Labor and Delivery

What does labor feel like?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtR_-MINR1o

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

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

2. Delivery Options

1. Vaginal: delivered through vaginal opening2. 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

Continued…

• Anesthesia– Natural: childbirth without any medication– Epidural: pain medication injected into spinal cord

that numbs from abdomen or pelvis downward

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.

Lightening of the baby

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

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

Vacuum assisted/Forceps assisted

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

APGAR TEST

• http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-apgar-score_3074.bc

• (SCROLL DOWN TO FIND THE VIDEO)

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

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)

• Cesarean Section (C-Section) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyN48VnRYUY

• C-Section LIVE (Show: Start – 1:53, 2:35 -3:45 min)• http://www.babycenter.com/2_live-birth-c-section-sur

gery_3656510.bc

• Vaginal Delivery (Show: 49 – 2:12 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgZ5z6RB06c

• Natural Delivery LIVE – National Geographics (Show 4:07-5:00 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi-TLTQemNU&feature=related