labor Flashcards
True labor are:
- Regular, progressive, with increasing duration, intensity and decreasing intervals;
- With discomfort that starts from the back ( lumbosacral) radiating to the front;
- Intensified by walking and enema.
2. Show is present and increasing in true labor.
3. The cervix is open and increasingly dilatws and effaces. The presence of cervical dilatation and effacement is the most important sign of true
labor.
physiologic process during which the products of conception (the fetus, membranes, umbilical cord, and placenta) are expelled outside of the uterus. It is achieved with changes in the biochemical connective tissue and with gradual effacement and dilatation of the uterine cervix as a result of rhythmic uterine contractions of sufficient frequency, intensity, and duration.
Labor
Settling/ dropping of the presenting part into the pelvic inlet or true pelvis. And when the largest diameter of the presenting part passes the pelvic inlet or pelvic brim, the head is said to be engaged.
happens 10-14 days before labor in a primigravida and 1 day before labor or on the day of labor in multipara.
Lightening
Lightening is heralded by the following SIGNS:
- Relief of dyspnea
- Relief of abdominal tightness
- Increased frequency of voiding
- Increased varicosities
- Shooting pains down the legs/leg cramps.
Premonitory signs of labor
- Lightening
- Increased Braxton Hicks’ contractions 3-4 weeks before labor.
Braxton Hicks’contractions are false labor contraction, painless, irregular abdominal and relieved by walking.
3.A sudden burst of maternal energy/activity because of hormone epinephrine. - Slight decrease in maternal weight, about 2-3 lb. This is related to a drop in the water retaining hormone progesterone. If progesterone hormone drops before labor, retained fluid is excreted and thus, slight weight loss.
- Show. This is mucus mixed with small amount of blood from the torn capillaries of the cervix giving it a pink tint.
Show should be differentiated from bleeding. Show is not bleeding. Bleeding, no matter how slight, is still bleeding and is considered a danger sign. - Softening/ ripening of the cervix.
- Rupture of the bag of water is an occasional sign.
- Nesting behavior. This is a psychosocial sign of approaching labor. The woman is busy preparing for the arrival of the baby: sewing diapers, buying a crib, preparing mittens and bonnets, decorating a spare room for the baby.
The expectant mother should be counseled that the moment premonitory signs are noted:
> She should refrain from engaging in long trips,
she should have someone with her always in the home.
expectant mother should contact her doctor or midwife about labor or go to the hospital if:
*show is present
*Contractions are regular, more intense and becoming increasingly frequent occuring every 5 to 8 minutes: or
* The bag of waters ruptures. The rupture
of the bag of waters is always an indication for hospitalization.
True contraction
- Begins irregular but become regular and predictable.
- Felt first in the lower back sweep around to the abdomen in a wave.
*Continue no matter what the woman’s level of activity. - increase in duration, frequency and intensity.
- Achieve cervical dilation and effacement.
False contraction
- Begins and remain irregular.
- Felt first abdominally and remain confined to the abdomen and groin.
*Often disappear with ambulation and sleep.
*Do not achieve cervical dilatation.
components of labor
- passage
- passenger
- Power
4.Psyche - Position
refers to the route the fetus must travel from the uterus through the cervix and vagina to the external perineum, because these organs are contained inside the pelvis the fetus must also pass through the pelvic ring.
Passage
True pelvis 3 subdivisions
- Inlet or upper pelvic opening
- Mid-pelvis or pelvic cavity
- Outlet or lower pelvic opening
2 pelvic measurements are important to determine the adequacy of the pelvic size.
if adequate for fetal head
Diagonal conjugate- anterior posterior diameter of the inlet 11 cm or greater
Transverse diameter- 13 cm
is a condition where the baby’s head or body is too large to fit through the mother’s pelvis.
Cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD)
a technique that measures the size and shape of a woman’s pelvis to predict if she can give birth vaginally. It can be performed before or during labor and can be done using a clinical examination, X-rays, CT scan, or MRI.
