Pregnancy and Childbirth Emergencies

Pregnancy and Childbirth

A baby is born in a three-stage process called labour. It can be hard to tell when labour has started, but it has probably begun when one of the following happens:

• The uterus contracts at regular intervals starting at ten to twenty minutes, with contractions getting increasingly stronger and closer together.
• Amniotic fluid comes out of the vagina, which means the amniotic sac has broken. This is also known as the “water breaking.” There may be a trickle or a rush of fluid.
• Blood and mucus come from the vagina. This is referred to as the “bloody show” which means that the mucus plug that had sealed the cervix has come out because the cervix has started to open.

Stage 1: Early Labour – Opening of the Cervix

The first stage of labour, called early labour, involves muscular contractions that may begin as an aching feeling in the lower back. As contractions get stronger, they feel like cramps in the lower abdomen. Contractions cause the cervix to open or dilate.

The cervix has to dilate until the opening is about 10 cm across before the fetus can be pushed down the birth canal, which is the second stage of labour.

The time frame of the first stage of labour can vary considerably, making it difficult to know when the baby will be born: babies are not known for following any sort of preset and predictable timeline.

Usually, if it is the first baby, there will be enough time to reach the hospital to deliver. Subsequent births are usually faster, with early labour being considerably shorter than with the first child.

Stage 2: Birth of the Baby

The second stage of labour begins when the cervix is fully dilated, and the contractions start to push the fetus out of the uterus and through the vagina. When the baby’s head is close to the vaginal opening, the mother may feel a tremendous urge to push the fetus out.

Usually, the fetus’ head is born first, then one shoulder, then the other shoulder, and then the rest of the body is pushed out quite quickly. The baby will still be connected to the mother by the umbilical cord attached to the placenta, which is still in the uterus.

This second stage of labour ends when the baby is born. As with early labour, the time this takes can vary widely.

Stage 3: Delivery of the Placenta

The third stage of labour is the delivery of the placenta, after the baby is born. The uterus gets smaller and pushes the placenta out. Labour is finished when the placenta is delivered. Time for the delivery of the placenta averages around 10 to 20 minutes, but again could be much shorter or longer.