OnlineMedEd: Obstetrics - "Normal Labor" Flashcards
Typically, women’s cervices dilate slowly to ____ cm, and then rapidly thereafter.
6
This is the critical dilation mark. Note, however, that this is in contention: some people still believe 4 cm is the critical length. If you get a test question and the answer is greater than 4 cm, this could be considered the critical mark.
Describe stage I of labor.
Stage I is broken into two parts: latent and active:
•Latent is the dilation from 0 cm to 6 cm.
•Active is the dilation from 6 cm to 10 cm.
Describe stage II of labor.
From 10 cm dilation to delivery of the fetus
Describe stage III of labor.
Delivery of the placenta
How fast is cervical dilation in the active phase of stage I?
- Nulliparip: 1.2 cm/hr
* Multiparip: 1.5 cm/hr
How long is considered normal duration of the latent phase in nulliparous and multiparous women?
- Nulliparous: 20 hours
* Multiparous: 14 hours
How long is stage II (delivery of the fetus) in a nulliparous and multiparous woman?
- Nulliparous: 3 hours
* Multiparous: 2 hours
Regardless of the number of past deliveries, delivery of the placenta should take no longer than __________.
30 minutes
Cervical effacement means ______________.
cervical shortening
What biochemical process accounts for the rapid morphological change in the cervix?
Breakage of disulfide bonds
Describe the system for measuring fetal station.
-5 refers to the fetal head being 5 cm deep to the ischial spine. +5 refers to the fetal head being 5 cm past the ischial spine.
The “correct” position of the fetus at birth is _____________.
the longitudinal cephalic position
When the baby’s axis is not in line with the mother’s axis, it is called ______________.
transverse
Describe the positioning of the hips and knees in frank, complete, and footling breach.
- Frank: hips flexed; knees extended
- Complete: hips flexed; knees flexed
- Footling: hips extended; knees either flexed or extended
