During the second stage of labor the baby is delivered. All of the hard work of the last several months, and the pain and discomfort of labor you have just endured are in preparation of this moment when you get to see your baby in person for the first time.
All of your planning, preparation and support of your birthpartner will have paid off as you get to cuddle the baby that has been inside you for the past nine months.
The first stage of labor ended with the transistion, with the full dilationThe opening of the cervix during labor, caused by the contractions of the uterus. The cervix dilates so that it will be large enough for the baby to pass through the birth canal during delivery.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. of the cervix and the crowningThe term given to the moment when a baby's head first appears in the vagina during delivery, and does not slip back in.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. of your baby marking the transition into the second stage of labor. The next hour or so will end with the delivery of your baby, although for first time mothers it may last as long as two hours, and for subsequent babies can last just fifteen to twenty minutes. Your doctor will carefully monitor your baby's progress through the birth canalThe passage through which the baby passes during delivery from the inlet of the true pelvis to the vaginal orifice.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., and if it is taking too long may choose to intervene by using tools such as a forcepsA medical instrument of which there are many varieties which consists of two handles and two flat sides. They are sometimes used to deliver a baby, especially when speed is necessary to overcome fetal distress, or dystocia. A forceps delivery will leave superficial marks on the baby's head and face which will disappear in a few days.
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By this time in your labor the contractions will last about one to one and a half minutes and will be separated by about two to four minutes. The head of your baby, as it pushes on the pelvic floorThe body wall consisting of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles that is stretched across the pelvic cavity, supporting the abdominal contents, the uterus and is pierced by the anal canal, urethra and vagina.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and rectum will make you want to push. This is an involuntary action and you must restrain yourself, taking care to push slowly and smoothly to make sure that the vaginal tissues and muscles are stretched to fit your baby's head.
Doctors prefer you to deliver your baby lying down because it is easier for them to monitor the progress of your baby and if necessary use forcepsA medical instrument of which there are many varieties which consists of two handles and two flat sides. They are sometimes used to deliver a baby, especially when speed is necessary to overcome fetal distress, or dystocia. A forceps delivery will leave superficial marks on the baby's head and face which will disappear in a few days.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. or other tools. You should try to avoid lying on your back because you will be working against gravity making the second stage much harder work. Instead stand or sit upright during the second stage of labor and you can benefit from the force of gravity helping you push your baby. You may choose to squat, or sit on a birthing stool, or even stand hanging with your arms around your birthpartner's neck.
After each push, take a couple of slow deep breaths and push again. Make sure that the muscles of the pelvic floorThe body wall consisting of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles that is stretched across the pelvic cavity, supporting the abdominal contents, the uterus and is pierced by the anal canal, urethra and vagina.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and anal area are relaxed. It's not uncommon to lose a little stool or urine, but try not to feel embarassed; all of the attendants are medical professionals and are used to the physiological complications of delivery.
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Each contraction will reveal more of your baby's head, and when it stays in place without returning back into the birth canalThe passage through which the baby passes during delivery from the inlet of the true pelvis to the vaginal orifice.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. it is termed crowningThe term given to the moment when a baby's head first appears in the vagina during delivery, and does not slip back in.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. You will probably feel a burning sensation as the vaginal tissue is stretched and you must try to relax and let the contractions push the baby out without your assistance. At this point additional pushing will increase the risk or tearing or the need for an episiotomyA surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the perineum to enlarge the vaginal opening and faciliate delivery of the baby or prevent tearing of the perineum. It is closed with absorbable sutures.
There are two types of episiotomy; the medilateral, cut at 45 degrees with midline, and median cut in the midline. The former offers more room for delivery but is more painful postpartum, while the latter heals more easily, but provides less room for delivery.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Eventually as your baby's head appears, the vaginal tissues will be stretched so thinly that the nerve endings will be blocked acting as a natural anestheticAn agent or process that removes the body's sensitivity to pain. Anesthetics are usually medically administered chemicals, although they include other forms such as hypnosis, or the body's own ability to cause numbness through shock.
Anesthetics can either be local, whereby only a portion of the body or an individual organ is desensitized or general, in which the entire body is desensitized, with the result the patient is often temporarily unconcious.
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Your baby's head will appear face down, and once out of the birth canalThe passage through which the baby passes during delivery from the inlet of the true pelvis to the vaginal orifice.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. it will turn to the left or the right after which your contractions will stop for a minute or so. An attendant will use this time to clean your baby's eyes, nose and mouth, and use a special plastic tool to suck any fluid from the mouth and breathing passages. Your baby will be checked to make sure that the umbilical cordA flexible structure that connects the fetus to the placenta during pregnancy. It carries blood, oxygen, nourishment and waste to the placenta. It is first formed during the fifth week of pregnancy and contains the yolk sac and body stalk.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. is not wrapped around its neck. If it is, it will be loosened and made into a loop so that your baby can pass through. Sometimes it may be too tight, it which case a decision may be made to clamp the cord and cut it at this point.
Your contractions will now resume, with the first one revealing one of your baby's shoulders, and the following one revealing the other shoulder. Now your baby will slide out of the birth canalThe passage through which the baby passes during delivery from the inlet of the true pelvis to the vaginal orifice.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. easily. The attendants standing by will grasp the baby firmly. It will be slippery because it is covered with blood, amniotic fluidThe liquid, which is produced by both the fetal membranes and the fetus that surrounds the baby during pregnancy. The liter of fluid at term serves to protect the fetus during pregnancy and also provide active chemical exchange.
The amniotic fluid consists of maternal and fetal plasma in varying concentrations. The pH of the fluid is almost neutral and clear, although lipids and desquamated fetal cells can make it cloudy.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and vernix caseosaA gray-white waxy substance consisting of sebaceous gland secretions, lanugo and epithelial cells that covers the fetus during the last part of the pregnancy. It is thought to protect the skin of the baby from being submerged in the amniotic fluid as well as providing warmth and heat regulation to the undeveloped fetus.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., which they will wipe down. If the hospital procedures allow, try to hold the baby after birth. This will promote the release of oxytocinOxytocin is a pregnancy hormone that both stimulates breast milk production and stimulates uterine contractions. Synthetic oxytocins have been created to induce labor.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. which will help the uterus contract and begin the delivery of the placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. which marks the third and final stage of labor.
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