Labour Stages And Normal Baby Delivery Progress.

In General Medicine ,

Labour is conveniently divided into three stages. This labour stages explain what the doctor does in each stages and what happens to your baby , so just read on...

FIRST STAGE :

The first stage is the longest and lasts between four to eight hours. During this stage the cervix will dilate from one cm to 10cm in diameter so that the baby can descend through the birth canal.
The pain of labour can be severe and unbearable and at its height will occur once every 2 minutes each lasting 40 seconds.
The pain can be relieved by taking slow deep breaths during the uterine contraction. Or you can opt for epidural analgesia or injectable pain relief.
The most common injectable analgesic used is pethidine and it will make the labour pain less intense but at the same time you may feel drowsy and may vomit.
The analgesic can be repeated every four hours. Every two to four hours the doctor will repeat the vaginal examination to assess the progress of labour

SECOND STAGE :

When the cervix has dilated to 10cm. your labour is in the second stage and it will last till the baby is delivered.
You will have the feeling of bearing down because the babys head is pressing on your penrleum.
This stage can last between 20 minutes to an hour and is most exhausting because you will need to physically push your baby out of the birth canal.
The uterine contraction will be more intense and you can help by pushing down during each contraction.
At the beginning of each contraction, take a deep breath and bear down for the next 10 seconds.
Take another deep breath and bear down for another 10 seconds. Repeat this till the contraction subsides.

THIRD STAGE OF LABOUR:

When the baby’s head is at the perineum, the doctor will perform an episiotomy, which is a small cut on the right side to open the vagina so that the baby will go through the birth canal without tearing it.
After crowning, the baby’s head is delivered and the assistant will clear the baby’s mouth and nose of fluid using a vaccum catheter Next, the baby’s shoulder and then the rest of the body eases out. The umbilical cord will be cut and the baby tagged with the mother’s name and shown to the mother before she is cleaned and dried.
Next the doctor will deliver your placenta which completes the third stage of labour

THE FINAL COVERING OF ALL THE LABOUR STAGES :

You will be given an injection syntometrine after the baby’s head has been delivered, to hasten the uterine contraction and separation of the placenta from the uterus and prevent excessive bleeding.

Local analgesic will be administered to the episiotomy site so you will not feel any pain when the doctor repairs and sutures your wound. The nurse will then wipe you clean and help you change into the clothing that you had brought. Finally the nurse will wheel you to the postnatal ward to join your newborn and spouse.