What is the process of a normal labor like?

Smooth labor is the traditional way of giving birth, and under normal circumstances, it is best for both the mother and the fetus. Although the labor process is long and the pregnant woman needs to go through painful bouts, she can recover quickly after delivery and the fetus will have a better body condition. Although there are many benefits of a normal labor, it still felt like a long, slow and painful process for me.

What is the process of normal labor like?

The total labor process of a normal birth is divided into three stages of labor.

The first stage of labor: [takes more than 10 hours]

1. Signs of labor appear: In late pregnancy near the due date, the pregnant woman shows signs of labor. It may be redness, or it may be labor pains or the breaking of amniotic fluid.

2. The onset of labor pains: With the onset of labor symptoms, labor pains have finally arrived. The labor pains will vary from weak to strong, and the contractions will become more and more intense.

3. Dilatation of the cervix: As the contractions become more regular, the pains become more intense. The cervical opening will gradually dilate from the initial closed state to 1 finger to 10 fingers.

4. Cervical opening: The cervical opening of the mother's cervix is complete, that is, the opening of the 10th finger, about 10cm. At this point, the pregnant woman can go to the labor bed to give birth to the baby.

The first stage of labor ends here. Because in this stage, the mother needs to go through the labor pains, the process of opening the mouth of the uterus, so there will be a kind of minutes like years, the labor pains of life and death, the opening of the mouth of the uterus of the torment torment, every kind of pain, are torturing the mother's nerves.

The second stage of labor: [1-2 hours]

1. The mother is on the delivery bed: because the cervix has been opened, the contraction pains have been very intense, and at this time the mother needs to cooperate with the doctor's command, in order to deliver the fetus faster.

2. The doctor will make a lateral incision: In order to let the baby come out more smoothly and reduce the degree of tearing, the doctor will make a lateral incision after giving the mother local anesthesia.

3. Smooth delivery of the fetus: Because of the lateral incision, and to strengthen the labor force of the mother in the labor pains, the fetus will be delivered more quickly.

This is the end of the second stage of labor. As the fetus is delivered, the labor pains that have been killing the mother come to an end. At this point, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Third stage of labor: [takes about half an hour]

1. After the birth of the fetus to give the fetus some basic checkups: this time the mother just delivered the fetus, the doctor will give the fetus a simple wipe, suction out the mucus from the mouth and nose, weighing, birth time, and let the mother to look at the gender of the fetus, counting the fetus's fingers and toes.

2. Expulsion of placenta: Within half an hour of the birth of the baby, the placenta will be expelled. If the placenta cannot be expelled, the doctor will have to manually remove it.

3. Begin stitching: After the placenta is expelled, the doctor will stitch up the wound from the previous side cut or laceration. The side-cut is anesthetized locally, and will not be anesthetized again at this time.

4. 2 hours of observation: After the mother and fetus are packed up, they will be kept in the waiting room for 2 hours, during which time they will also press on the mother's stomach to observe the amount of bleeding and to monitor whether amniotic fluid embolism occurs.

This is the end of the third stage of labor. If the placenta is successfully expelled, the mother will suffer less, but if the doctor needs to manually remove the placenta, then congratulations, you have hit the jackpot, and you will be able to try what it's like to have it removed alive. And, because of the local anesthesia at the time of the lateral incision and the fact that the delivery of the fetus is so painful, you will not feel the pain of the lateral incision. But the anesthesia has basically worn off by the time the stitches are applied, and the side cut requires 3 layers of stitches, so, you get the idea.

After going through these three stages of labor, a smooth delivery is considered all but complete. There are a lot of details left out because the process is summarized in just a few hundred words. The real process of normal labor can be described as thrilling, and it is also a lifelong unforgettable memory for the mother. When a pregnant woman chooses to have a normal labor, it is not only good for the fetus' health, but also for the recovery of the pregnant woman. So, bravely face it.