Episiotomy is the procedure of enlarging the vaginal opening to accomodate the birth of the baby. With an episiotomy, a doctor or midwife cuts the perineum as the fetal head is about to be born. The perineum is the tissue…
Tag: Labor
Pain Relief in Labor
Only in some very rare individuals is labor not associated with considerable pain. The pain that most women experience during childbirth has been written and talked about for centuries. It makes quite an impression on almost all women. Most women…
Forceps and Vacuum Extractors
Occasionally, during the pushing stage of labor (second stage), a baby will be close to being born, but “not quite there yet”. This is often the most stressful time for a mother or baby. A mother may be exhausted or…
Hemorrhage
Throughout history, blood loss after delivery and its associated complications have accounted for more maternal deaths than any other reason except infection. This is no longer the case when a woman is cared for by a competent clinician supported by…
Shoulder Dystocia
In a small percentage of births, the baby’s shoulder will become locked under the mother’s pubic bone immediately after delivery of the head. The doctor or midwife may be unable to deliver the baby with the usual hand skills. Every…
Fetal Distress
Fetal distress is the term applied to the condition of the fetus who is exhibiting heart rate signs of poor oxygenation. Another synonymous phrase is “fetal intolerance to labor”. Both of these terms emerged with the advent of the electronic…
Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion
“Cephalo-” means head, and refers to the fetus’s head. CPD refers to a fetal head which is too big to fit through the mother’s pelvic bones. Cases of true CPD will not result in vaginal birth. Borderline cases of CPD…
Failure to Progress
This term, failure to progress, is simply that. Dilatation of the cervix and descent of the fetus fail to occur despite efforts to correct it. In the recent past, this diagnosis has taken some criticism due its use (or overuse)…
Protractions and Arrests of Dilatation
Protractions and arrests of dilatation happen much more commonly with first-time mothers than with experienced mothers. It’s as though the uterus is inexperienced during the first labor. As many as 30% of first-time mothers will have a protraction or arrest…
Prolonged Latent Phase
If you have been contracting regularly for a period of 20 hours (14 hours if you’ve had a baby before) without a measurable change in your cervix, your midwife or doctor may make a diagnosis of “prolonged latent phase”. Under…