Causes Of Prolonged Labor

Prolonged labor is when labor lasts for twenty hours or more for first time mothers and fourteen hours or more for previous mothers. This condition is also known as failure to progress. During the first stage of labor, a prolonged latent phase will occur. This phase may cause exhaustion and become emotionally draining for laboring mothers. However, there is not much cause for concern. The concern is when the prolonged labor occurs during the active phase of birth. If prolonged labor occurs during this phase, the healthcare provider will begin running tests to determine the cause (Johnson, 2014). Prolonged labor is more common in first time mothers or in pregnant women over 35 years of age.
There are a number of reasons prolonged labor can occur. …show more content…
A definite sign is when labor extends eighteen plus hours. Patients experiencing prolonged labor may complain of pain at the back and sides of the body that radiates to the thighs, rather than from the uterus in the abdomen. In the beginning, the patients pain level may be severe, frequent and drawn out, but later decrease and become mild due to the muscles being fatigued. Dehydration may be present and the patient may complain of dry mouth due to excessive mouth breathing. The pulse will be elevated from stress, dehydration, and exhaustion. The uterus will feel tender upon palpation and will not relax fully between contractions. The membranes may rupture early, if so, there is a risk of infection of the uterine contents if proper antibiotics are not prescribed (Johnson, 2014). Fetal distress may develop and continuous monitoring of the fetal heart rate is a …show more content…
Heavy work or exercise should be avoided for two weeks. Be sure they avoid sexual activity, douching, and tampons until post-partum visit. Inform the mother to call her obstetricians office for a follow up visit two to three days after discharge to schedule their six week post-partum visit. Inform the patient on certain circumstances that require contacting their physician. These circumstances include a fever over 101, foul smelling discharge, excessive vaginal bleeding, and a painful or swollen area on the leg that is red or warm to touch. Other circumstances to notify their physician about are painful urination or inability to urinate, pain in the vaginal or rectal area, crying and periods of sadness longer than two weeks, and a cesarean incision that is painful, red, or draining. These are all very important signs and symptoms to report to the