Like pregnancy is divided into three trimesters, natural birth too can be sectioned into three stages.
1) Contractions
2) Labor and delivery and
3) Placenta delivery
First stage
Contractions in the uterus signal commencement of the first stage. These contractions happen in rhythm, followed by relaxation of the muscles, and occur to dilate the cervix (opening of the uterus) to enable the infant to come out. This stage has two main phases, the early or latent phase and active labor.
Latent phase: The cervix slowly things out and then dilates. There is no telling how long it will last; it differs depending on the strength of your contradictions and the compliance of your cervix. If it’s your first offspring, then this phase will likely last for over 6 hours. Some may go up to even 12 hours. The rate of contractions is about one in every ten to twenty minutes and each lasts about half a minute. The cervix dilates up to about 3 cm.
Active labor: This is after the cervix is dilated. By this time you should be at the hospital or with a caregiver. This phase is characterized by rapid, more frequent (about every 5 minutes) contractions which also last longer (45 seconds to one minute) and are stronger than before.
The dilation of the cervix is about 4 to 7 cm. At the highest point of labor, the cervix can dilate up to 10 cm and contractions will reach a rate of one in every 30-90 seconds. Contractions will also last from one minute to two minutes. The baby begins its short journey downwards.
Second stage
The second stage comes with the descent of the baby. If your baby is quite low in your pelvis area, you will instinctively get the urge to push it out. The contractions will help you to time each push. You can try different positions, to be comfortable when pushing. Contractions at this stage occur every 2 to 5 minutes and last over a minute, usually. If the passage is not open enough, your doctor will have to cut the vaginal opening slightly to ease delivery.
If the infant is not positioned properly (or ‘breeched’) a midwife has a lot on her hands. Sometimes, a caesarean may be necessary. If there are no problems, at this end of this stage, your baby will have emerged.
Third stage
The third stage is about delivering the placenta. Minutes after delivering the baby, you will again experience contractions. You will be asked to gently push the placenta out and it will be a piece of cake after what you’ve just gone through. Sometimes, it may be pulled out gently by the caregiver. If it’s not removed completely, infection or even bleeding can occur.
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