Pelvimetry
functions of pelvis
> It provides protection to the organs found within the pelvic cavity.
It provide attachment of muscle, fascia and ligaments
Supports the uterus during pregnancy.
Serves as birth canal
types of pelvis
Gynaecoid pelvis
Justi minor pelvis
Android pelvis
Anthropoid pelvis
Platypelloid pelvis
This is the ideal pelvis for childbearing. it is one that is generally characteristic of a woman in its bone structure and therefore its shape. means like a woman, womanly, female. The female sacrum is wider than the male’s and the iliac bone is flatter.
Gynecoid Pelvis
This pelvis is like a gynaecoid pelvis in miniature. All diameters are reduced but are in proportion. It is normally found in women of small stature, less than 1.5m in height, with small hands and feet, but occasionally found in women of normal stature. The outcome of labor in this situation depends on the fetus. If the fetal size is consistent with the size of the maternal pelvis, normal labor and birth will take place.
Often these women have small babies and the outcome is favorable. However, if the fetus is large, a degree of cephalopelvic disproportion will result. The same is true when a malpresentation or malposition of the fetus exists.
Justo minor pelvis
female pelvis with masculine features, including a wedge or heart shaped inlet caused by a prominent sacrum and a triangular anterior segment.
The reduced pelvis outlet often causes problems during child birth.
male pelvis is more robust, narrower, and taller than the female pelvis. The angle of the male pubic arch and the sacrum are narrower as well. The female pelvis is more delicate, wider and not as high as the male pelvis. The angle of the female pubic arch is wide and round.
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android pelvis
This has a long, oval brim in which the anteposterior diameter is longer than the transverse. The side walls diverge and the sacrum is long and deeply concave. The ischial spines are not prominent and the sciatic notch is very wide, as is the sub-pubic angle. Women with this type of pelivs tend to be tall, with narrow shoulders.
Labor does not usually present any difficulties.
Anthropoid pelvis
kidney-shaped brim in which the anteposterior diameter is reduced and the transverse increased. The side walls diverge, the sacrum is flat and the cavity shallow. The ischial spines are blunt, and the sciatic notch and the sub-pubic angle are both wide
platypelloid pelvis
forms the anterior and lateral aspect of pelvis.
Innominate bones
the upper flaring portion which is the largest bone of the pelvis. Its upper, boarder the iliac crest, forms the hip bone.
Ilium
the portion located below the hip joint. Its ischial tuberosities supports the body in the sitting position.
ischium
the front bones. The pubes are connected by the symphisis pubis.
pubes
is the triangular shaped bone forming the triangular portion of the pelvis. It is composed of 5 sacral vertebra. The first sacral vertebra, the Sacral promontory is an important obstetrical landmark.
Sacrum
It is the posterior portion of the pelvis composed of the five fused vertebra. Its sacrococcygeal joints joins the sacrum to coccyx into the pelvic canal, it moves slightly backward to give more room for the fetal head.
Coccyx
the upper taring portion of the liac, its function is to provide support to the uterus during pregnancy and to direct the fetus to true pelvis during labor.
false pelvis
forms the passage way of the fetus during labor, it consists of the following parts.
true pelvis
12.5.cm diameter between the midpoint of sacral promontory to the lower margin of the symphisis pubis. Measured by internal examination.
diagonal conjugate
11 cm. distance between the midpoint of the of the sacral promontory to the midline of the symphisis pubis which is ascertained by subtracting 1 to 1.5 cm from the diagonal conjugate.
obstetric conjugate
situated between inlet ahd outlet. The pelvic and canal cy neture is confollow the ed i descent thine trated Radesigned
descent can result to rapture of cerebral arteries due to sudden change in pressure. Snugness of pelvic cavity compress the chest, helping to expel lung fluid and mucus.,
pelvic canal
(smallest diameter of pelvic)- 10cm
AP diameter at level of ischial spines-11.5cm
Posterior sagittal diameter- 4.5cm
Interspinous
the most important diameter of the outlet is its transverse diameter or Bi-ischial (distance between two ischial tuberosities) which is about 11.5cm
> Posterior sagittal diameter-7.5cm.
outlet
primary power in labor
uterine contraction
The uterine contraction is the primary power in labor. It is the one that effects the physiologic alterations in labor which are:
1.Cervical dilatation - opening/widening/enlarging of the cervical os from pir point opening to 10 cm (fully dilated cervix)
2. Cervical effacement - shortening/narrowing/thinning of the cervical canal from about 2.5cm to paper-thin or no canal at all.
