Labour Flashcards
What is this describing?
The process of uterine contraction and cervical dilation enabling uterus to deliver viable foetus, placenta, and membranes.
Labour
What confirms the diagnosis of labour?
Regular and increasingly painful uterine contractions bringing about progressive cervical effacement and/or dilation.
Which stage of labour is this?
Period between onset of regular contractions to full cervical dilation.
Stage 1
What are the two phases of stage 1 of labour?
- Latent - duration for cervix to become effaced and dilated to 3cm
- Active - duration for cervix to dilate from 3-10cm, should be 1cm/hour
How long does the latent phase of labour take for nulliparous and multiparous women?
- 6-8 hours nulliparous
2. 4-5 hours multiparous
Which stage of labour is this?
From full cervical dilation to delivery of foetus.
Stage 2 (30-60 mins)
Which stage of labour is this?
From delivery of the foetus to delivery of the placenta and membranes.
Stage 3 (15 mins)
What are the steps in head movement in labour?
- Engagement
- Descent and flexion
- Rotation - face facing sacrum
- Rotation completed, further descent
- Extension and delivery
- Restitution - rotates to previous position
What three factors does progress of labour depend on?
Power, passage, passenger
Where do you record cervical dilation and what is the definition of latent phase?
- Partogram
2. <2cm dilation in 4 hours
What causes a lack of power in stage 1 of labour?
Insufficient uterine action, most common cause of slow labour.
How do you manage insufficient uterine action in 1st stage of labour?
- 1st line is artificial rupture of membranes
- If this fails, IV oxytocin with CTG monitoring
- If full dilation does not occur within 8 hours, C-section
What is the targeted uterine activity for the first stage of labour?
4-5 contractions every 10 mins, each lasting >40 seconds.
What causes a lack of power in stage 2 of labour?
Insufficiency in uterine action and maternal exhaustion.
When should women in second stage of labour be reviewed for ability to push?
- After 1 hour pushing nulliparous, if CTG good and progress being made, she can push for 2 hours before considering instrument/C-section.
- Multiparous women can push for one hour before considering intervention.
What are the different foetal head positions that can impede labour?
- Occipito-posterior position
- Occipito-transverse position
- Brow presentation
- Face presentation
What is the management for occipito-posterior position of foetal head during labour?
- If progressing normally, no action, may spontaneously resolve.
- If not progressing to full cervical dilation, LSCS needed.
What is the management for occipito-transverse position of foetal head during labour?
Rotation with ventouse required to deliver
What is the management for a brow presentation during labour?
Usually does not deliver vaginally, C-section needed.
What is the main problem with passage affecting labour?
Cephalo-pelvic disproportion - pelvis is too small to allow head to pass through due to android pelvis
What shape pelvis do most women have?
Gynaecoid pelvis
What is the management for cephalo-pelvic disproportion in labour?
C-section usually needed
What are the options for pharmacological pain relief in labour?
- Entonox - 50% oxygen, 50% nitrogen; rapid onset, mild, nausea, faint feeling.
- Systemic opioids - IM pethidine and IM cyclizine, drowsiness, nausea, neonatal respiratory depression (not for use in birthing pool)
What is a pudendal nerve block for and where is it injected?
- Regional pain relief in instrumental delivery
2. Lidocaine injected near ischial spine on each side of S2-4 vertebrae
What is injected into the perineum before an episiotomy?
Local lidocaine
What is the epidural pain relief given in labour, where is it administered, and how?
- Opioid and local anaesthetic
- L3/4 or L4/5
- Indwelling epidural catheter
What can epidural pain relief cause in the foetus?
Transient foetal bradycardia
What are the side effects of regional pain relief in labour?
- Transient hypotension
- Reduced bladder sensation - urinary retention
- Spinal tap - inadvertent puncture of dura, severe headache worse when sat up, better lying down
What are the contraindications for regional pain relief in labour?
- Sepsis
- Coagulopathy
- Spinal abnormalities
- Hypovolaemia
How is spinal anaesthesia administered and what is it used for?
- Local anaesthetic injected as single shot through dura and arachnoid into CSF.
- Used for most C-sections
What is this describing?
Hypoxia that may result in foetal damage or death of not reverse or the foetus delivered immediately.
Foetal distress
How frequently is the foetal heart sound auscultated in the 1st and 2nd stages of labour?
- Every 15 mins
2. every 5 mins