The birth process

       - gentler with Dianatal® Obstetric Gel

Birth is a normal process in the life of a woman. A woman who has had good medical care during pregnancy and who is assured of professional help during the birth has no reason to be anxious. Nowadays, possible complications can usually be dealt with quickly and professionally.

Many women describe their birth experience as the event of their life. Have confidence in yourself, make the most of this time and enjoy your pregnancy and the birth. It is one of the most wonderful experiences in the world.

The birth process is divided into three stages:

1.       The opening of the uterine cervix: Dilation stage

2.       The actual birth of the baby: Expulsion stage

3.       The separation and delivery of the placenta: Placental stage

Dilation stage

“The dilation phase of birth is characterised by a progressive softening and dilatation of the uterine cervix until the cervix is fully opened. The dilation of the cervix is the result of increased contractions of the muscles of the uterus and the baby’s head descending. Regular, painful contractions are a characteristic feature of the dilation stage. It can be divided into a so-called latent phase and an active phase, based on the strength of the contractions and the stage of dilation of the cervix. The process of the dilation of the cervix differs in primiparous women and in multiparous women. Dilation lasts an average of 12 hours in women having their first baby, while in those who have already had a baby, it lasts only 6 to 7 hours. The point at which the membranes rupture spontaneously during birth depends both on the diameter of the cervix and the intensity of the contractions, as well as on the so-called rupture tension and the mobility of the foetal membranes. In two thirds of women giving birth, the membranes do not rupture spontaneously until the end of the dilation stage, when the cervix is fully dilated, and this is then described as a timely rupture of the membranes.“

From: Physiologischer Geburtsverlauf. K.-T.M. Schneider. In Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe. Diedrich, Holzgreve, Jonat, Schneider, Weiss. Springer publishers 2000. p. 186 ff

 
Expulsion stage

“The expulsion stage begins when the cervix is fully dilated and ends with the birth of the child. In primiparous women it should not last much longer than 1 hour, and in multiparous women a maximum of 30 minutes. If this time frame is exceeded, the obstetrician must exclude deviations from the physiological birth process (such as infantile occipitoposterior presentation). If the baby’s head is the first part to reach the pelvis, the pressure it exerts on the lower uterine segment triggers a reflex response in the woman giving birth to actively push along with the contractions. In the expulsion stage, particularly in the pushing phase, there is an increased risk for the child, because the contractions are associated with a fairly pronounced underperfusion of the uterus and placenta, and the child can thus develop acute asphyxia1. In addition the child’s head is exposed to increased pressure from outside. This can result in decreased blood flow in the infantile brain. For these reasons it is vital that the foetus is constantly monitored in the expulsion phase.“

from: Physiologischer Geburtsverlauf. K.-T.M. Schneider. In Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe. Diedrich, Holzgreve, Jonat, Schneider, Weiss. Springer publishers 2000. p. 188 ff

Placental phase

“The placental phase lasts from the birth of the child to the delivery of the placenta and physiologically lasts no more than 20 to 30 minutes. The physiological blood loss in the placental phase amounts to an average of 300-500 ml.“

from: Physiologischer Geburtsverlauf. K.-T.M. Schneider. In Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe. Diedrich, Holzgreve, Jonat, Schneider, Weiss. Springer publishers 2000. p. 189

1Asphyxia: lack of oxygen