m6 Flashcards
is the series of events by which
uterine contractions and abdominal
pressure expel a fetus and placenta from
the uterus.
labor
Semen does contain
prostaglandins, which can be helpful in
softening, also known as “ripening,” of the
cervix; if a cervix is ready to ripen, semen
prostaglandins could possibly stimulate
the beginning of contractions.
ripening
: is overlapping of skull bones
along the suture lines, which causes a
change in the shape of the fetal skull to
one long and narrow, a shape that
facilitates passage through the rigid pelvis.
molding
is caused by the force of uterine
contractions as the vertex of the head is
pressed against the not yet dilated cervix.
molding
describes the degree of flexion a
fetus assumes during labor or the relation
of the fetal parts to each other
Attitude
is the relationship between the long
(cephalocaudal) axis of the fetal body and
the long (cephalocaudal) axis of a
woman’s body—in other words, whether
the fetus is lying in a horizontal
(transverse) or a vertical (longitudinal)
position.
lie
is the most
frequent type of presentation, occurring as
often as 96% of the time. With this type of
presentation, the fetal head is the body
part that first contacts the cervix.
Cephalic Presentation:
The four types of cephalic presentation
(vertex, brow, face, and mentum)
means either the
buttocks or the feet are the first body parts
that will contact the cervix. Breech
presentations occur in approximately 4%
of births and are affected by fetal attitude
the same as vertex presentations.
Breech Presentation
is the relationship of the
presenting part to a specific quadrant and
side of a woman’s pelvis.
Fetal Position:
refers to the settling of the
presenting part of a fetus far enough into
the pelvis that it rests at the level of the
ischial spines, the midpoint of the pelvis
Engagement:
refers to the relationship of the
presenting part of the fetus to the level of
the ischial spines
Station
- 4 station
head is floating
at 0 station
head is engaged
+4 station
head is at outlet
Effective
passage of a fetus through the birth canal
involves not only position and presentation
but also a number of different position
changes in order to keep the smallest
diameter of the fetal head (in cephalic
presentations) always presenting to the
smallest diameter of the pelvis. These
position changes are termed the cardinal
movements of labor: descent, flexion,
internal rotation, extension, external
rotation, and expulsion
Cardinal Movements of Labor:
As the fetal head pushes
against the vaginal introitus, this opens
and the fetal scalp appears at the opening
to the vagina and enlarges from the size
of a dime, to a quarter, then a half-dollar.
Crowning:
is the downward movement
of the biparietal diameter of the fetal head
within the pelvic inlet. Full descent occurs
when the fetal head protrudes beyond the
dilated cervix and touches the posterior
vaginal floor. Descent occurs because of
pressure on the fetus by the uterine
fundus. As the pressure of the fetal head
presses on the sacral nerves at the pelvic
floor, the mother will experience the typical
“pushing sensation,” which occurs with
labor. As a woman contracts her
abdominal muscles with pushing, this aids
descent.
Fetal Descent:
are a systematic
method of observation and palpation to
determine fetal presentation and position
and are done as part of a physical
examination.
Leopold Maneuvers
