Birth

The experience of birth is a life changing event, especially for parents who are experiencing it for the first time.

As a woman prepares for the baby’s birth, Braxton Hicks contractions increase, the cervix becomes thinner, and there is a strong desire for the pregnancy to end. Braxton Hicks contractions are a tightening in the abdomen that comes and goes. They are contractions of your uterus in preparation for giving birth. They tone the muscles in your uterus and may also help prepare the cervix for birth. Women may also begin nesting and experience bursts of energy as their due date approaches.

There are three stages of birth. The first lasts about 12 to 24 hours. Contractions begin about 15-20 minutes apart. They occur closer together as birth nears. The cervix dilates to about 4 inches. This allows the baby to move from the uterus to the birth canal.

The second stage lasts approximately 45 minutes to an hour. The baby moves through the cervix and the birth canal. Contractions come almost every minute. The baby is born!

The third stage lasts only minutes. The placenta, umbilical cord, and other membranes are detached and expelled.

Women can use medicine, birthing strategies, and people to help provide support during the birthing process.

Doulas are professionals trained in childbirth who assist a woman before, during, and after her pregnancy.

Mothers experience less pain, anxiety, and depression when provided with this support.

Midwives are medically trained professionals who assist the mother prenatally and throughout the entire birthing process. As midwives have gained popularity, many women choose to deliver in a birthing center with a midwife attending rather than in a sterile hospital room under a doctor’s care.

There are three types of medications commonly used during the birthing process. Analgesics alleviate pain. Anesthesia blocks pain. Oxytocics are synthetic hormones used to stimulate contractions and speed up labor.

Natural childbirth tends to reduce a mother’s pain by decreasing her fear. Prepared childbirth is like natural childbirth, but a special breathing technique is used in the final stage of labor. The Lamaze method is the most well-known method. Women are educated to understand what is happening with their bodies and to use breathing/relaxation techniques to help manage the pain.

Nearly one in four U.S. births are c-sections. The baby is removed from the uterus through an incision in the abdomen. C-sections are procedures that are performed when the baby is breech (feet first), the head is too large, vaginal bleeding has occurred, the baby is in distress, the mother is in distress, the mother has an STD, the mother has had a prior c section, or in the case of multiple births.

In today’s world, many fathers are trained to coach the mother during labor and siblings are given information prior to the birth to help address the child’s emotions and behaviors in an age-appropriate way. The most common method that places the father in the role of labor coach is the Bradley Method (Berk, 2017; Crain, 2011).