Childbirth is the process by which a woman gives birth to a baby. A pregnant woman carries a baby within her body inside a hollow, muscular organ called the uterus. After about nine months, the baby passes out of the uterus and through the vagina, also called the birth canal. Childbirth can be painful, but the severity of the pain varies among women.
The birth process
is called labor. The process begins when the muscles of the uterus start to tighten and relax in a rhythmic pattern. As labor progresses, these muscle contractions become stronger and more frequent, causing the cervix (lower part of the uterus) to open. After the cervix has opened about 4 inches (10 centimeters), the contractions gradually force the baby through the cervix and out of the woman’s body through the vagina. Many women assist the process by “pushing” with their abdominal muscles in time with their contractions. The amniotic sac, a membrane containing fluids that surround the baby, breaks before or during labor. The fluids flow out through the vagina.
In most births, the head is the first part of the baby that comes out of the mother’s body. But in some deliveries, called breech births, the feet or buttocks come out first. After the baby has come out of the mother’s body completely, the umbilical cord is cut, and the infant starts to breathe. The umbilical cord is a tubelike structure that connects the baby to the placenta, an organ attached to the wall of the uterus. Food and oxygen from the mother’s blood pass through the placenta to the baby during pregnancy.
After the baby is born, the muscles of the uterus continue to contract until the placenta separates from the uterus and is expelled through the vagina. The discharged placenta is also called the afterbirth.
The length of labor varies greatly among women. It averages 13 to 14 hours for women having their first babies and lasts 7 to 8 hours thereafter.
Some woman need an operation called a cesarean section to deliver a baby. In this operation, a surgeon removes the baby and the placenta through an incision in the abdomen and uterus. Cesarean sections are performed for a number of reasons, but chiefly because the baby cannot pass through the birth canal. The woman’s pelvis may be too small, or the baby may be too large.
Methods of childbirth.
Most women in developed countries deliver their babies in hospitals, which have specially equipped birth facilities. During childbirth, a woman may receive medication to relieve her labor pains. In some cases, a physician will administer a drug to induce (bring on) labor. Before delivery, the physician may widen the woman’s vaginal opening by making a small incision called an episiotomy.
In many cases, physicians use an electronic fetal monitor to record the baby’s heartbeat during labor. Disturbances in the heartbeat may signal that the baby is in danger and that a cesarean section may be necessary.
During the 1960’s and the 1970’s, many hospitals developed educational programs to prepare women for childbirth and parenting. These programs instruct both mothers and fathers on pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care. In addition, such programs as natural childbirth and the Lamaze method teach relaxation exercises and breathing techniques to lessen the discomfort of labor, thus reducing the need for painkilling drugs. Many such drugs pass to the baby through the placenta, so some women choose to avoid them. Some women also avoid drugs so they can remain alert throughout labor.
A type of anesthesia called an epidural is another popular method for relieving labor pain. This form of pain relief does not affect the baby or reduce the mother’s alertness, but it must be given by a specially trained doctor. Epidural anesthesia is injected through a small tube that is inserted into the back next to the spinal cord. When the anesthesia is absorbed by nerves that go from the spine to the uterus, it almost completely eliminates labor pains.
At many hospitals, birthing rooms offer an alternative to traditional labor and delivery rooms. Most birthing rooms resemble a home bedroom and are used for labor, delivery, and sometimes recovery. Birthing rooms provide a relaxed and intimate atmosphere where the hospital’s facilities are still at hand if complications occur.
