Your Complete Guide to Child Birth

 

Childbirth is when pregnancy ends, and babies are delivered vaginally or by cesarean section. In most developed countries, deliveries occur in hospitals while in the developing world, many births take place at home with the support of a traditional birth attendant, who is also referred to as a doula.

A childbirth class involves teaching about the signs of labor, stages of labour, pain management during labor, stages of childbirth and possible complications. This guide covers everything from the process of fertilization to the end, where we discuss the aftercare of the mother post-birth.

Fertilization

The existence of any form of life is extremely fascinating to humans. Every living being on this planet is a result of sexual reproduction, which means, it is by the fusion of the male sperm and female egg. Fertilization occurs when a sperm fuses with an egg during intercourse which further develops and gets implanted in the uterus.

Also, Read – Difference Between PCOD vs PCOS

The sperm basically travels through the fallopian tubes where it fuses with the female gamete which is the egg to form a zygote. This zygote keeps on taking nutrition from the parent body and grows into the embryo and gets implanted in the uterus, which results in pregnancy. This is the basic process of fertilization.

Labour

The embryo develops in the uterus over the course of 9 months or 40 weeks. After the embryo is a full-grown baby, and is ready to come out, the mother starts entering the first stage of labor which is dilation. Dilation can take place at varying time periods. With uterine contractions, the pain intensifies for the mother. As labor progresses, these contractions become more intense and will increase in frequency till the cervix has achieved 10cm dilation. First-time mothers usually take long to achieve full dilation.

Also, Read - Medical Termination of Pregnancy

The second stage is the expulsion, which is when the cervix is fully dilated by the force of involuntary uterine contractions. The mother begins pushing and try to contract their abdominal muscles. The child passes through the birthing canal. The terminal phase of this stage is when the child’s head distends, and maternal tissues are dilated.

The third stage is the placental stage. After the delivery, the site where the placenta is attached becomes diminishingly small with the hope that the placenta detaches itself. After a few contractions the placenta is forced into the vagina from which is it expelled by bearing-down efforts.

After Care

Immediately after the birth, the child is kept on the chest of the mother for a skin-to-skin contact, while doctors examine if the patient has tears in the vaginal wall which might need stitching. At this point women may feel elated, exhausted, emotionally drained, or all at once which is completely normal after birthing.

Also, Read - Fruits to Avoid During Pregnancy

The perineum might be swollen for the next 24 hours after delivery. The mother can try to bring this under control by using the rice technique which is: -

R- Rest to help reduce pain and swelling

I-Apply ice pack every 2-4 hours to reduce the swelling

C-Compression wearing firm fitted underwear and 2-3 maternity pads for support

E- exercise, within the first few days.

Now that you are a parent to a gorgeous baby. Be sure to visit the best pediatrician in Hyderabad to get an overall checkup done for the baby and get all doses of vaccinations.  

Also, Read - BABY IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE