Homeschool Health: Stages of Labor and Delivery

Stages of Labor and Delivery

Every woman's experience is unique. Below are typical guidelines that will help you understand what to expect during labor and delivery.

• Normal labor can begin 3 weeks prior to the anticipated due date up until 2 weeks afterward.
• There is no way to precisely predict when labor will begin.
• In the first stage of labor, the cervix dilates and effaces (thins out). Once contractions begin, they usually increase in strength, duration, and frequency.
• The second stage of labor begins when the cervix is completely (10 centimeters) dilated. It ends when, following expulsive efforts (pushing) by the mother, the infant is delivered.
• During the third stage of labor, the placenta and membranes are delivered.
• There are a number of methods for monitoring the fetus that may be used during labor.
• Options for pain control during labor include breathing exercises, imagery, relaxation techniques, medications, and regional anesthesia.

Home births are on the rise. 

You need to be prepared. 

Emergency Child Birth Kit

The kits contain a bar of soap, a plastic sheet, a razor blade, an umbilical cord tie, cloth, and latex gloves. These items provide mothers with a sanitary place to give birth and the tools to care for themselves and their babies after delivery.

Water Births

Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and improved blood circulation resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother, and more oxygen for the baby. Immersion in water often helps lower high blood pressure caused by anxiety.

When planning where you want to give birth, make sure to check they offer water birth if that is what you wish.

Breathing Techniques for Childbirth

Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.

Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. ...

Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. ...

Do this breathing in between or during contractions.

Close your lips and inhale through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound for a count of eight. This completes one cycle.

When a contraction starts, breathe in slowly through your nose, drawing the air as deeply into your lungs and belly as you can. Pause for a moment, then exhale slowly through your mouth. As you exhale, try to relax your muscles – you could try focusing on a different part of your body with each exhalation.

1 - breathe in for a count of 7. 2 - then breathe out for a count of 11. Make sure that when you are breathing in, you are doing deep 'diaphragmatic breathing' (your diaphragm moves down and pushes your stomach out as you take in a breath) rather than shallower higher lung breathing.

Many types of massage can help because they increase your endorphin levels. Self-massage or massage from your support person can help release tension. You can try:

• light, rhythmic, circular stroking of your abdomen (effleurage)
• gentle muscle massage of your shoulders, back, legs, or feet
• deep, steady pressure or circular massage with fists or heels of the hands-on your lower back—this helps if you have back labor
• firm, long strokes down your arms or thighs in time with your breathing
• temple and head massage

Progressive relaxation is one way you can relax your muscles as much as possible.

• Make your space comfortable—warm, peaceful, and safe with no distractions.
• Start at one end of your body—either your head or feet. Tense your muscles for 5 seconds at a time and then relax them for at least 10–15 seconds. When you tense your muscles, breathe in. Work your way through all the muscle groups of your body.
• When you relax your muscles, breathe out. As you breathe out, imagine all the tension flowing out of your body with your breath.
• Think about the muscles that you’ve relaxed. Let them become soft, loose, and warm.

Infant CPR

Infant CPR is done when an infant is unconscious, they're unresponsive, and they're not breathing. When we do CPR, we're keeping the blood and oxygen moving through the body with our compressions and our rescue breathing, until more advanced training can take over.

	1. Shout and Tap Shout and gently tap the child on the shoulder. If there is no response and not breathing or not breathing normally, position the infant on his or her back and begin CPR.
	2. Give 30 Compressions Give 30 gentle chest compressions at the rate of 100-120/minute. Use two or three fingers in the center of the chest just below the nipples. Press down approximately one-third the depth of the chest (about 1 and a half inches).
	3. Open The Airway Open the airway using a head tilt lifting of the chin. Do not tilt the head too far back
	4. Give 2 Gentle Breaths If the baby is not breathing or not breathing normally, cover the baby's mouth and nose with your mouth and give 2 gentle breaths. Each breath should be 1 second long. You should see the baby's chest rise with each breath.
CONTINUE WITH 30 PUMPS AND 2 BREATHS UNTIL HELP ARRIVES