The Birth Process

After nine months of gestationThe new life is ready to be born

During these first nine months..

* One cell has grown to over 200,000,000

*The baby weighs 6,ooo,ooo,ooo times more than the fertilized egg

*Its growth has caused extensive pressure on his mother’s internal organs (bladder, rectum, intestines, stomach, liver, kidneys, etc.* Its parents are anxiously awaiting his birth.

By the end of the seventh month

The baby weighs 2 to 2 1/3 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long.

Late in the seventh month, the baby becomes “viable”. This means his organs are formed enough for him to live if born. He will need to spend time in an incubator if born now.

His arms and legs can move freely.

By the end of the ninth month

The baby weighs 7 to 9 pounds and is 18 to 20 inches long.

He has been turned head down in the mother’s uterus, is extremely cramped, and is preparing for birth

All body organs have developed to function on their own.

During these first nine months..* One egg cell the size of pencil dot and fertilized by a sperm that is 1/2500th

that size, has grown to over 200,000,000 cells

*The baby weighs 6,ooo,ooo,ooo times more than the fertilized egg

*His growth has caused extensive pressure on his mother’s internal organs (bladder, rectum, intestines, stomach, liver, kidneys, etc.

* His parents are anxiously awaiting his birth.

*The sex of the baby , which was determined by the male, has been permanently set since birth.

It’s time… 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 trimesters• These 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

Look out world..Here I come!!!

Mommy knows I’m ready to arrive because she’s having contractions that are getting closer and closer together

Here I am in my mother’s uterus waiting to be born.

Contractions: also known as labor pains; when the muscles of the uterus begin tightening in preparation for birth

See how cramped I am, my head is down in the birth canal so I can give mommy a little more comfort and me a little more room.

First stage of Labor

Mild contractions (tightenings in the muscles of the uterus) signal the beginning of the first stage of labor.

At this point, the cervix (entrance of the uterus) begins to open

The cervix will dilate (open) to 10cm (about 4 inches).

The first stage continuesIn 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”

Second stage of Labor

By the time this stage begins, the cervix has dilated to 4 inches.

The contractions are very strong and are occurring more frequently.

At the end of this stage, the contractions will push the baby through the cervix and into the vagina.

Second stage of Labor

By the time this stage begins, the cervix has dilated to 4 inches.

The contractions are very strong and are occurring more frequently.

At the end of this stage, the contractions will push the baby through the cervix and into the vagina.

Still second stage of LaborBirth: the act of being born

My head is coming first – whew, that’s a good sign!

If my feet or shoulders come first, I am “transverse” and that can cause a problem for mommy and me.

I’ve slowly passed from the uterus and through the cervix and made my way out through the vagina to enter the world.

The doctor can see my head crowning.

It’s me!

I’m through the vagina and into the world!

I am born – hear me cry!..

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.

But mom still isn’t done…..… The Third Stage of Labor

Contractions continue to get the umbilical cord and the placenta out of mom’s body. This is called the afterbirth. If the afterbirth remains in the uterus, it could cause serious infection for the mother.

Wait a minute! The baby is still connected to mom!

The doctor (or daddy) gets to cut the umbilical cord about 2 inches from my body. (No it doesn’t hurt the baby.)

The umbilical cord will eventually dry up and fall off like a scab from a wound and will become the baby’s belly button.

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.)

What causes twins?Fraternal twins: produced by

fertilization of two different ova which leave the ovary at about the same time; each twin has its own membrane, placenta,and umbilical cord

Fraternal twins can be:

*Opposite sex or same sex

* Different hair color or same hair color

Is there another kind of twin?

have their own umbilical cord;

Identical twins: occur when a single fertilized ovum separates into TWO equal masses;

Identical twins started as the same fertilized egg.

they share the same placenta

are genetic copies of each other and are the same sex

Is there another kind of twin?

have their own umbilical cord;

These occur when a single fertilized ovum separates but for some reason as it divides, the babies stay joined in certain places.

Conjoined twins started as the same fertilized egg same as identical twins.

Like identical twins, they share the same placenta

are genetic copies of each other and are the same sex

So now you know…

The stork doesn’t bring the babies!