important series for mothers-to-be . no 6 the long wait over . during pregnancy , a baby lies curled up in his mother &apos;s womb , surrounded by a bag of warm , protective fluid . the neck of the womb ( cervix ) is tightly closed beneath him , and sealed with a plug of jelly-like mucus , which prevents infection from getting to the womb . when he is ready to be born , three things must happen . the plug of mucus must drop away , then the womb is no longer sealed . the cervix must stretch sufficiently to let the baby pass through into the front passage , and the bag of membrane which holds the protective fluid must give way , allowing the fluid to escape - otherwise the baby would be held in the womb even after the cervix had stretched completely . usually , the first thing that the mother notices when labour begins , is that the tightening and relaxing of her womb ( which has been going on for some time during pregnancy ) has suddenly taken on a rhythm . that is , the contractions are occurring regularly . when this happens , even though half an hour , or even longer , may pass between contractions , she will know that her labour has started . with or without regular contractions , she may have a show . this is just the plug of mucus which has left the cervix and passed down the vagina . usually it is streaked with a little blood . although it &apos;s as well to notify hospital or midwife when labour contractions are coming at fifteen minute intervals , or less , there &apos;s no need , as a rule , to do anything about a show which is not accompanied by either of the other two signs of labour . however , if the show contains more blood than would go on a penny , then it &apos;s a wise precaution to seek advice . for this might mean that labour is progressing more rapidly than is expected . sometimes the first sign that labour has begun is the breaking of the bag of waters , or rupture of the membranes . there is a sudden , uncontrolled gush of fluid , which comes from the womb , not from the bladder . in point of fact , the waters can break at any time during labour . sometimes this does n&apos;t happen until the baby is ready to be born . but when they break right at the beginning , even though there have been no regular contractions , and no show , it &apos;s a sign that baby is starting his journey , and the expectant mother should notify hospital or midwife . the first stage of labour progresses steadily , but quite slowly , as a rule . with first babies it may take anything up to twenty-four hours or so . during this time , the regular , rhythmic contractions of the womb gradually draw open , or stretch , the cervix . as the cervix stretches , the baby sinks lower in the womb . usually an expectant mother is quite happy to remain up and about during the early first stage of labour - unless it &apos;s night time , of course . it &apos;s when contractions are stronger , and more frequent , that she prefers to lie down . various preparations and examinations are carried out during this stage of labour . preparations such as shaving away body hair , and giving an enema , to ensure cleanliness when the baby is born . and examinations to discover how rapidly labour is progressing , and to check the condition of both mother and baby . the commonest , and most frequent , of these examinations is a regular pulse , temperature and blood pressure check , and gentle examination of the mother &apos;s tummy to track baby &apos;s downward progress . combined with careful listening to his heartbeats through a little metal stethoscope . but , in addition to these regular examinations , it is quite usual for an internal examination to be made some time during labour - or maybe more than one . this is nothing to be alarmed about . if the doctor or midwife decides that such an examination is needed it does n&apos;t mean that there is anything wrong . simply that it &apos;s the most accurate way , at that point , of checking how far labour has progressed , of estimating how much longer it is likely to last , and of deciding how best to help the mother relax , so that she can co-operate with the contractions that are bringing her baby into the world . it &apos;s during the first stage of labour that the fruits of an expectant mother &apos;s daily practice of relaxation and breath control can really come into their own . for if she is able to relax , and go with each contraction , she will not only be helping herself to experience the minimum of discomfort , but she will also be helping the contraction to exert the maximum stretching power on her cervix . this can result in a shorter labour , for it follows that the more the cervix stretches with each contraction , the fewer contractions will be needed for the end result . this does not mean , however , that an expectant mother carries the responsibility for the duration or outcome of her labour . simply that she can help , as a rule . in addition to her efforts in this direction , she should never hesitate to accept any drug or gas that may be offered to help her . for such drugs in no way prevent her from having a natural birth , and their use does not in any way mean either that something is not quite right or that she is not managing splendidly . far from it . the purpose of these drugs is to back up the mother &apos;s work , to help her relax not only between , but also during contractions , and to diminish the sensation of those contractions when they become strong . but to diminish the sensation without in any way undermining their usefulness . as the first stage of labour draws towards its close , the contractions become stronger and much closer together . usually they arrive at two to three minute intervals just before baby is ready to be born . it &apos;s at this stage that many a mother feels a bit panicky - feels that she &apos;s being swept along on a tide that she can n&apos;t control . she wants to bear down , perhaps , but it &apos;s not quite time for her to do so . she longs for her labour to be over , and for a very little while she may be afraid . but it will help her if she will hold hard to the knowledge that all this is quite natural , and that it simply means that it &apos;s almost time for her to work really hard , and push her baby into the world . deep breathing , and the use of the gas and air apparatus which is usually offered , will help her over this last difficult phase of the first stage of labour . and , in a very short while , the moment will come when the midwife or doctor will say that the cervix is stretched completely , and that now she can do what she &apos;s been waiting to do - work as hard as she possibly can , with the contractions of her womb , to help her baby to be born . for now , instead of relaxing both between and during contractions , it &apos;s a case of relaxing between them to gather strength for the next effort , and really working when it comes . with each contraction , she will be asked to take a really deep breath , to hold it , and to bear down as hard as she can , and for as long as she can . for with each contraction , baby comes a little nearer the outside world . soon the head can be seen . a few more pushes , and it &apos;s half born . and then the mother will be asked to stop pushing , and to breathe quickly in and out - like a dog panting . this helps whoever is delivering the baby to hold the head gently until the force of the contraction passes , and then to guide it gently into the world between contractions , so reducing the possibility of stitches being needed . once baby &apos;s head is delivered the rest of the body follows quickly . the second stage of labour is over . baby is born . here at last . a gasp , and a lusty yell . the cord is tied and cut , and baby is snugly wrapped in a warm blanket . and , for the first time , Mother can hold him in her arms . it just remains for the afterbirth to come away . this only takes a few minutes as a rule , and we call it the third stage of labour . the new mother need n&apos;t give it a thought . she can lie back and enjoy her baby , until the midwife , knowing that the afterbirth is ready to pop out , either asks her to relax while her tummy is pressed gently , or else to take a deep breath and to push down as she did when the baby arrived . one contraction , and the afterbirth comes away ! everything is over . a proud mother is made clean and comfortable , and is given the best cup of tea she &apos;s ever tasted . a brand new baby is washed , weighed and dressed . then when both have rested from their efforts , they can lie back and receive the congratulations and good wishes of relatives and friends . and how well deserved they are ! other mothers &apos; problems . answered by Joan Williams , S.R.N , S.C.M . vitamin C . my baby , Aileen , is ten weeks old , fully breast fed , and thriving well . but there &apos;s just one difficulty - neither welfare orange juice , rose hip syrup , nor blackcurrant juice , seems to suit her . all three bring her out in a rash , even though I follow the directions very carefully when giving them . have you any suggestions , please ? possibly your baby may be sensitive to some substance contained in all three of the vitamin C drinks you have given her . if that is so , then your doctor is the person to guide you . but before taking Aileen to him , try giving her fresh orange juice . squeeze the juice from a cut orange , making quite sure that it contains no pips or bits , and give baby just one teaspoon of this in a little cool , boiled water , with just a tiny bit of sugar - less than a quarter teaspoon - to taste . if she tolerates this without trouble , then gradually work up the amount until she is having a tablespoon of pure juice , in a couple of ounces of boiled water , and a teaspoon of sugar . but do n&apos;t continue giving the juice if she shows the slightest sign of sickness , loose motions , tummy discomfort or a rash . if any of these happen , take baby to your doctor . he may think it a good idea to try her on guava juice , as this is rich in vitamin C , or the juice of fresh tomatoes . or he may prescribe vitamin C tablets . baby book . I believe that you have written a book to help expectant mothers . please could you give me details ? my little book baby and you , has recently been completely revised , and brought up to date . it includes sections on how a baby develops in the womb , how his mother can care for her general health during the waiting months , how she can prepare herself for the birth , plan his layette , and care for him after he is born . it also includes a section on the actual birth of the baby . the booklet costs one shilling and sixpence , post free , from this address . an order form is on page 27 . small operation . my doctor tells me that I have a polyp on the neck of my womb , and I am waiting to go into hospital to have it removed . but I would like to know what this entails , and what is meant by a polyp . I can n&apos;t help worrying . removal of a polyp is a very simple operation , and one that certainly need n&apos;t alarm you . the polyp is a tiny little growth attached to the neck of the womb . it has nothing at all to do with cancer , or indeed with any other serious condition . but it does cause nuisance symptoms as a rule - bleeding between periods , for example , or a vaginal discharge - and therefore it &apos;s best removed . you &apos;ll probably be asked to go into hospital one or two days before the operation is to be performed . 