It's hip to be round

Student Midwife's Blog

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Understanding and assessing labour progress

I have previously written about how the current framework for understanding and assessing labour progress is inaccurate, not supported by evidence, and fails to incorporate women’s experience of bi…

[themidwifeisin]

How do I know I’m in labor?

Very early signs:

“Nesting” - feeling an intense drive to tidy and clean and make a cozy home

You may lose your mucus plug (it’ll look like a giant lugey, and it might be a little bloody)

Period-poop.  You thought that just cause you weren’t having your period you wouldn’t have to deal with the poop?  Nope.  You’re body’s clearing the way for that baby to use up all the space down there.

Your water might break.  Only 2 out of 10 people have the movie-style pop-and-gush, and often enough the water doesn’t even break until you’re halfway through labor anyway, so don’t be surprised if that doesn’t happen or if all you get is a little, constant trickle of clear/brown/yellow/green fluid.

OK so now I’m in early labor?  What’s next?

Contractions!  I know that’s what you’ve been waiting for, and here they come.  They’ll be irregular and you can still talk and walk through them.  This stage can last anywhere from 2-20 hours, so be prepared.  Eat, sleep, drink, go to the bathroom.  Rest and give yourself the emotional space you need to prepare for labor.

Call your midwife, let her know, but stay home from the hospital/birth center as long as possible.

But how do I know that this is early labor, and not actual true-blue labor?  Contractions during early labor: don’t stop you from talking, allow you to sleep in between, come irregularly, come once every 6 minutes or more, peter out when you walk.

Ok so now this is getting stronger.  Can I go in to the hospital yet?

Wait to call your midwife until you have been having contractions that happen at least once every 5 minutes (once every 3 or 4 is even better) and have been doing so for at least two hours. 

Then, see if you can wait even longer.  Labor is often easier and moves quicker at home, so stick it out for as long as you feel comfortable.

Once you’re at the hospital/birth center/your midwife comes to your home, she may check your cervix if she believes you are in labor.  At the hospital you’ll have your baby’s heart rate and your contraction pattern monitored for at least 20 minutes, and then they’ll decide if it’s time to admit you.  Usually they’ll check you once when you first arrive and then again 2 hours later to see if your cervix is changing.  If it isn’t, they may send you home!  Don’t despair, it’ll happen eventually!  Good luck <3

[thebeautyofbeingborn-blog]

Birth is a rite of passage of women. Their journey should be honored, their rights should be fiercely protected, and their stories should be shared.

Marcie Macari (via thebeautyofbeingborn)

[saturnrising]

If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it.

Toni Morrison (via theartofmidwifery)

[serious]

Be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be humble, but not timid. Be proud, but not arrogant.

A thousand times this | Unknown (via awelltraveledwoman)

[hiptoberound]

[hiptoberound]

The routine newborn assessment should include an examination for size, macrocephaly or microcephaly, changes in skin color, signs of birth trauma, malformations, evidence of respiratory distress, level of arousal, posture, tone, presence of spontaneous movements, and symmetry of movements. A newborn with one anatomic malformation should be evaluated for associated anomalies. Total and direct bilirubin levels should be measured in newborns with jaundice, and a complete blood count should be obtained in those with pallor or a ruddy complexion. Neurosurgical consultation is necessary in infants with craniosynostosis accompanied by restricted brain growth or hydrocephalus, cephaloceles, or exophytic scalp nodules. Neck masses can be identified by their location and include vascular malformations, abnormal lymphatic tissue, teratomas, and dermoid cysts. Most facial nerve palsies resolve spontaneously. Conjunctivitis is relatively common in newborns. Infants with chest abnormalities may need to be evaluated for Poland's syndrome or Turner's syndrome. Murmurs in the immediate newborn period are usually innocent and represent a transition from fetal to neonatal circulation. Because cyanosis is primarily secondary to respiratory or cardiac causes, affected newborns should be evaluated expeditiously, with the involvement of a cardiologist or neonatologist.

[hiptoberound]

Careful examination of the neonate at delivery can detect anomalies, birth injuries, and disorders that may compromise successful adaptation to extrauterine life. A newborn with one anatomic malformation should be evaluated for associated anomalies. If a newborn is found to have an abdominal wall defect, management includes the application of a warm, moist, and sterile dressing over the defect, decompression of the gastrointestinal tract, aggressive fluid resuscitation, antibiotic therapy, and prompt surgical consultation. Hydroceles are managed conservatively, but inguinal hernias require surgical repair. A newborn with developmental hip dysplasia should be evaluated by an orthopedist, and treatment may require use of a Pavlik harness. The presence of ambiguous genitalia is a medical emergency, and pituitary and adrenal integrity must be established. Early diagnosis of spinal lesions is imperative because surgical correction can prevent irreversible neurologic damage.

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Stanford connects you to the latest online educational offerings through multimodal teaching. Learn best practices from world renowned faculty through games, videos, demonstrations, case studies, decision tree analysis, panel discussions, and more. The new found knowledge and skills that you apply during courses will enable you to improve your practice

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