Distress in the Mother or the Child By: Joel, Peter, and Ethan

Reasons of why they are in distress The reasons of why they are in distress is because of prolonged labor, prolapsed cord, breach,oxytocin, and induced labor.

Prolonged Labor Prolonged labor is when the baby isn’t coming out of the womb of its mother. It can be determined by the labor stage and also how thin the cervix is and if it has opened properly during labor. Prolonged labor may occur when the baby is very big and cannot move through the birth canal. The baby is in an abnormal position. Normally, the baby is head-down facing your back. Also, the birth canal is too small for the baby to move through. And when the contractions are very weak. During prolonged birth, the compression of soft tissues between the baby’s head and the woman’s pelvis cuts off blood flow to the bladder or rectum. As a result, tissue dies, leaving a hole, or fistula.

Prolapsed cord A prolapsed cord is when the umbilical cord goes before the child when exiting the uterus. It often occurs when the rupture of the amniotic sac and the child tries to get out, it applies too much pressure to the cord. This cause low levels of oxygen and blood to reach the child and the baby needs to be delivered immediately.

Breech This is when the child exits the pelvis with either the feet or butt going first instead of the usual head-first position. With this distress, the danger is imminent for the child.

Induced labor Inducted labor is when the medical staff recommends that someone should undergo an “induction”. They usually present this option when: You're approaching two weeks beyond your due date, and labor hasn't started naturally Your water has broken, but you're not having contractions There's an infection in your uterus Your baby has stopped growing at the expected pace There's not enough amniotic fluid surrounding the baby (oligohydramnios) The placenta peels away from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery — either partially or completely (placental abruption) You have a medical condition that might put you or your baby at risk, such as high blood pressure or diabetes

Oxytocin Oxytocin plays a large role in childbirth; during and after the process. Its name, meaning "swift childbirth", comes from Greek ὀξύς, oksys "swift" and τόκος, tokos "birth.“ It is released after the pressure is relieved from the cervix and uterus during labor, facilitating birth, maternal bonding, and, after stimulation of the nipples, lactation.

Interventions Some of the interventions to relieve the distress are C-section, vacuum or foreceps, and assisted vag delivery.

Caesarean section Otherwise known as a C-section. This is where the doctors make one or more incisions into the mother’s abdomen or uterus to deliver the child/children. This occurs when wither the mother or child’s lives/health in dire danger. They can also occur without medical reason from the pregnant mother.

Vacuum or Foreceps Birthing This is where they use a suction cup with a vacuum pump and apply it to the child’s head and guide it out of the womb. While the doctors are doing this, the mother still has to push to help with the contractions. This type of birthing also poses a risk to the health of the child and mother.

Works cited http://www.babycenter.com/0_assisted-vaginal-delivery_1451360.bc http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/vacuum- extraction/basics/definition/prc-20020448 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarean_section http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/breech-presentation/ http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/prolonged-labor-causes-treatments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbilical_cord_prolapse Larissa Bos(nurse)