The main life task of every woman is to bear and give birth to a healthy baby. In this article I want to tell expectant mothers how childbirth occurs. What to expect from the process of labor, what difficulties may arise here - I would like to talk about this now.
Preparation
Pregnancy and childbirth are the most important period in the life of every woman. And I must say that even the birth itself depends on how the pregnancy of the future mother. What is worth remembering when carrying a baby?
- Proper nutrition. Expectant mother during the entire period of pregnancy should eat right. It is necessary to try to exclude fried and fatty foods to the maximum, giving preference to cereals, vegetables and fruits. It is also important not to consume harmful foods such as fast food, chips, crackers, soda. After all, everything that the mother eats, the baby receives.
- Bad habits. During pregnancy, the mother should completely abandon bad habits, such as drinking alcohol (even in small doses), smoking.
- Daily regime. The expectant mother should walk a lot, often be in the fresh air. It must be remembered: pregnant does not mean sick. Moderate physical activity has not hurt anyone.
- Useful emotions. It is good if a pregnant woman will experience as many positive emotions as possible. This will affect not only her health, but also the condition of her unborn child.
- Visit doctor. Each pregnant woman must be registered on time and periodically undergo scheduled examinations. This way you can prevent many unpleasant situations related to the health of the crumbs.
- Courses. Every expectant mother must remember that she must undergo prenatal preparation courses . And although this is not yet a mandatory procedure, it is still better to know in advance how childbirth occurs, what to expect and what to fear during labor.
And this is not a complete list of the most important matters of the future mother. However, observing even at least these rules during pregnancy, you can very well help yourself and your baby.
What happens to the body before childbirth?
Studying the topic of “Pregnancy and childbirth”, I want to talk a little about what happens to the female body in the last weeks of bearing a baby. So, the level of progesterone, active throughout the pregnancy of the hormone, begins to fall. At this time, a hormone such as oxytocin begins to be produced gradually. It is he who is responsible for the onset of childbirth and labor activities of women. Glands of internal secretion come into play, which increase the sensitivity of the uterus to oxytocin. The time comes, and the lady begins to feel the first harbingers of childbirth - labor.
Harbingers
Understanding how childbirth occurs, one must also say that there are also harbingers of labor. This is a well-known fight. It is worth saying that they can also be false or, as they are also called, training. Their main differences: short duration, as well as slight pain. However, even a woman who has never given birth has been able to recognize real grip. The first contractions will not last long, about 10 seconds, the interval will also be quite large - from 5 to 10 minutes. This is also the time when a woman can be at home, while she does not need to go to the hospital.
The first period. Disclosure
Understanding how childbirth occurs, it must be said that they are divided into three main stages. The first of them - the opening of the cervix is the longest.
- For primiparas, it can stretch for 10-13 hours.
- In multiparous - most often for 6-8 hours.
At this time, contractions gradually increase, pain increases, the duration between contractions decreases. It is worth saying that with each time the cervix opens more and more. This will happen until the uterus, its cervix and the vagina itself form a single corridor along which the baby will move.
The difficulties of the first period
What difficulties may arise in this period? So, the most common case is a weak labor activity of a woman. This can be expressed in the following indicators:
- The amniotic fluid burst, and contractions do not begin for a long time (this threatens the child with oxygen starvation).
- Contraction attenuation - their intensity decreases, the gaps between them decrease. However, if the amniotic fluid has not yet burst, it’s okay, so nature gives the woman a break.
If a woman has an amniotic burst, and contractions do not start, artificial stimulation of labor will be necessary.
Second period. Attempts
The fact that labor activity passes into its second stage - attempts, fights will testify. If they last quite a long time, up to 1 minute, and the break between them also equals about 1 minute, this means that the woman will very soon see her baby. Attempts themselves arise involuntarily, regardless of the desire of the woman. However, the expectant mother can manage them (if necessary - help, strengthen, if necessary - hold). It is definitely worth mentioning that during attempts, the woman in labor should carefully listen to the doctors. After all, only they can competently manage labor, advising a woman to act in a certain way.
Pose selection
If a woman has a normal birth, she can try to choose a position on her own in which it will be easiest for her to give birth. Many doctors say that giving birth while lying is unnatural. Therefore, during labor, the expectant mother should carefully listen to her body and choose the right position.
- Squatting, resting on the hands (so give birth in Mexico and Tibet).
- Holding on to the crossbar, standing (some African tribes practice).
- Sitting on the lap of her husband (European countries).
- Leaning against the back of the assistant, sitting (practiced in Russia and some European countries).
- Leaning on your knees and holding on to special levers (Asian countries).
In any case, most clinics today offer a woman to choose her own posture for childbirth, and this is a huge breakthrough in domestic medicine.
The dangers of the second period
What is a difficult birth? So, it is worth mentioning that the patrimonial activity that occurs with certain complications, which include:
- The entwining of the baby with the umbilical cord (there is a danger that during childbirth it will drag around the neck of the baby).
