing first, and when the contraction got more intense, then we would add our modified breathing. That would go something like this. In, one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, and out, one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, then...

This technique, modified-paced breathing, is used when you no longer feel you can keep in control using slow-paced breathing alone. End the contraction with another cleansing breath.

The next breathing pattern that we're gonna learn is called patterned-paced breathing. This is the breathing that you'll begin to use when your labor is getting more intense. It's a shallow breathing, and because it's a pattern it makes you focus more on what you're doing on your breathing. It will be three little puffs and a blow, sounds like this...

Patterned breathing is the type of breathing that you see most often in movies and on television. You will use this patterned breathing, or panting, when you are feeling the need to push, but it's still too early. Good work class!

Congratulations! Your delivery is now close to reality, and the big day is around the corner. Over the coming weeks, there are two words that you'll be hearing frequently. They are "effacement", which describes the thinning of your cervix that happens before your baby is born; and "dilation" which is the gradual opening of the cervix so that your baby can get through. Both effacement and dilation are part of every woman's labor, although both can begin several weeks before you actually go into labor.

There are also other signs that let you know your labor is approaching. Some of these signs, like "lightening" may happen from 2 - 4 weeks before your labor actually starts, especially if this is your first baby. Lightening, which is also called engagement or dropping, is when your baby's head settles into your pelvic cavity. If this is not your first baby, then she may not "drop" until your labor actually begins.

Another sign that your labor is approaching is the loss of your mucous plug. This is like a "cork" of mucous that seals your uterus when you're pregnant. It can come out right before labor or up to a week or two in advance. It looks like a glob or long strings of mucous.

Don't be surprised if you have a touch of diarrhea just before your labor begins. This is nature's way of cleansing your system.

It's also not unusual to have a burst of energy, sometimes called the "nesting instinct" just before you go into labor. You may feel the need to clean your house and get things ready for your baby. Just remember, don't do any heavy work. You'll want to save your energy for labor.

Another sign that labor is close is something called "pink" or "bloody" show. You may have some discharge that is mucous tinted a pink color.This is caused by some of the capillaries near your CERVIX rupturing as it thins out and dilates.

Keep in mind that these signs don't necessarily mean your labor is going to start immediately, but they do mean that you're getting close. Not everyone experiences all of the signs, so don't worry if you have only a few.

Hi! My name is Ashley and my job is to help moms like you through labor. I'd like to start by filling you in on what really happens when your water breaks. Inside your uterus your baby is floating in a liquid called amniotic fluid. This fluid is inside of a sac that's made up of your amniotic membranes. When your amniotic membranes rupture, your "water breaks". You may feel a sudden gush of lots of fluid, or just a trickle of fluid down your legs.

When your water breaks, or you think it may have broken, call your provider or the labor and delivery unit at your hospital. The nurse will ask you questions about the color and smell of the fluid, and also about what you're feeling and when your baby is due.

Even if you're not sure that your water broke, but you think it might have, you should be prepared for a quick trip to the hospital to check things out. Although your water breaking is not considered an emergency, it’s best not to delay.

Let's see. For nine months you've taken extra special care of yourself, had regular pregnancy check ups, your bags are packed, and your water may have broken.

Yep! Just as I thought! It's time to go to the hospital! Please click on the highlighted item, and let's move to the Labor and Delivery area!