OB Module 3: Labor and Delivery Flashcards
___ is one of the most vulnerable periods in a woman’s life
labor
What are two things you need to respect in a labor and delivery situation
- Respect vulnerability in the situation they are in
2. Respect the way that woman is coping with the situation they are in
What are the 5 factors that effect the duration, success, and intensity of labor and delivery?
The 5 “P”s:
Passenger Passageway Powers Position of the Laboring Woman Psychological Response
Who is the “Passenger”
the infant
What is the “Passageway”
Both the bony pelvis and the soft tissues
What are the “Powers”
the intensity of the contractions and the ability to push in the second stage of labor
Passenger
The fetus
there are several variables related to the fetus that can impact and influence the labor and delivery
What variables of the Passenger can influence the labor and delivery
- Size of the fetus
- Fetal presentation
- Fetal Lie
- Fetal Attitude
- Fetal position
The head is not like soft tissues. What does this mean
it cannot allow total manipulations, but if can elongate and narrow to allow delivery and also rapid brain growth once born
What is the largest and hardest part of the body
the head
What is the skull composed of and why
the skull is composed of a series of plates with sutures and fontanels between them to allow for shifting and overlapping during labor and rapid infant brain growth in the first year and a half of life
Fetal shoulders can also create ____
dystocia
Dystocia
Seen in very larger babies and diabetic mothers
the babies have taken on a lot of body fat, and this disproportion makes it difficult to deliver the babies shoulders after the head has come out
Fetal Presentation
refers to the PRESENTING PART of the infant in the birth canal
What is the lowest part of the infant
What is the most common fetal presentation
Most infants have head first (cephalic) and usually it is the occiput vertex
So this is the occiput and then vertex that present first anteflexed to the neck
What is called if the babies fetal presentation is head first?
Cephalic Presentation
Occiput
The back of the babies skull
The Vertex
The foremost (posterior top) of the babies skull
Breech
a fetal presentation where the lower half of the infant is presenting
Frank Breech
When the infants buttocks are the presenting part
Buttocks down and legs up
Single or Double Footling Breech
Fetal presentation when a foot or both feet are the presenting parts
If the fetal presentation is the shoulder, what part is presenting
the scapula
Anteflexed
babies chin is flexed to the chest
this is why the occiput comes through first in a head presentation
Why does the infant commonly come out with the head anteflexed
Because it can allow the head through in the narrowest diameter
What are some concerns regarding breech presentations
Potential for prolapsed cord
Asphyxiation
C Section need
Why is there concern for a prolapsed umbilical cord in a breech presentaiton?
The breech position does not fill and cork off the pelvis like the head usually does, so when the water breaks there is a greater chance the umbilical cord will slip down between the baby and pelvis and prolapse
When the baby descends, this prolapsed cord can mean no O2 is going to the baby and the baby can asphyxiate
Other than the potential prolapsed cord, what else can cause asphyxiation in the child ?
The head does no shift or elongate quickly, so if there head is first we can see arrest of descent usually and do interventions
However, in breech if the head is too big the head can get stuck and cause asphyxiation from the cord being pinched too
Arrest of Descent
when the delivery and descent of the baby is hindered and slowed and stopped due to the size of the head
What is not too uncommon to have to do if a child is ion the breech presentation
A Cesarean Section
This is particularly true in the first child and can be avoided if former babies were large and can allow breech delivery
Fetal Lie
refers to the longitudinal orientation of the fetus
So this is the spine of the infant in relation to the spine of the mother
What are the two types of fetal lie
Longitudinal Lie
Vertical Lie
Longitudinal Lie
Cephalic or breech presentation
infant spine is parallel to the mother’s spine
Transverse Lie
when the infant spine is perpendicular to the mother’s spine
a shoulder presentation
Fetal Attitude
Refers to the flexion of the infant
General Flexion
When the infant is somewhat curled up with chin flexed onto its chest
The arms and legs are flexed toward it’s abdomen
This is the ideal flexion
Gives the smallest diameter for delivery
sometimes called “Vertex Presentation” - complete flexion
What kind of flexion can cause problems in delivery?
Extended head or arms
it can cause increased diameter
Flexion allows the smallest ___
diameter
What sort of flexions can compound with breech position to make delivery harder
Military Flexion/Presentation
Brow Flexion/Presentation
Face Flexion/Presentation
Military Flexion/Presentation
The head is not anteflexed with arms flexed toward the head causing slight neck extension
This is only moderate flexion
The more anterior portion of the skull rather than vertex and occiput present in this
Brow Flexion/Presentation
less flexion of arms and legs with head more dorsiflexed
the eyebrows present and the anterior skull
it is poor flexion and has extension
Face Flexion/Presentation
full extension of the neck making the face present fully
full extension and no flexion
Fetal Position
refers to the relationship of the presenting part to the maternal pelvis (not the spine)
done in 3 letter codes
What do the 3 letter codes of the fetal position mean?
