Stages of labor Essay Example
Stages of labor Essay Example

Stages of labor Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (448 words)
  • Published: May 9, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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There are three stages of labor during child birth. The first stage of childbirth is labor and the full dilation of the cervix. The second stage is the delivery of the baby and the third is the delivery of the placenta. There are different changes in each stage and although not every woman follows the stages exactly, it is the general pattern in many women.

The first stage is the longest part of labor as contractions come and the cervix start dilating to give way for child birth. This stage is normally broken down into 3 stages.

· The onset of labor is marked by light contractions that are maybe 20 minutes or apart and gradually become closer like 5-20 minutes apart lasting for about 30-45 seconds. The mothers may experience some back ache or nesting urges

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. The cervix has dilated from 0-3 cm. Women are encouraged to rest and conserve their energy.

· The second part is the active phase of labor and contraction come 3-5 minutes apart and may last up to a minute long. The cervix will have dilated up to 4-8 cm. The contractions are more intense .In this stage mobility and relaxation are the key to getting through this phase.

· The last phase of the first stage is characterized by close contractions which maybe two to three minutes apart lasting up to a minute and a half long. The cervix has dilated to 8-10 cm. Some women may vomit at this stage and are very restless. T he stage however does not last more than two to three hours.

The second stage is the pushing stage to deliver the baby. This stage may las

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up to three hours and for some it’s relatively short. Contractions are still there to help the mother to push the baby. This also has stages.  The first phase, the cervix has now dilated to over 10 cm and for some women the contractions are spaced but come with the urge to push. After this stage, the descent phase occurs in which the contractions come 3-5 minutes apart with the urge to push several times with each contraction lasting about 60 seconds. The baby’s head descends with each contraction and then recedes. The last stage is called crowning phase and the baby’s head descend without receding with each contraction until the baby is born. This stage is intense for the mother.

The final stage occurs 10-20 minutes after the baby is born and the mother might experience some cramping or slight push to deliver the placenta. Some women may experience chills, some bleeding or exhaustion. The doctor examines the mother’s vagina and perineum for some tears so he can repair them.

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