Stages of Childbirth
Childbirth has three stages it progresses through. The first stage, or the beginning of childbirth, begins with effacing and dilating. Dilating is the opening of the cervix. Effacement is the thinning of the cervix to prepare for birth. (1) This is what causes the most pain during childbirth. It is also the longest stage, lasting anywhere from an hour to over a day. To prepare for childbirth doctors may perform an episiotomy, which is a small incision to avoid vaginal tearing. This can sometimes prove to have more problems than solutions (LECTURE). These incisions will later be sewn back in stage three. Doctors, or midwives may also perform an enema to prepare for childbirth. This prevents involuntary bowl movements during …show more content…
It can last anywhere to a minute or hours. The birthing canal will expand to 10 centimeters when it is time to deliver, thus beginning the transition from stage one to stage two. The baby’s head starts to lower through the canal and it begins to “crown” when it emerges. Once the baby is delivered and breathing, they cut the umbilical cord. “The umbilical cord carries oxygen and nutrients from the placenta into your baby’s bloodstream”(2). The third stage of childbirth is the placental stage. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. “It ends when you deliver the placenta and the empty bag of waters attached to the placenta (membranes)”(3). The placenta will detach from the uterus and drop to the bottom of the uterus and out through the vagina. There are different physicians that a mother can choose to have aid her in delivering her baby. The most popular is a surgeon in a hospital or birthing center. If she chooses a midwife, the mother has the option to stay at home and deliver there. Many women do this to have a more intimate delivery. The midwives may have limited access to sophisticated medical instruments and even anesthetics that might be needed during a high-risk delivery (LECTURE). They may still give birth in a hospital in the birthing centers if they have a midwife. The birthing center rooms resemble hotels more than they do a hospital to create a more comfortable area for the mother …show more content…
Her perineum, which is the area between her vagina and rectum, gets sore from stretching, possibly tears or medically during labor. They experience afterbirth pains from their uterus shrinking back to normal size. Immediately after childbirth the uterus weighs almost 2 ½ pounds, but it will weigh only 2 ounces when the baby is 6 weeks old (5). Many women experience “post partum baby blues” after giving birth which includes mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying, reduced concentration, appetite problems, trouble sleeping (6). These symptoms typically begin within the first two to three days after delivery. Other women will experience postpartum depression, which is a much more severe and long lasting depression. They generally develop within the first few weeks of giving birth, but they can begin to develop up to six months after
Childbirth has three stages it progresses through. The first stage, or the beginning of childbirth, begins with effacing and dilating. Dilating is the opening of the cervix. Effacement is the thinning of the cervix to prepare for birth. (1) This is what causes the most pain during childbirth. It is also the longest stage, lasting anywhere from an hour to over a day. To prepare for childbirth doctors may perform an episiotomy, which is a small incision to avoid vaginal tearing. This can sometimes prove to have more problems than solutions (LECTURE). These incisions will later be sewn back in stage three. Doctors, or midwives may also perform an enema to prepare for childbirth. This prevents involuntary bowl movements during …show more content…
It can last anywhere to a minute or hours. The birthing canal will expand to 10 centimeters when it is time to deliver, thus beginning the transition from stage one to stage two. The baby’s head starts to lower through the canal and it begins to “crown” when it emerges. Once the baby is delivered and breathing, they cut the umbilical cord. “The umbilical cord carries oxygen and nutrients from the placenta into your baby’s bloodstream”(2). The third stage of childbirth is the placental stage. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. “It ends when you deliver the placenta and the empty bag of waters attached to the placenta (membranes)”(3). The placenta will detach from the uterus and drop to the bottom of the uterus and out through the vagina. There are different physicians that a mother can choose to have aid her in delivering her baby. The most popular is a surgeon in a hospital or birthing center. If she chooses a midwife, the mother has the option to stay at home and deliver there. Many women do this to have a more intimate delivery. The midwives may have limited access to sophisticated medical instruments and even anesthetics that might be needed during a high-risk delivery (LECTURE). They may still give birth in a hospital in the birthing centers if they have a midwife. The birthing center rooms resemble hotels more than they do a hospital to create a more comfortable area for the mother …show more content…
Her perineum, which is the area between her vagina and rectum, gets sore from stretching, possibly tears or medically during labor. They experience afterbirth pains from their uterus shrinking back to normal size. Immediately after childbirth the uterus weighs almost 2 ½ pounds, but it will weigh only 2 ounces when the baby is 6 weeks old (5). Many women experience “post partum baby blues” after giving birth which includes mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying, reduced concentration, appetite problems, trouble sleeping (6). These symptoms typically begin within the first two to three days after delivery. Other women will experience postpartum depression, which is a much more severe and long lasting depression. They generally develop within the first few weeks of giving birth, but they can begin to develop up to six months after