Natural childbirth: the stages from the first pains to the birth of the baby
Natural childbirth is that type of childbirth that involves the birth of the child vaginally, without the use of stimuli or aids such as the suction cup to extract the child or the induction of contractions. position of the baby, or due to the physical health of the mother, it is just a matter of waiting for the baby to be born naturally, at the end of its weeks of growth in the belly. Natural birth consists of several phases, from the first contractions and pains (with rupture of water) to dilation, up to labor and the expulsive phase, which provides for the baby's exit. Before discovering everything there is to know about natural childbirth, discover this video to understand which type of birth is best to choose.
A video to understand when natural childbirth can be done
In this video, you can find out when it is possible to choose natural birth, and when it is better to choose a caesarean delivery. Tata Simona describes the stages of childbirth, the possible pharmacological and medical aids, such as the epidural, and the types of births you can choose from, including water births or even home births. Collect all the information to understand , also based on your health and that of the baby, which birth is best done.
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Natural childbirth: pain and dilation, the first phase begins
The first phase of a natural birth begins with the pains, the sign of the first contractions, due to the anatomical changes of the neck of the uterus which flattens and dilates. During the early stages of labor the contractions are usually sporadic, one every hour or so, and intensify as the time of delivery approaches. Delivery is near. when you get to a contraction every 15 minutes. By means of the contractions, the dilation of the cervix begins, thus opening the passage to the baby. In some cases, it is decided to stimulate labor with the use of different methods, and in that case we speak of induced birth. When actual labor begins, the cervix is completely flattened and, thanks to increasingly intense contractions, it dilates until it reaches about 10 centimeters in diameter. In this way the uterus and vagina form the birth canal through which the baby will come out. Up to 4-6 centimeters of dilation, the contractions are usually quite spaced and bearable.
Second stage of childbirth: labor
It is in the second phase of labor that the contractions become more painful and close together, and cause the cervix to dilate completely. This phase can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours. When the cervix has opened 3-4 hours. centimeters, epidural anesthesia can be performed, which involves introducing a local anesthetic into the space between the lumbar vertebrae. The epidural is used more and more to avoid the typical pains of natural childbirth. When the dilation of the cervix is around 8-10 centimeters, the contractions can be very intense and close to each other. The final phase of labor usually lasts from 30 minutes to two hours and is the most difficult to bear, because between contractions you don't have time to rest. the circumference of the child's head, the expulsive phase begins, ie that of the thrusts. The dilation period has a variable duration from 2 to 8-10 hours.
The expulsion of the child and the afterbirth: the last stages of natural childbirth
On average, the phase of expulsion of the child, that is the actual birth thanks to the mother's pushes, lasts from 30 minutes to two hours and begins when the cervix has dilated completely and has the task of making the unborn child proceed long. the birth canal, a muscle-mucosal structure, composed of the bones of the small pelvis, the ischium and the ileum and in the back part of the sacrum and coccyx. In the first phase, which lasts a maximum of one hour, the vagina is not yet stretched and the mother does not feel the need to push. The expulsive phase begins when the dilation is complete. The contractions are favored by oxytocin, a hormone that is naturally produced by the body as a result of the nerve stimuli coming from the dilation of the uterus. The baby is expelled from the uterus through the vagina both through uterine contractions and through the efforts of the mother, who pushes. In the event that the baby's head is greater than the dilation of the uterus, in this phase, in order not to tire the mother too much or to avoid lacerations of the perineum, an episiotomy is used. Usually the baby is born going out with the head first. "help from a" midwife. When the baby comes out of the mother's womb, the placenta and umbilical cord are also expelled, which is usually cut by the midwife. The final stage of expulsion of the placenta and membranes is called afterbirth. "uterus shrinks over time until it returns to normal: the period from the birth of the baby to the return of the menstrual cycle is called the puerperium.
How to cope with the pains of childbirth? A video explains it to you
Are childbirth pains inevitable? How is it possible to have a natural birth without suffering too much? In this video you can discover the most common solutions, including epidural or spinal injection. Other ideas, much less common, are for example acupuncture or massages. Follow the video with Nanny Simona and discover all the ways to overcome the pains of childbirth.
