For pregnant women, labor begins when regular uterine contractions begin. Since maternal performance and reactions at different stages during delivery have different characteristics, in order to facilitate the understanding of the delivery process, the entire delivery process can be divided into three stages.
(1) The first stage: cervical dilation.
This stage refers to the stage from the beginning of regular contraction of the uterus to the complete opening of the uterine opening. This stage takes the longest time. First-time mothers need about 12 to 16 hours to complete this process, and multiparous women only need about 6 to 8 hours. The specific manifestations are: bursts of abdominal pain followed by bursts, uterine contractions gradually intensify, and the intervals shorten. The contractions gradually shorten from once every 5 to 6 minutes to once every 3 to 5 minutes, lasting about 1 minute. At the same time, the cervix gradually opens up, and the final opening can reach 10 cm, which is called full cervix dilatation. The fetus's head gradually descends. During contractions, the fetus' head can be seen exposing the vaginal opening, and the fetus is about to be born. It should be noted that at this time, the mother should try her best to endure the pain so as not to waste her energy. If the mother cannot bear the pain and expends her energy on the abdomen, or exerts excessive force, the delivery will be slowed down and the pain will be more severe.
The speed of dilation of the cervix is ??not linear. It progresses slowly before 3 cm, which takes about 8 hours for primiparous women. It progresses faster after 3 cm, from 3 cm to 10 cm (fully dilated). ), it only takes 4 hours for primiparous women, and faster for multiparous women. After the cervix is ??dilated, the fetal membranes rupture, which is called "water rupture". The water may break early or late. Some may have it break shortly after labor, while others may have to wait until the cervix is ??fully dilated. However, if the water breaks before regular contractions, you should be hospitalized as soon as possible to avoid infection or umbilical cord prolapse, which may lead to intrauterine distress and stillbirth.
During the period of cervical dilation, the mother feels her stomach is hard, uneasy and nervous. Many women do not get enough rest due to frequent uterine contractions, resulting in excessive energy and physical exertion until the baby is delivered. When it is necessary to exert force at the critical moment, it is not possible to exert sufficient force, resulting in dystocia. In order to accumulate physical strength, during the cervical dilation period, you should sleep as much as possible and eat easy-to-digest and light foods, such as milk, eggs, fish soup, meals, etc., but eat less and more meals. Greasy foods can cause vomiting when the abdomen is strained. If you really can't sleep, you can chat with other people or read a book to relax.
At the same time, you should breathe deeply and rhythmically, take deep breaths during contractions, and then relax completely. This can reduce fatigue and increase the oxygen content in the mother's blood; in addition, you must defecate on time, otherwise the uterus will swell. The rectum and bladder will affect the contraction of the uterus, affect the abdominal pressure and the contraction of the levator ani muscle, cause abnormal labor, affect the descent of the fetal presenting part, prolong the labor process, and hinder the delivery of the placenta. If the time is too long, it can also cause cystitis, bladder paralysis, and difficulty urinating. Excessive stool in the rectum will be excreted at the same time as the fetus during delivery, causing fetal contamination and genital inflammation. Generally, before delivery, except for premature water rupture, vaginal bleeding or emergency labor, a clean enema is required under other normal circumstances to promote emptying of stool as soon as possible to avoid the above phenomena during delivery.
(2) The second stage: the fetal delivery period.
From the time when the mother's cervix is ??fully opened until the fetus is delivered. At this time, the cervix expands to the extent that the baby can pass completely. As the fetal head continues to descend, it compresses the fetal bag, the fetal membranes begin to rupture, and the amniotic fluid flows out. Generally, it takes about 2 hours for first-time mothers to successfully pass the delivery of their fetus, and about 1 hour for multiparous women.
At this time, the uterus contracts every 2 to 3 minutes, and the contractions are more intense, lasting more than 1 minute each time. Due to the pressure of the fetal head on the rectum and anus, there will be a feeling of air being pushed downward during defecation.
