1. Labor and Delivery

2. What does labor feel like?

3. 1. Doctors and Location
Obstetrician Gynecologist (OBGYN): the doctor trained to deliver the baby
Midwife: registered nurse with additional training OR person with formal training in childbirth

4. 1. Doctors and Location
Birthing Room: labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery in same room
Delivery Room: labor, delivery in this room, then MOVED to a postpartum room to recover

5. 2. Delivery Options 1. Vaginal: delivered through vaginal opening
2. Cesarean: surgery performed so baby can be delivered through an incision made in the abdomen wall and uterus
Reasons for performing C-Section:
-position of baby
-the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby’s neck
-problems with the fetal heart rate
-the fetus is under stress
-the mother is in danger

6. Continued… Anesthesia Natural: childbirth without any medication
Epidural: pain medication injected into spinal cord that numbs from abdomen or pelvis downward

7. 3. Indications that Labor has begun:
Lightening: dropping of baby into Pelvis (occurs during 9th month)
Show/Mucous Plug: pinkish plug that covers the cervix, released at the beginning of labor
Water Breaking: amniotic sac breaks, releasing amniotic fluid
Braxton-Hicks: “false labor.” They can occur throughout the pregnancy and typically involve the back, not the uterus. They are not regular and can go away with exercise.

8. Lightening of the baby

9. 3. Indications that Labor has begun:
Contractions: regular tightening of uterus working to push baby down birth canal
Dilation: extent to which cervix has opened in preparation for childbirth
-Measured in centimeters
-Full dilation is 10 centimeters
Effacement: thinning of cervix in preparation for birth
-Expressed in percentages
-You will be 100% effaced when you begin pushing
*Contractions get LONGER, and CLOSER together as labor gets closer

11. 4. During and After Labor
Episiotomy: surgical incision made in perineum used to enlarge vaginal opening to help deliver baby
Forceps and Vacuum Extractor: tools used by obstetrician to guide fetal head during delivery
Fontanels: soft spots between unfused sections of the baby’s skull
-Allow baby’s head to compress slightly during passage through birth canal
Delivery: when fetus is being expelled from uterus

12. Vacuum assisted/Forceps assisted

13. 4. During and After Labor
APGAR: measure of physical condition of newborn
-The rating goes from 0 to 10
-Score of 7 or higher indicates a healthy newborn
Lochia: bloody vaginal discharge, comparable to a heavy period
-Occurs in a woman after delivery
-Can last up to six weeks
Post-Partum: time after delivery where rest is the mother’s primary need

14. APGAR TEST http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-apgar-score_3074.bc
(SCROLL DOWN TO FIND THE VIDEO)

15. 5. Delivery Positions (head first, face down is desired)
Station: position of the baby in the birth canal
Breech Position: feet or buttocks first
Posterior Position: head first and face up
Transverse Position: fetus is laying sideways

16. REVIEW Signs of approaching labor:
Mucus plug is dislodged from cervix
Contractions consistently 10 minutes apart
Possible release of amniotic fluid
The first stage is the longest stage (2-10 hrs)
The third stage is the shortest stage (placenta)

17. Cesarean Section (C-Section) http://www. youtube. com/watch
C-Section LIVE (Show: Start – 1:53, 2:35 -3:45 min)
Vaginal Delivery (Show: 49 – 2:12 min)
Natural Delivery LIVE – National Geographics (Show 4:07-5:00 min)