Independent Living

Day #27:)

Background knowledge

• Today you will use your background knowledge in:• Signs of Pregnancy• Prenatal Development• Changes to the mom

• Now we will build on these concepts to further understand labor and delivery options.

Signs of labor

• Baby “drops”

• Braxton Hicks contractions

• Cervix changes• Soft (effacement) and opens (dilatation)

• Mucus plug/bloody show

• Water breaks

• When your contractions become increasingly longer, stronger, and closer together. They may be as far apart as every ten minutes or so in the beginning, but they won't stop or ease up no matter what you do. And in time, they'll become more painful and closer together.

Signs of labor

• Whether you think you are in labor or not…call the doctor right away if…

• Your water breaks or you suspect that you're leaking amniotic fluid. Tell your practitioner if it's yellow, brown, or greenish, because this signals the presence of meconium.

• You notice that your baby is less active.

• You have vaginal bleeding (unless it's just bloody show — mucus with a spot or streak of blood), constant severe abdominal pain, or fever.

• You start having contractions before 37 weeks or have any other signs of preterm labor.

• You have severe or persistent headaches, vision changes, intense pain or tenderness in your upper abdomen, abnormal swelling, or any other symptoms of preeclampsia.

Contractions

• With clothespins….• With your pointer finger and your thumb

open and close the clothespin. Keep opening and closing it continuously for 1 minute and then rest 30 seconds, and go again for another minute.

• How do you think this represents Braxton-Hicks contractions and regular labor contractions?

• Balloon• How might a balloon represent a cervix and

uterus?

Cervix - Lifesaver

• Everyone will take a lifesaver and put in their mouth. You can only suck on the lifesaver and not chew on it and swallow until I say that you can.

• Notice how the lifesaver looks and feels in your mouth to begin with.

• How does this represent what is happening in the cervix?

Lifesaver…

• Effacement – thin and soft (inside of your lips)• Before labor your cervix feels like the tip

of your nose

• Dilatation – wide and open

• What does the lifesaver look like/feel like now?

Cervix changes

Role of placenta

• The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply.

• The “Restaurant/Restroom” organ.

• What happens if the placenta is located in a different part of the uterus?

Stages of Labor

First stage: contractions that cause the cervix to be fully dilated

How many cm must Mom be to push?• Early labor (thins and opens) and Active

labor (stronger, longer, closer together)

The second stage of labor begins when you're fully dilated and ends with the birth of your baby. This is sometimes referred to as the "pushing" stage.

The third stage begins right after the birth of your baby and ends with the delivery of the placenta.

Animation: labor

Video: Birth and Labor

What are some ways that labor could slow down and not progress?

What could be done to help this process?

Epidurals

• Why would you use an epidural?

• How many of you would consider using an epidural?

• Epidural techniques frequently involve injection of drugs through a catheter placed into the epidural space. The injection can result in a loss of sensation—including the sensation of pain—by blocking the transmission of signals through nerves in or near the spinal cord.

• Getting an Epidural

Birthing Options

• Natural (home or hospital)• With no medication given

• Water birth (home or hospital)• Cannot use any medication (including

epidural)

• Birthing Centers with Midwives

• Epidural (hospital)

• C-Section (hospital)

• Induction (hospital)

Birth Stories

Colton Roger Paul – March 23 – 8 lbs, 7 oz, 21 inches, born at 9:13 AM

Birth Stories

Carter Paul – July 25– 9 lbs, 6 oz, 21 1/4 inches, born at 7:52 AM

Birth Videos

• Epidural Birth

• Natural Birth

• C-Section Birth

• Home/Water Birth

Reflection

• Ticket out the Door

• 1. List 2 of the many signs of labor.

• 2. What are the two terms that describe the cervix in active labor?

• 3. How many stages are there in labor and delivery?

• 4. During what stage is the baby born in?

• 5. What was the most interesting thing you learned today?