Healthyvives Health Blog

The means of “safe motherhood” to creating circumstances within which a woman is enabled to choose whether she will become pregnant, and if she does, ensuring she receives care for prevention and treatment of pregnancy complications, has access to trained birth assistance, has access to emergency obstetric care if she needs it and care after birth, so that she can avoid death or disability from complications of pregnancy and child birth.

There are three stages of pregnancy. They are Antenatal, Intra-natal, and Postnatal.

Care for Intra-natal stage.

Child birth is a normal physiological process but unforeseen complications may arise which required urgent management. Effective antenatal care reduces the hazards of delivery significantly to get an optimum outcome; the need for effective intra-natal care is indispensable, even if the delivery is going to be institutional and a normal on time.

How to know true labour of a pregnant woman

Pain felt at regular intervals which increase in frequency and last longer. Appearance of small quantity of blood stained mucus per vagina. regular painful uterine contractions which gradually increase in duration, frequency and intensity. Obtain accompanied by backache, abdominal tightening and discomfort. Dilatation and taking up of the cervix. Pain is not relieved by enema.

How to know false labour of a pregnant woman

Irregular painful uterine contractions which does not increase in duration frequency and intensity. Not accompanied by backache, may or may not be painful. Without any effect of dilatation of the cervix. Usually pain is relieved by enema and administration of sedative.

The labour is divided into three stages

First stage: from the time labour pain starts to the time cervix is fully dilated.

Second stage: from full dilatation of cervix to the delivery of the baby.

Third stage: from birth of baby to expulsion of placenta and membranes.

The three stages of labour together usually take up to 12 hours for the first delivery and about 6 hours for subsequent deliveries.

What should done at the first stage of labour for health staff

Admit the pregnant woman and ask for the card for her past and present pregnancy.

Ensure privacy for the woman.

Diagnose the onset of labour maternal well being, normal foetal presentation and position, normal foetal heart rate.

Shave public hair and the area should be washed with soap and water.

Encourage frequent emptying of the bladder.

Avoid pushing down to take deep breath.

Pregnant woman may be walk between labour pains till the bag of water ruptures.

Don’t leave pregnant woman alone.

Avoid taking solid food, tea, coffee, and milk once she starts labour.

Encourage a positive attitude.

Provide supportive care

Find out pregnant woman physical and psychological condition.

What should done at the second stage of labour for health staff

Help to pregnant woman to come and lie on delivery table in semi reclined dorsal position.

Swab the perineum, drape the delivery area with sterile towels and use pad to cover the anus.

Check the maternal pulse every 15 minutes.

Need to wear apron, plastic mask, cap and gloves.

Keep ready the sterile equipments which include warm antiseptic solution, cotton, wool, and pad, cord scissor and clamps.

Deliver the head slowly to prevent the tearing the perineum.

See whether the cord is around the neck.

Wait for the cord pulsation to stop and than tie the cord with cord ties at 2.5 cms from umbilicus and cut in between. Separate the baby.

What should done at the third stage of labour for health staff

The third stage starts after the delivery of the baby and ends with the delivery of the placenta and membranes. This normally takes 10 to 15 minutes and the placenta is usually delivered by the time it takes to cut the umbilical cord, wipe, dry, weigh baby and put the baby to the breast.