1. Brittini Shaul Gabriella Perez
CHILDBIRTH
Brittini Shaul
Gabriella Perez

2. Also called parturition
GENERAL INFORMATION
Also called parturition
Occurs 38 to 42 weeks after last menstrual cycle

3. Delivery of the placenta
STAGES OF LABOR
Dilation
Oxytocin – hormone that plays a role in uterine contractions
Expulsion
Umbilical Cord – connection between the mother and the baby
Delivery of the placenta

4. Cervical dilation may occur naturally or be induced by surgical means.
STAGE 1: DILATION
Your cervix, the opening to your uterus, is tightly shut. This keeps your baby “in” during pregnancy. When it is time for labor, your cervix thins and opens up. This is dilation.
During labor, uterine contractions lead to dilation of the cervix. The cervix should be completely dilated at 10 cm. Dilation can last from 6 to 12 hours and is the longest part of labor.
Cervical dilation may occur naturally or be induced by surgical means.

5. OXYTOCIN
Oxytocin is often known as the "hormone of love" because it is involved with lovemaking, fertility, contractions during labor and birth, and the release of milk in breastfeeding. It helps us feel good, and it triggers nurturing feelings and behaviors. 
 Oxytocin stimulates powerful contractions, which help to thin and open (dilate) the cervix, move the baby down and out of the birth canal, expel the placenta, and limit bleeding at the site of the placenta. During labor and birth, the pressure of the baby against the cervix, and then against tissues in the pelvic floor, stimulates oxytocin and contractions.

6. Low levels of oxytocin during labor and birth can cause problems by:
OXYTOCIN CONT.
Prostaglandins are released from the placenta from fetal oxytocin. They are lipid compounds that trigger muscle contractions. When the baby’s head is pushed against the cervical wall, mechanical receptors send messages to the brain to release oxytocin to cause contractions.
Low levels of oxytocin during labor and birth can cause problems by:
- causing contractions to stop or slow, and lengthening labor
- resulting in excessive bleeding at the placenta site after birth

7. Endorphins – calming and relieving pain hormone
OTHER HORMONES
Endorphins – calming and relieving pain hormone
 High endorphin levels during labor and birth can produce an altered state of consciousness that can help you flow with the process.
High endorphin levels can make you feel alert, attentive, and even euphoric after birth
Adrenaline – hormone that people produce to help ensure safety.
Women who feel threatened during labor (for example by fear or severe pain) may produce high levels of adrenaline. Adrenaline can slow labor or stop it altogether.

8. STAGE 2: EXPULSION
During the beginning of stage two, contractions continue and move the baby down the birth canal. When you push, contractions double the effect of your pushing and allow you to relax between them.
For first-time mothers, this stage can last up to 3 hours, while subsequent deliveries last up to 2 hours. However, on average this stage lasts no more than 50 minutes.
 If needed, an episiotomy (surgical incision made to enlarge the opening of the vagina to avoid unnecessary pressure to the baby’s head during delivery) will be performed at the end of this stage, before the baby’s head emerges from the vagina (crowning).
This stage is complete when the baby is removed from the vagina.

9. STAGE 3: DELIVERY OF THE PLACENTA
Once the baby is delivered, the umbilical cord is tied and cut. The umbilical cord is what attaches the baby to the placenta. 
It’s not safe or healthy to leave the placenta in your body after you birth your baby, so your health care provider will remove or expel it. Many times, contractions (less painful than labor contractions) will help the placenta leave the uterus.
This stage lasts only a few minutes, but it can last up to 30 minutes. 

10. CAESAREAN “C” SECTION
Caesarean: a surgical way to give birth to baby, where an incision is made through the abdomen and uterus.
The surgery is optional but is also used in emergency situations when the baby is in fetal distress and if the mother is having medical issues.
Down time about 16 weeks and no strenuous activity during that time; Should wait about 18 months to try to conceive another child.
Reasons for C-sections:
The mother is carrying more than one baby (twins, triplets, etc.)
The mother has health problems including HIV infection, herpes infection, and heart disease
The mother has dangerously high blood pressure
The mother has problems with the shape of her pelvis
There are problems with the placenta
There are problems with the umbilical cord
There are problems with the position of the baby, such as breech
The baby shows signs of distress, such as a slowed heart rate

11. RANDOM FACTS
A woman’s uterus will expand to 500 times its normal size during pregnancy.
Most women will experience a bowel movement during the pushing stage of labor.
When a baby girl is born her ovaries can contain between 1-2 million eggs. By the time she reaches the age of menstruation and gets her period she will be left with only about 400,000.
After delivery, approximately 13% of U.S. women are diagnosed with post- partum depression.
The average size of a full-term baby in the U.S. is 8 pounds. This is an increase from an average size of 6 pounds 30 years ago.

12. VIDEO
Childbirth:
birth_ bc
C-section:

13. CITATIONS
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