3.Physiologic retraction ring - the separation or differentiation of the active, shorter but thicker upper uterine segment from the lower, longer but thinner, passive uterine segment.
In obstructed labor, the thinning of the lower segment is extreme that the retraction ring become prominent forming a pathologic retraction ring
Bandl’s ring
Uterine contractions are:
involuntary and
for most part is independent of extra uterine control
rhythmical
intermittent
regular
painful.
The exact cause of pain in labor is not known but several have been
Suggested
- Hypoxia due to circulatory stasis in the myometriun and adjacent tissues which may cause local oxygen deficit.
- Cervical stretching during dilatation
- Iraction on and stretching of the overlying peritoneum and uterocervical supports during contraction and expulsive efforts.
- Compression of nerve ganglia in the cervix and lower uterus by the tightly interlocking bundles.
- Emotional tension caused by fear and anxiety.
- Pressure by the presenting part on the bladder, bowel, or other sensitive pelvic structures
phases of uterine contraction
- Increment - the “ building up” of contraction; period of increasing cont-raction; the longest phase.
- Acme - the peak of a contraction - facial expression |painful
- Decrement - the period of “letting down” or decreasing contraction
characteristics of uterine contraction
duration
frequency
interval of rest
the length of time a contraction lasts; the time from the increment (start/increasing contraction) of one contraction up to the decrement (end /decreasing contraction) of the same contraction.
duration
- the time interval between the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction.
frequency
as a characteristic of uterine contraction is the time from the end of one contraction to the start of the next contraction.
interval of rest
It corresponds to the period of rest of the uterus at which time it is to:
a. auscultate FHT
b. check maternal blood pressure
c. deliver the head in extension
refers to the strength of a contraction at acme. It is usually estimated by palpating the contraction. Judging the amount of indentability of the uterine wall during the acme of contraction, the midwife determines whether it is mild, moderate or strong.
If the uterine wall can be indented easily, the intensity is considered mild.
When the uterine wall cannot be indented, it is considered strong intensity.
Moderate intensity falls between these two ranges,
intensity
most important part
largest part of fetal body
head
is the fetus plus the membranes and placenta
Passenger
- a membranous interspace, joins the 2 parietal bones of the skull.
sagittal suture
junction of the frontal bones and 2 parietal bones.
coronal suture
junction of the frontal bones and 2 parietal bones.
coronal suture
the line of junction of the occipital bone and 2 parietal bones.
lambdoid suture
lies at the junction of the coronal and sagittal sutures.
anterior fontanelle (bregma)
covered spaces called the fontanelles are found at the junction of the main suture lines.
significant membrane
lies at the junction of the lambdiodal and sagittal suture, triangular.
posterior fontanelle
posterior fontanelle closes
age 1or 2 months. may already closed at birth
anterior fontanelle closes
between 9 months and 18 months
spaces between the 2 fontanelles
vertex
biparietal diameter average cm in term infants
9.5 cm
The diameter of the fetal head from the lowest posterior point of the occipital bone to the center of the anterior fontanel.
suboccipitobregmatic
suboccipitobregmatic diameters
9.5cm
occipitofrontal
11.5cm
submentobregmatic
9.5 cm
mentovertical
13.5cm
submentovertical
11.5cm
is the change in shape of the fetal skull produced by the force of uterine contractions pressing the vertex against the not yet dilated cervix.
• the bones of the skull are not yet completely ossified and therefore do not form a rigid structure the overlap and cause the head to become narrower but longer, facilitating its passage during birth.
molding