Eventually, the contractions that you have been experiencing will become stronger and more intense. You will also find that as time progresses the contractions are getting closer together and lasting longer. When this happens, you will have moved into active labor.

When I was pregnant with each of my four children, I was focused on the end result (having that baby in my arms) and not so much on how they would come to me, hoping only that they would be healthy, that I wouldn't have to experience much pain, and they would just be born.

For most women, active labor is the longest part of their labor.

Isn't this the truth in all things for women? Laboring, longest?

You will find that as active labor progresses, you will become more serious or "focused" during your contractions. You may find yourself slowly moving from not talking during the peak of a contraction - to not talking during a contraction - to barely talking even between contractions. You may also find that your movements become slower and more deliberate as you progress through active labor. Eventually you may even be at the point that moving between contractions is uncomfortable and difficult to manage.

My oldest granddaughter J is experiencing some really grown up emotions now. Sometimes she'll just cry out...other times, I see her just not wanting to focus on much around her. I have no doubt that she'll grow into an acceptance of some disappointments and into a maturity that knows that most things around her are good and true.

These are normal physical reactions to labor. As your body works harder to contract the uterus, you will naturally spend less energy on "non-labor" activities such as moving and talking. You will also find that your hunger naturally disappears so your body will not waste energy trying to digest food. For most women, the increased focus it takes to labor also prevents them from being concerned with societal norms leading to a decrease in modesty and the pleasantries of conversation.

My sister Sherry in her end days just plain quit eating. She quit drinking. She laid oblivious to things around her as she died, with me trying my darndest to make her last days OK for her. The night before she died, all she wanted to do was get out of bed and go home. I said "no".

During active labor, mothers find that changing their activity and position as desired helps them to remain comfortable.

Little C accompanied her parents to a Christmas party tonight. I'm pretty sure she had a really, really great time, but arriving at home really late, she found that just the usual acts of brushing her teeth and going potty before bed were almost more than she could bear.

Although the desire for food disappears during labor, it is important to stay well hydrated.

My mother, in the hospital recovering from a broken hip and femur, is finding it hard to work up an appetite for any of the food they are giving her. Now, I've tried it and find it's pretty darn tasty. Just yesterday, she complained that even the KFC chicken sandwich my sister-in-law brought her was "dry" and "over-cooked".

During active labor, some women find that making noise, called vocalization, with contractions helps to keep them relaxed during the contractions. Many women also find that tuning out the world around them, sometimes called "going inside yourself," helps them to stay relaxed and handle contractions more effectively.

Being in a different place, other than my comfortably quiet condo in Dallas, has forced me to abandon the stuff that helped me turn on, tune in, drop out. I've had to deal...I'm tearing up (as in crying tears) more now than I've ever done. Just reading the contents of one of those form Christmas letters from a dear one is an emotional event. Lately, I've just taken to opening the envelope and putting it aside for a day when I can handle the sentiment effectively.

Most women will develop some form of pattern or ritual during active labor. This means that she will repeat the same responses to contractions for several contractions in a row.

My pregnant daughter (9 months-almost full term), just the other night appeared at the dinner table, long after dinnertime, in a long sleeved, flannel nightgown, reading the latest New Yorker magazine, with a facial mask, while eating a homemade (just that day by her and her daughter C) candy sucker while experiencing contractions, marking the beginning of new life to be born soon.

As you see these behaviors build (vocalization, tuning out and using rituals), you will know that labor is progressing. By keeping track of the behaviors the physical signs (loss of hunger, loss of modesty and deliberate movement), and the emotional signs (focusing, decreasing talkativeness, decreasing humor) you can get a pretty good estimate of "how far" into labor the mother is.

My female Bichon, Marina, is adjusting well (much better than her brother Jack) to the foster home that she'll inhabit for the next month or so, until I find a home for us all. She's come quite a long way, as always before, having entered my household 7 months after her half brother Jack, she felt like an intruder to an already established household.

It is important to note though, that not every mother will respond in the same way or with the same behaviors and signs.