Normal Birth Flashcards
What is a normal birth?
Infant born in vertex between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy.
How many stages of labour are there?
3
What 3 things happen during the first stage of labour?
Rupture of the membranes results in bloody mucus. There are regular painful contractions. There is progressive cervical dilatation from 4cm.
Give 3 examples of pain relief giving during labour.
Non-pharmalogical e.g. breathing and relaxation, massage and water. Pharmalogical e.g. entonox (colourless odourless gas like laughing gas) and opiods. Regional e.g. epidural (an injection in the back to stop you feeling pain in part of your body).
Give 2 things that occur during the second stage of labour.
Full dilatation of the cervix. Involuntary expulsive contractions. Baby becomes visible.
Give 2 things that occur during the third stage of labour.
Placenta separates and descends to the lower segment. It’s expelled from the membrane.
What does puerperium/postnatal/postpartum mean?
It is defined as the time from the end of the third stage through the first few weeks after delivery. Period is considered 6-8 weeks in duration.
Common symptoms during the puerperium period.
Fever and shivering (infection). Headaches and nausea (pre-eclampsia). Calf pain and swelling (thromboembolism).
What are the false-labour contractions known as?
Braxton-Hicks Contractions.
What does the cervix dilate up to during the first phase?
10cm.
What two parts make up the first phase of early labour?
Passive phase. Active Phase.
At what rate does the cervix dilate?
0.5cm/hr.
What happens to the cervix at the end of the first stage?
Fully dilated - 10cm.
What happens at the end of the second stage?
Birth of the baby. Delivery of the baby’s posterior shoulder.
At which stages are
Third stage, to expel placenta.