When the cervix is ??fully opened and the vaginal opening is fully stretched, the pain of uterine contractions has been relieved, and the main feeling is a falling feeling. The mother feels that there is a big thing blocking it, which is the state of imminent delivery. At this time, the mother must follow the requirements of the medical staff and apply abdominal pressure like defecation. The method of exerting force is to exert force during the onset of uterine contractions and relax after the onset of contractions. When exerting force, take a deep breath and hold it, and exert downward force evenly. When exerting force, the force should be increased from small to large, that is, hold your breath at the beginning, slowly push downward, and then push harder and harder until the breath is used up. . If the contractions have passed by this time, you can relax and rest and recharge your batteries. If the contractions continue, take a deep breath and continue to perform vigorous movements. When exerting force, bend your legs and push hard, grab the handle on the side of the bed with both hands, and use your whole body to exert force.
However, at the moment when the fetal head is about to be delivered, you must not use all your strength, but open your mouth and "breathe". This can fully expand the perineal muscles, and then slowly allow the fetal head to come out. Give birth. This prevents the perineum from being torn or damaged due to the sudden bursting of the fetal head, causing postpartum pain. Some mothers use improper force and fail to cooperate with medical staff, resulting in severe perineal lacerations, even vaginal and rectal penetration, or damage to the urethral opening. If this happens, it will bring inconvenience to postpartum care and cause pain to the mother. To cause unnecessary pain.
During delivery, the order of delivery of the fetus in the cephalic position is the top of the head first, then the forehead, and then the face. After the fetal head is delivered, the head is turned to one side so that the shoulders are delivered forward and backward, and then the entire fetus is delivered.
Childbirth itself is a tacit cooperation between the mother and the fetus, and it is something done together.
During the entire process of childbirth, not only the mother should make various efforts, but the fetus also performs a series of regular movements from beginning to end. When the presenting part of the fetus passes through the birth canal, it passively undergoes a series of adaptive rotations along with the different shapes of each plane of the pelvis. Different fetal positions have different birth rotations, but their basic dynamics are similar. Mother and fetus cooperate and influence each other during the entire delivery process. No one can be "disheartened", otherwise it will cause accidents. As a mother, she plays a decisive role in this process. Excessive tension and fatigue can directly affect the rotation of the fetus. The fetus is "stuck" in a certain part and cannot rotate according to its own wishes. No matter how hard the mother exerts her strength, the fetus will not move. To no avail. Every mother who is about to become a mother should have firm confidence in childbirth and devote her love and strength to the safe birth of her baby.
(3) The third stage: delivery of the placenta.
It takes about 10 to 30 minutes from the time the fetus is delivered to the placenta. After the fetus is delivered, the mother will feel relaxed. After 5 to 10 minutes, the uterus resumes contraction and expels the placenta and amniotic membrane. At this time, there will be a small amount of bleeding and pain. The amount of bleeding is generally about 50 to 100 ml. At this point, the entire delivery process comes to an end.
After delivery, medical staff will also check the mother's birth canal injuries and perform sutures if necessary. Also check and observe the mother's uterine contractions and vaginal bleeding. The mother also feels exhausted at this time and should rest quietly in bed. If perineal suturing is required, she should also maintain a good posture and closely cooperate with medical staff. Do not kick or move randomly to avoid increasing the chance of infection and aggravating the disease. pain.
The clear cry of the fetus after delivery will bring great excitement to the mother. After the medical staff disinfects and handles the baby's umbilical cord, the newborn should be placed on the mother's chest within about 30 minutes. Skin-to-skin contact, and medical staff will help the newborn start sucking the nipple to achieve the purpose of enhancing mother-child bonding and early breastfeeding. After the baby is delivered, you should also check whether it is a boy or a girl. In order to prevent mistakes, the newborn child's footprints are also pressed. The footprints are pressed on the baby's medical record and archived, which can be used as a lifelong imprint and legal basis. Newborns should be roomed together between mother and child after birth.