Ch. 4 Reducing Discomfort, Pain, and Anxiety In Childbirth Flashcards
What helps lubricate and relax the perineum?
Warm oil and a warm compress
What can create a numbing sensation?
The stretching of the perineum
What are the hormones that effect pain?
Oxytocin
Beta-Endorphin
Meso-Cortico Limbic Dopamine
What is the fetal ejection reflex?
The process of the body producing oxytocin and the catecholamides to push the baby out
What does Prolactin do?
Prepares the breasts for milk production as well as helps to calm the mother and baby
What happens to a woman who gets an epidural?
She has no feeling in her lower body, she is drowsy, cannot feel or notice contractions, has poor judgement of when to push, may have difficulty breathing, body temperature increases, has shivers and itching, feels anxious and uncertain and has uterine retention
Why should a laboring woman avoid an epidural?
Caregivers rely more heavily on fetal monitoring devices, the reduction in muscle tone can lead to the use of forceps/vacuum, and a catheter is often needed
Why utilize self-hypnosis during labor?
It reduces the need for analgesia, shortens labor, less anxiety/fear, controls painful contractions, lessens fatigue, reduces the use of oxytocin or pitocin, reduces postpartum headache and breast discomfort, produces greater sense of accomplishment and spontaneous vaginal delivery
What has an effect parallel to opening the birth canal?
Groaning, making sound
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
It produces adrenaline and the fight or flight response
The parasympathetic nervous system?
It produces oxytocin, endorphins, and the body’s natural pain killers
What hormone strengthens the contractions of the uterus?
Oxytocin
What happens to the muscles of a stressed laboring woman?
The upper uterine muscles loosen and stop contracting and the lower muscles tighten to hold in the baby
What happens to the cervix when the body is stressed?
It tightens, which impedes dilation
Pitocin results in what?
Stronger more painful contractions