- Help for the mother during the passage of the head (often doctors cut the crotch when the baby cannot go through the last stage of the birth canal).
- Wrong position of the baby. The right birth is when the baby goes head first. However, there is a pelvic presentation of the child. In this case, the maximum participation of doctors in the labor of a woman is important.
- Behavior of the baby after childbirth. Everyone knows that a child should scream as soon as it is born. This would mean that his lungs were open and he was breathing. However, often a child needs help. The competent actions of doctors are very important here.
The third period: the exit of the placenta
If a woman has the right birth, she should know that after the baby is born, the birth does not end. There is another important stage - the birth of the placenta or a child's place. It is worth saying that this should happen soon after the birth of the baby. For this, mom may be asked to push again. An excellent stimulation of the birth of the placenta is the stimulation of the nipples. For this, a newborn baby is enough to attach to the chest. It is important to say that during the birth of the placenta, a certain amount of blood may be released. This should not be afraid, it should be so. And only after the birth of a child's place, the uterus will contract sharply, the blood vessels will shrink, and the bleeding will stop.
The dangers of the third period
The main danger of the last stage of labor: non-passage of the placenta. The maximum time that can be given to the body of a lady: 40 minutes. After this, the woman will need to provide medical care. After all, after this period, the uterus may begin to close. However, at this time it is strictly forbidden to pull on the umbilical cord, such behavior can cause bleeding. You need to try to stimulate the appearance of a child’s place by placing the child to the chest. If this does not help, doctors will enter the work, who with the help of various medications will do everything that is necessary.
Difficult birth
Often, women may be interested in the question: "What is it, a difficult birth?" So, it is worth mentioning that often this term is called even a normal birth, which was somewhat delayed, or during which the lady experienced too painful sensations. However, it is not. According to medicine, a difficult birth is:
- Induced childbirth, i.e., artificial induction of labor. This is necessary if the mother carried the child longer than the 41st week, if the mother and baby have a Rhesus conflict, if the amniotic bubble bursts ahead of time, etc.
- Accelerated childbirth, when the baby leaves quickly, and the woman’s body just does not have time to prepare for the attempts.
- Complications That is, when some problems are discovered during labor. This may be entwining the umbilical cord of the baby’s neck, placental abruption, placenta previa, choking of the fetus, significant loss of blood, tears of various degrees.
- Early childbirth, when labor in a woman occurs much earlier than the deadline. It is also fraught with various kinds of complications.
- Wrong position of the baby. This is also a difficult birth, when the baby does not go head first, but in a slightly different way (sideways, legs forward).
Childbirth at home
It is worth saying that today they are actively practicing childbirth at home. Reviews about this, of course, are ambiguous (especially from doctors). A huge plus is that a woman will give birth in a familiar environment for her, she will not have stress associated with a change in her place of stay. However, there are much more minuses in this scenario. First of all, it must be said that in this case, it is necessary to call not only a midwife, but also a doctor who can help if necessary. It is also important to say that the huge disadvantage of such childbirth is that the doctor often does not have the necessary equipment at hand, which can only be located within the walls of a medical institution (resuscitation room for both mother and baby). However, if everything is in order with the woman, the pregnancy proceeded without complications, and there is a qualified doctor nearby, you can try to give birth in the native walls without fear.
Childbirth in water
If a woman does not have her first pregnancy (second birth), she may want to try to somehow alleviate the pain that she experiences during contractions (she already knows what she has to survive, unlike primiparas). In this case, you can try to give birth to a baby in the water. It is worth saying that the water itself alleviates pain and helps mom relax even in the most difficult periods of labor. Doctors recommend that women, if possible, stay in the water during labor. However, at the same time, it should be equal to the woman's body temperature - 37 °. If the water is warmer, there is a risk that the contractions will subside (this is harmful for labor in general), if it is cooler, a woman may simply freeze. As for the process of attempts, it is worth mentioning that the ladies who give birth in water are much more likely to go through this stage. However, during such birth, a doctor (not only a midwife) must also be present. After childbirth, the woman should lie down, put the baby to her chest and relax.
Postpartum period
Having considered how the birth takes place in primiparas and all other women in childbirth, it is also necessary to say a few words that the postpartum period is equally important . About two hours after labor, a woman must be under the scrutiny of doctors (since life-threatening bleeding and other problems can occur at this time). After childbirth, the baby should be immediately applied to the chest, this is very important. After this, the baby is weighed and its height is measured, then it is placed near the mother. After that, the work of the doctors who took the woman to give birth ends. Two hours later, the lady is transferred to the postpartum ward, where she is under observation for some time (along with the newborn). If everything is fine, mother and child will be discharged in three days. Otherwise, their stay in the walls of a medical institution may be delayed. During this period, a woman is taught the basic rules for caring for a baby.