Labor

1
Labor Delivery

• For 9 months, the unborn child has been
  developing within the womb. Now the fetus is
  prepared to make an exit.

2
Lightening

• Birth in human beings typically occurs 270 days
  after conception, near the end of a full 9
  months. Shortly before birth the fetus usually
  rotates into a head-downward position. This
  movement is referred to as lightening because it
  releases pressure on the mother's abdomen.

3
Stages of Labor

• Labor is commonly divided into three stages that
  typically overlap each other. For women giving
  birth for the first time, labor will usually last
  between 12 and 24 hours, with an average of 14
  hours. However, for women who have given birth
  before, labor usually averages only 6 hours.
• Stage 1
• Contractions begin
• Amniotic sac ruptures
• Stage 2
• The Cervix opens
• Baby begins to move down the birth canal
• Birth of the baby
• Stage 3
• After birth
•  

4
Stage 1

• Lasts, on the average, about 13 hours for a woman
  having her first child, uterine contractions
  begin.
• It was discovered that the levels of a certain
  enzyme increase dramatically as labor starts.
  This enzyme chews up the collagen that holds
  together the fetal membrane, which in turn causes
  the amniotic sac to rupture (commonly referred to
  as the time when a woman's "water breaks.") The
  contractions associated with the rupture are
  usually spaced from 10 to 20 minutes apart.
  Initially the contractions are gentle, but they
  tend to become more powerful and sometimes
  uncomfortable. 

5
Stage 2

• The second stage of labor usually lasts about 90
  minutes.
• The cervix opens sufficiently and the baby begins
  to move down the birth canal.
• At this point, if the mother has been well
  prepared, she may use her abdominal muscles to
  help push the baby along.
• Although the second stage of labor usually takes
  about 90 minutes, the average time in an upright
  position is only 30 minutes.
• At the end of the second stage of labor, the baby
  is born.

6
Birth

• During birth, the human fetus is forced through
  the birth canal under extreme pressure and is
  intermittently deprived of oxygen.
• During this time, the baby secretes the hormones
  adrenaline and noradrenaline at levels that are
  higher than they are likely to be at any other
  time throughout his or her life.
• Adrenaline helps open up the lungs, dry out the
  bronchi, and thus achieve the switch from a
  liquid to an air environment.
• Noradrenaline, which is especially prevalent,
  slows the heartbeat, enabling the fetus to
  withstand fairly lengthy oxygen deprivation.

7
Cesarean Births

• Approximately 23 of all births in the United
  States are Cesarean sections.
• Babies delivered by Cesarean section are brought
  out of the mother surgically and do not pass
  through the birth canal. Interestingly these
  infants often have respiratory problems. One
  reason for such problems might be that the infant
  has not benefited from the usual stress of birth!
  

8
Positioning of the baby

• About 97 of babies are born in the head-first
  position.
• 2.4 of babies are born butt first this is
  called a breech birth.
• During a breech birth, great care must be taken
  to avoid damage to the baby's head, which is the
  most difficult part of the infant's body to pass
  through the birth canal.

9
3rd Stage

• Following the exit of the infant, the third stage
  of labor occurs, during which the placenta is
  expelled. The placenta and other expelled
  materials are called the afterbirth.