Giving Birth includes various child-birth procedures. From understanding the labor to the selection of assisted birth options to the availability of proper medical assistance and health care services, you need to know everything. During the 38th week of
Pregnancy, early labor signs are noticed in pregnant women. This means your body is getting ready for Giving Birth. Sometimes, you may start getting the signals before time. The first symptom that appears is intermittent painful uterine contractions followed by expulsion of blood stained mucus (commonly termed as show). Other common symptoms of labor are feelings of heaviness, transient fatigue and hip pains.
Initially, the pains are not strong enough to cause discomfort and come at varying intervals of 15-30 minutes. But, gradually the interval shortens with increasing intensity and duration. Clinically, the normal
labor pains are said to be good if they come at intervals of 3-5 minutes and last for about 30-45 seconds. This happens as a chain reaction due to hormonal changes in the body with the beginning of the labor. During
Pregnancy intensity of the pains increases over time as you move on from the second stage of labor to the terminal phase. In addition, you experience the spontaneous or voluntary expulsive efforts (Ferguson Reflex) with the progressive descent of the fetus.
Giving Birth or delivery mechanism involves separation of the baby from the mother’s body. This can be achieved either by voluntary bearing down efforts (normal delivery) or through assisted
delivery under the supervision of doctors or a team of experienced obstetrician, anesthetist and nursing staff in hospitals.
The management of labor is the most important part of
Giving Birth. The labor events have got great psychological, emotional and social impact on the woman and her family. Therefore, the caregivers should be tactful, sensitive and emotionally supportive to the patient.
Gentleness, patience and care are the prerequisites for assisting a birth process. Encouragement, emotional support and adequate pain relief is important during the entire course of labor.
Careful monitoring of the progress of labor, maternal condition and fetal behavior is necessary so as to detect any deviation from the normal. If there is any sign of fetal distress during
childbirth or in cases of forceps delivery, an episiotomy may be performed.
In normal conditions, a pregnant woman is free to select birthing options and preferences. Before
Giving Birth, she can take decisions about hospitals and atmosphere during labor and delivery, health care providers, pain management facilities, types of assisted delivery and even, after-birth care facilities for the new-born.
