When labour begins

At the beginning of a contraction, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. As the contraction gets stronger, your breathing will become more rapid. Try to keep your breathing as slow as the contraction allows. At the end of the contraction give a sigh and relax.

You might also want to have a bath

Sometimes lying in water helps you cope with the contraction better.

Can I eat?

You can eat and drink whatever you feel like – something high calorie, like pasta or a sandwich is best.

What about the plug?

The plug is a blob of jelly-like mucus that is contained by the cervix as a second barrier to infection. It can sometimes be streaked with watery blood. As the cervix becomes softer at the end of pregnancy, this mucus starts to slip away. Some women find that they go to the loo and notice the whole plug has come away, but most women don’t notice anything.

If you lose your plug, it’s a sign that you are at the end of pregnancy, not that you’re in labour. You can lose your plug and not go into labour for three weeks.