10 Labor and Delivery Myths

"That is often true but not always," says Dr. David Rivera, an Illinois-based doctor who has been delivering babies for more than 30 years. "If there are several years between pregnancies, labor may not go as quickly as you might think. Occasionally, a woman who has delivered more than one baby may need a Cesarean section because the baby isn't lined up right in the birth canal, or the baby is considerably larger than previous ones."

According to Dr. Keith Eddleman and Dr. Joanne Stone, co-authors of My Pregnancy and Baby and the forthcoming Your Second Pregnancy, this is a total myth. “Pitocin [used to induce labor] is utilized in a way to mimic natural contractions. The amount of pitocin you are receiving will be [be monitored] to make sure [induced contractions] stay in the range of normal contractions,” the co-authors say.

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“Normally your doctor will be in the office seeing patients during the day, and most of them will be at home until you are close to delivery,” says Rivera. “However, some hospitals have hired OB laborist physicians who stay in the hospital for 24 hours to manage labors and deliver patients, so you may not see your physician until after you deliver.”

In a word? False. “This has been studied scientifically and is a myth,” say Eddleman and Stone. So back away from the Tabasco.

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“Not necessarily,” says Rivera. “You can go into labor without your water breaking [and] your water can break without you being in labor.” Occasionally the membranes that contain the waters stay intact right through labor. But if your water breaks—no matter if you think you’re in labor or not—you need to get checked out by a doctor. Pronto.

“A head coming through the vaginal opening stretches the tissue, causing a burning sensation called ‘the ring of fire,'" says Rivera. Despite the obvious pains of pushing, Rivera says contractions can actually be far more painful. "For some women, pushing actually feels better." He also adds, "Pain with contracting and pushing is much less of an issue with the widespread availability of an epidural analgesia."

“Labor and delivery isn’t as fast as it is often depicted in Hollywood,” say Eddleman and Stone. A laboring mom will generally take hours on hours to deliver, so having time for an epidural doesn’t mean your delivery is in trouble or that you will need to have a C-section. However, if your first delivery is fast, then your subsequent ones have a higher chance of being speedy as well—meaning you need to talk to your doctor about when you can come in (and when you can have an epidural).

“This can be true if contractions start strongly very suddenly and you are planning a hospital birth, but this is very unlikely with a first labor and unusual with a second,” says Afron Monro, a midwife and the author of 101 Amazing Things About Pregnancy. “Often people find they can spend some hours in early labor at home before they need to go in to the hospital.” Every hospital has guidelines on when it’s right for you to come in and if you need to do so early because of a previous medical condition. Make sure you talk to your practitioner to figure out what you need to do so you can be prepared.

“The mucus plug is a glob produced by cervical glands; it is not the same as the bag of water,” says Rivera. In a nutshell? Losing the plug doesn’t mean you are going to start labor.

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“Because labor is so influenced by the body, mind and emotions, there is lots of scope for preparing yourself for labor. How you use your body on a daily basis can influence your muscles to help or hinder labor and birth,” says Monro. “The important thing is finding the right ways for you.” So read articles online, check out books and most importantly, talk to your doctor or midwife to answer your questions.