The Birth Process

A baby is born

Created by Mrs. Jane ZiembaPerryville Middle School

After 266 days… A human pregnancy from

conception to birth of the baby lasts about 266 days (about 38 weeks).

Most all babies are born within 11 days of this due date.

Most babies stop growing around day 260, and this starts the hormone change which helps to start labor.

The trimestersThese 38 weeks are divided into trimesters.The first trimester (months 1 to 3) may be

rough for the mother.

She may have nausea or “morning sickness” as well as other problems as her hormones and her body adjusts to the new life within her.The second trimester (months 4, 5, & 6) is a very comfortable time for the mother

The third trimester is a time of weight gain and growth for the baby which makes the mother very uncomfortable

The beginning signs….As the time for birth nears, the fetus is very cramped. The fetus turns its head downwards and fits snugly into the mother's pelvis.

This is called lightening, and the mother begins to feel relief from the pressure on her stomach, heart, and lungs.

LIGHTENING: the sensation a pregnant woman experiences when the fetus settles into the birth position

False LaborAs her due date approaches, the mother may feel false labor. This is common. Labor is the hardest of all physical efforts, and once it begins, the woman

cannot rest until it is finished.  FALSE LABOR: warm-up contractions that many women experience before the birth process

Labor begins as the woman's hormones cause her uterine muscles to contract powerfully and rhythmically. There are three stages to labor.

The first stage of LaborThe first stage of labor is the

longest stage and is known as the dilation stage

In a first pregnancy, this stage averages about 10 1/2 hours. In later pregnancies, it averages about 6 1/2 hours.

DILATION STAGE: the FIRST STAGE of labor during which the cervix is dilating (opening) wide enough (4 inches) for the fetus to exit

The first stage continues

In this first stage, contractions become more and more powerful and closer and closer together.

This means that the amniotic sac that holds the amniotic fluid has ruptured. Depending upon the size and location of

the tear, the fluid either trickles out or gushes out

Sometime during this first stage of labor, the pressure of the the contractions causes the mother’s “water to break”

A transition occurs

Near the end of this stage, a transition occurs.

During the first stage of labor, the contractions start out weaker, further apart, and shorter in length.

The mother is feels the pressure of the baby as he moves through the fully opened cervix to position himself in the vaginal canal.

TRANSITION: a time when the contractions begin to get stronger, closer together, and longer in length

The second stage of labor

In this stage the baby's head is seen crowning, the amniotic sac of waters breaks (if it hasn’t), and the baby is born. This stage takes about one hour.

During the second stage of labor, the contractions are still more powerful. This stage is known as the expulsion stage.

EXPULSION STAGE: the SECOND STAGE of labor during which the involuntary contractions and pushing of the abdominal muscles push the infant through the birth canal

CROWNING: the moment in which the top (crown) of the baby's head is first seen

Still during the second stage of labor

The mother normally receives a mild anesthetic before the episiotomy is made.

Sometimes the physician or midwife needs to do an episiotomy, to help the baby's passage.

EPISIOTOMY: a surgical cut made at the vaginal opening during childbirth when the vagina cannot stretch enough without tearing to allow the baby to pass

An episiotomy prevents tearing at the vaginal opening, which can cause problems for the mother.

The Third Stage of Labor

In the third stage of labor (placental stage), there are several final contractions that expel the placenta or afterbirth.

PLACENT AL STAGE: the THIRD STAGE of labor in which the placenta is expelled

AFTERBIRTH: the placenta, umbilical cord, and membranes that are expelled AFTER the BIRTH of the baby

The baby arrives

Upon delivery of the baby, the umbilical cord is clamped off and cut. The baby is checked for vital functions, and drops of silver nitrate are put into its eyes to prevent blindness from possible gonorrhea that the mother might have.

If the mother is alert and awake for delivery, the baby will be too. If the mother is groggy from medication, the baby will receive the same medication through the placenta, and will be sleepy.

Cesarean SectionOccasionally, the physician needs to

perform a Cesarean Section (C-section) because of problems with the birth.

In the United States, approximately 24-28% of the births involve Cesarean Section and this

number is increasing.

CESAREAN SECTION: surgical childbirth, in which the infant is taken through a cut in the woman's abdomen

Why do a Cesarean Section?

* A baby who is too large to pass safely through the mother's pelvis may require a Cesarean Section. * Other problems, such as excessive stress on

the baby or signs that the mother is bleeding excessively, may also involve a Cesarean

Section. * A breech birth is a rare occasion that may result in a Cesarean Section. Only about half the breech births require a Cesarean Section.

BREECH BIRTH: a birth in which the infant is born in a position other than the normal headfirst position (the feet, hind end, or shoulders are born before the head.)