April 25, 2012 Labor and Delivery
Being pregnant is a wonderful thing. However, labor and delivery can be very painful and can last a while. There are three kinds of labor, delivery of the baby, and delivery of the placenta. The woman also has trimesters that show the progress of the baby while being developed.
The three stages of labor are early, active, and transitional. Early labor usually lasts the longest. However, early labor is not the most painful. The thinning and opening of the cervix must be 3 cm. The contractions during early labor are usually the longest out of all three labors. The contractions are usually 45 seconds long and are usually about 20 minutes apart. During contractions of early labor the woman can walk and talk. Early labor can last from 2-24 hours or more. For most pregnancies, it’s best to remain home for early labor. While the woman is at home, she should relax herself and the labor will progress on its own without having to worry about every contraction. During early labor, to keep the woman distracted from contractions, the woman could go to work, go shopping, bake a cake, hang out with friends, play cards, work on a hobby, etc. This helps the woman from getting too obsessed with your contractions too soon.
Active labor is shorter than the first phase. The woman’s contractions are increasingly more painful. The contractions last 40-60 seconds and are roughly about 3-4 minutes apart. The cervix must dilate to 7 cm. During active labor the woman’s body is opening the cervix so the baby can move into the birth canal. At this point, the woman is also preparing the baby to be born by stretching the pelvis, preparing the colostrum and stimulating the baby’s nervous and respiratory systems. While active labor progresses, the woman will become more serious during contractions. The woman may find herself slowly moving from not talking during the peak of a contraction. Eventually the woman may even be…