It's fairly common for women to get a short, or even a long, break from contractions between the full opening of the cervix and the expulsion of the baby. Unless you sense an urgency in getting the baby out, rest. Accept the rest phase as a blessing, turn out the lights, turn off the noise and catch a few Z's if at all possible before the next phase of labor kicks in.
It isn't at all uncommon for labor to start and stop over a period of hours, days, even weeks. That's just the nature of some births and while it can be discouraging to think you'll be a mama by morning night after night, there's no real danger in waiting the process out.
If a labor that was really rolling along with powerful expansions suddenly stops, it could be transition or the end of the first stage of labor (dilation is complete, it's time to push). Women frequently report a natural lull in the birth process at this point. Rest and save your strength for the next stage. If your rest phase begins causing you discomfort you can always try:
- Changing position
- Nipple stimulation
- Cayenne pepper (either by mouth or nose)
- Privacy (some babies are just naturally shy)
- Touching the baby's head (if possible. This can cause an energetic reaction in both of you)
Unless there are signs that something is wrong, everything is probably fine. Rest when you get the chance. It can be tough to wait, especially when you feel so close but there's no real danger in waiting for everything to move ahead naturally.
Tammy writes:
My labor always stopped as soon as I got to the hospital... I hated that! I had 5 hospital births then my 6th was at home... big difference!! Labor never stalled.... it got tough around 11pm and my daughter was born at 1:05 AM... but it was bearable until about 20 minutes before she was born. My husband was nervous.. he kept saying.. "What do you think?".. he told me later that he thought I would say .."let's go to the hospital".. that was the last thing on my mind!
Midwife archives on stalled labor
cbirth archives on length of labor
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