Childbirth What is frightening to you about childbirth?

The Beginning of Labor This is when lightening occurs - the baby settles into the mother’s pelvis. The show or bloody show (losing the mucus plug) – this opens up the cervix. The mucus begins to liquefy and the woman may notice a few drops of blood or pinkish vaginal discharge. A woman’s water breaks – a trickle or gush of warm fluid is released. When the membrane breaks, the woman should note the time, the amount of fluid, and the color and odor of the fluid. This information should be reported to the doctor. A mother needs to deliver the baby within 24 – 48 hours after the water has broken.

The Beginning of Labor The mother’s hormone’s, her uterus, the placenta, and the baby determine when it is time for labor to begin. Contractions, the tightening and releasing of the uterine muscles, begin.

The 1 st Stage of Labor The muscles of the uterus shorten and thicken. They gently pull up on the cervix, slowly thinning and opening it until it is wide enough for the baby’s head to slip out of the uterus into the birth canal. The cervix dilates, or widens, to about 4 cm in diameter. The cervix also shrinks from ¾ inch to about as thin as a sheet of paper. Cervical Changes During Labor

The 1 st Stage of Labor Contractions get longer (60 seconds), stronger, and closer together (5 – 6 minutes apart). The mother should try to relax as much as possible, between contractions and during contractions. Mothers may lay, sit, stand, or walk as long as they are comfortable. At the end of this stage contractions last up to 90 seconds and are about 2 – 3 minutes apart. The cervix is fully dilated at 10 cm. This is usually the most difficult stage of labor. It lasts 4 – 12 hours.

The 2 nd Stage of Labor The baby’s head has slipped out of the uterus into the vagina. The contractions work to move the baby down through the pelvis and out the vagina. This stage of labor may last a few minutes or up to three hours. The bones of the pelvis are joined by ligaments, which are like rubber bands. At the time of deliver the bones of the pelvis gently stretch open to let the baby through. The vagina also becomes very stretchy.

The 2 nd Stage of Labor The baby’s skull is soft and flexible so that the head can become longer and more narrow allowing the baby to fit through the vagina. Sometimes an episiotomy (small cut between the vagina and anus) is done to speed delivery or to prevent tearing of the woman’s tissue. When the mother bears down or pushes, she begins the process of delivering the baby. The top of the head appears first, then the shoulders.

The 2 nd Stage of Labor Sometimes a doctor will use forceps, specialized tongs made from bands of surgical steel that are molded to fit the shape of the baby’s head, to guide the baby during delivery. The baby is born.

The 3 rd Stage of Labor The uterus gives birth to the placenta. This may last from two minutes up to half an hour. The mother usually feels very little discomfort during contractions in this stage. Labor and Birth