First Letter - Presenting Part’s Right or Left Orientation (the mothers L or R)
Second Letter - The presenting part
Third Letter - represents the presenting part’s location related to an anterior, posterior, or transverse orientation
Are there optimal and non optimal positions?
Yes
The baby does need to rotate as well in delivery
What would ROP mean
Right Occiput Posterior
The babies occiput is oriented to the right posterior side of the mother
What are the optimal fetal positions
ROA or LOA
Right or Left Occiput Anterior Position
This is because the curve and contour of the sacrum allowing the baby to descend easily
What would M mean in a fetal position
mento
it means the babies face is presenting
What would S mean in a fetal position
sacrum
it means the babies bottom is presenting
Passageway
the mother’s bony pelvis and soft tissue
What is the more significant part of the passageway and why?
The bony pelvis is the more significant of the two
there are multiple contours to the inner pelvis that are important
___ delivery is a rare occurrence
posterior
What is needed to get through the pelvis in case of obstruction in vaginal delivery
rotation
What is included among the passageway soft tissues that can affect labor and delivery
scar tissues in the case of female circumcision
body fat of an obese woman
The pelvis is comprised of…
pieces of bone joined by cartilage
it is NOT one full bone
What are the bones of the pelvis?
Ilium
Ischium
Pubis
Sacral Bones
Ilium
The large wings / hip bones you can feel in the posterior sides of the pelvis
Ischium
the anterior lower segment of the pelvis below the pubis bones
Pubis
the upper part of the pelvis anteriorly above the ischium
Sacrum
the piece connecting the ilium
comes forward toward the coccyx (the bottom of the sacrum) in a scooping form
Another name for the pelvis
coxal bone
For OB Purposes, what are the two segments of the pelvic canal?
- The upper pelvis
2. the lower pelvis
The Upper Pelvis
above the brim
it is the “false” pelvis and plays no part in childbearing
it is mostly the outer and upper canal that is mostly made up of the ilium
The lower pelvis
the true pelvis
this is the inner more canal and lower bones
divides into 3 planes
What are the three planes of the lower pelvis
The inlet
the mid pelvis
the outlet
The arc of the sacrum is important …
in the true pelvis
The inlet
the upper most portion of the true pelvis that is the start of the downward descent toward the vaginal canal
it has some constriction to it
The mid pelvis
the middle portion of the true pelvis
has a greatest and least diameter
Where is the greatest diameter to the true pelvis
about 2/3 of the way down the true mid pelvis between S2 and S3
Where is the lead diameter to the true pelvis
near the end of the mid pelvis between S4 and S5
Ischial Spines
boney projections inward in the true mid pelvis
differs in how prominent it is between different people
causes the smallest diameter of the pelvis
What area of the true pelvis does the baby have to work hardest to get past in any pregnancy?
The ischial spine area in the mid pelvis (true pelvis plane)
4 Types of Female Pelvis
- Gynecoid
- Android
- Anthropoid
- Platypelliod
50% of woman have a ___ pelvis type
Gynecoid
The optimal pelvis type for labor and delivery is
Gynecoid
Gynecoid Pelvis
1 pelvis type
the most frequent and best for birth pelvis shape
it gives a heart shaped true pelvis canal (interior aspect)
it is GENEROUS IN THE ANTERIOR ASPECT to encourage anterior descension
Android Pelvis
1 Pelvis type
a more narrow and vertically stretched interior aspect (like a more elongated heart shape than gynecoid but less than anthropoid)
it is narrow and has a transverse diameter of the interior aspect giving more GENEROUS POSTERIORLY
It is difficult to rotate with ___ pelvises
android
What pelvis tends to encourage a baby in the posterior presentation
android
Anthropoid
1 pelvis type
resembles ape pelvis shape
a difficult shape for delivery
its very even transverse and antpost and looks like a heart stretched out more so than android
Platypelloid
1 pelvis type
a flat pelvis that is very difficult for delivery
not generous anteriorly or posteriorly
What pelvis shapes are less generous and make birth harder
Anthropoid and Platypelloid
What two shapes are more V shaped and narrow at the upper aspect and make it harder for the head to get through
android
anthropoid
How is the descent of the baby measured?
It is the position of the baby during labor and it is where the head is relative to the ischial spines (narrowest part of the pelvis) in centimeters
It is estimated
this station can be noted during labor and should be
Other than the pelvis, what else are important parts related to labor and delivery
soft tissue
cervix
pelvic floor muscles
vagina and introitus