Mark Twain Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint
When the baby is still relatively small, before about 32 weeks, she has room to change positions frequently. After this most babies settle into their preferred position, and it’s important to know what it is, since this can profoundly affect the birth. HEAD DOWN This is the best position for birth, and more than 95 [...]
When it comes to giving birth, an upright position is best, as it enlists the aid of gravity to help to push your baby out. You may want to stick to one position or try a few out; do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. There’s a variety of positions in which you can give [...]
Recent years have seen a move away from hospital births with pain relief, and women now have greater choice about the circumstances in which they gave birth. NATURAL BIRTH Those who favour giving birth without drugs believe that birth is a natural, healthy process, which women’s bodies are equipped to deal with on their own. [...]
A vaginal breech labour is always considered a trial of labour and is allowed to proceed only as long as it progresses normally. Some doctors will not use syntocinon if progress slows, because this could be an indicator that the baby is too large for the vaginal route. Any deviation from normal labour will mean [...]
Many women feel their contractions most strongly in their backs. This is usually because the baby isn’t in the most common position for labour but in the occiput posterior position, in which she faces away from her mother’s spine and the occiput (back of head) presses against the spine. Back labour can be relieved by [...]
There are several types of labour in which progress is slow or nonexistent. These include delayed first stage labour and protracted active phase. DELAYED FIRST STAGE LABOUR A diagnosis of delay in the first stage of labour needs to take in all aspects of progress and is not just a set time. Relevant factors taht [...]
Not all labours occur at term (between 37 and 41 weeks after your last menstrual period). If regular contractions start before 37 weeks and occur at a rate of six or more in an hour and don’t settle with rest, you may be having premature labour. Because the baby may not be mature enough to [...]
Once your pregnancy has been confirmed, one of the first things you’ll want to know is when your baby will be born. Your pregnancy, which is described as being 40 weeks ling – according to Naegele’s rule of dating – is dated from the first day of your last mentrual period (LMP). DATING PREGNANCY In [...]
Cesarean section is an operation to deliver a beby from the mother’s uterous through a horizontal or, less commonly, a vertical incision in the abdomen. A cesarean section is performed if vaginal delivery would be difficult or dangerous for the mother or the baby, for example, if there is fetal distress, placenta praevia, or pre-eclampsia. [...]
Are you pregnant? This could be helpful to you to understand what is happening inside your body. PREGNANCY TIMELINE Weeks 1-4 Fertilisation occurs and a ball of quickly multiplying cells embeds itself in the lining of the uterus. In the UK pregnancy is calculated from the first day of the woman’s last period so for [...]