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The Beauty of Pregnancy

The Birth Process : 3 different stages

Introduction:
This webpage is to guide mothers and mothers-to-be on how to maintain a healthy pregnancy and enjoy this momentous mile-stone in a familys career. It gives easy facts on how to maintain a healthy diet to keep the mothers and their children healthy. In addition, it simply explains the birth process and the 3 phases in the process.
The first stage of birth is the longest stage and the dilation of the cervix where the contractions begin. A contraction; defined by Mr. Gene Geist is, “Tightening or waves that spread from low down over the whole bump, getting stronger and then fading away. The muscles at the top of your uterus contract, pressing down on the baby and at the same time, pull upwards on the cervix so that it opens.” There are also 3 different phases involved in the first stage of birth; the latent, active, and transition phases. The last phase is the transition stage. During the transition phase of labor, contractions are every two to three minutes. Each can last up to 90 seconds. During this phase, the cervix dilates from eight to ten cm. During this phase of labor, the contractions are at their most intense. The expectant mother may become nauseous, as well as experience shaking, chills, sweats and the urge to push. Once the cervix is fully dilated and effaced, pushing can begin.
The latent phase is generally the longest stage and the least painful part of labor. The cervix can thin out over weeks, days or hours and be accompanied by mild contractions. The contractions may be regularly or irregularly spaced, or else you might not even notice them at all.
The next phase is the active stage. During the active phase of labor, contractions are longer and more intense. Most last as long as 45 seconds, and are three minutes apart. The cervix dilates from four to eight cm. during this phase. The contractions during this phase are much more painful than in the latent phase, and expectant mothers may try breathing techniques, massage, pressure or request pain medications.
The last phase is the transition stage. During the transition phase of labor, contractions are every two to three minutes. Each can last up to 90 seconds. During this phase, the cervix dilates from eight to ten cm. During this phase of labor, the contractions are at their most intense. The expectant mother may become nauseous, as well as experience shaking, chills, sweats and the urge to push. Once the cervix is fully dilated and effaced, pushing can begin.
Some women might feel physically shaky, sick, cold; and emotionally abusive, angry, weepy and having the feeling of not wanting to have the child they are delivering at the moment.
The part of labor where the delivery starts is often very painful for women and at times the partner as well. There is much stress placed upon the new parents and also their child. Complications can occur where the supply of oxygen supplied to the baby goes down which can cause brain damage. In stage two which some people call the pushing stage is where the baby is physically delivered and brought into the world for the first time. It can last anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours for the womens first baby and between ten minutes and one hour for any other child.
The first part of labor is crowning which is where the babys head peaks through. The mother begins to push in almost as is she is having a bowel movement. She pushes down to force the baby out. Soon after many sessions of pushing, the baby is delivered. The only step left is the delivery of the womens placenta.
Delivering the placenta is a process in which most women do not even notice.The placenta is the life support for the child for all of the nine months a baby is secure in a mothers womb. It naturally falls out of a woman after the baby has been delivered and can sometimes take a few more contractions to come out.
With today's present technology and research it is a common piece of information that men and women both have to keep track of their diet when having thoughts of pregnancy in their future. Although women must keep a stable and healthy diet before, during, and after pregnancy, men must maintain a solid diet to be sure that their sperm has the nutrients they need to produce a healthy baby. How much you eat and what you eat can affect your ability to conceive a child; both positively and negatively. Here are a few important food-related ways one can improve ones chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby.
Facts for Women:
Fish containing mercury; such as, shark, swordfish and marlin. Also, don't eat more than two tuna steaks a week or four medium-size cans of tuna a week. High levels of mercury can harm an unborn baby's developing nervous system. Peanuts and peanut products; if your baby is at high-risk of developing an allergy to peanuts due to family history. If you, the baby's father, brothers or sisters have certain conditions such as hay fever, asthma and/or eczema then your baby may be at higher risk. You may wish to avoid eating peanuts and peanut products when you're trying to get pregnant and when you have become pregnant. Watch out for caffine; The Food Standard Agency has advised since 2001 that pregnant women should limit their intake of caffeine — having more than 300 mg of caffeine per day has been linked to miscarriage and low birth weight. As part of your preparation for pregnancy you could start to wean yourself from caffeine in chocolate, cocoa, fizzy drinks and coffee so that you are used to a lower intake before you become pregnant.
Facts for Men:
Research shows that dads who drink heavily — the equivalent of two drinks a day — during the month before conception have babies who weigh on average 165 grams/6.5 ounces less than other babies. If a baby is born with extremely low birth weight, her health and behavior could be affected for the rest of her life. Completley cut recreational drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, which can affect the brain chemistry responsible for releasing reproductive hormones. A father's drug use can also cause birth defects.

Some web sites to aid in having a safe and enjoyable pregnancy
(1) http://www.childbirth.org/
(2) http://www.pregnancy.org/
(3) http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/plabor/topics/0,,4rrm,00.html

(1)This site answers questions about pregnancy and gives great facts on how to get through this wonderful process of starting a family. It gives wonderful reviews and suggestions on what to do if you are becoming a mother for the first time or for a subsequent baby.

(2)This is a great site which explains many different things about labor and the different stages, phases and others questions one might have about pregnancy. It also has many other helpful facts and healthy hints for women on how to eat and how to have a successful birth. Also, pregnancy.org gives information on how to get tested for illnesses that happen to women while pregnant.

(3)This site gives great tips for women seeking advice on the birth stages and other unanswered questions about labor. It answers many questions running through a mothers mind that other books and web sites may not cover. In addition to the facts on the stages of birth, it has other things like suggestions on where to shop for maternity clothes and advice on being a new mom.

Bibliography:
This article explains the importance of following a few effortless dietary rules specified by midwives. Midwives are advanced practice nurses specializing in women's health care needs, including prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care for "normal" pregnancies. The most significant tips given contain the importance to consume folic acids in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy and to eat necessary fatty acids "for good brain development and the health of the mother." Folic acids are important because they decrease the risk of neural tube defects by up to 70%. "The Neural tube is formed during the first twenty eight days of pregnancy, usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant and goes on to become the baby's developing brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube does not form properly, the result is a neural tube defect such as spina bifida." In conclusion, the midwives have amazing advice and understand the importance of consuming the right foods when it comes to pregnancy and birth as shown in this article.
Vlincoe, Alana Juman (2005). A guide to healthy eating during pregnancy. British Journal of Midwifery, 13(3), 172-175.
This article conveys the magnitude for mothers-to-be to consume at least 400 mcg of foliate every day to not just to prevent neural tube defects but in addition to aid in the formation of the babies face. "Research that compared foliate supplement use by 377 mothers, half of whom had children with cleft lips or palates or both; Report that women who take foliate supplements have half the risk of having babies with cleft lips or cleft palates." Some foods most people don’t know about have foliate in them including liver, dark-green leafy vegetables such as collards, turnip greens, and Romaine lettuce; broccoli and asparagus; citrus fruits and juices; whole-grain products; wheat germ; and dried beans and peas, such as pinto, navy and lima beans, and chickpeas and black-eyed peas. The consumption of these or a supplement pill can be used to protect your new born baby against defects in the brain and the facial area.
McVeigh (2005). Guarantee your baby's smile. Prevention , 57(3), 80-81.
Nurse Kathleen Rice Simpson has spent her career of 26-years working to make labor and delivery secure for mothers. Rice Simpson; a new mother, didn't always seem destined to become a labor and delivery nurse. When she was an adolescent, she thought she would have a career in geriatric nursing. That changed on her first day of clinical nursing classes at Loyola University when she was assigned to help a woman in labor. The patient complained of back pain, so Rice Simpson helped her get up on all fours, a technique she had learned in the sole obstetrics lecture she had attended. I believe this article is a helpful way to learn and understand about how women get through the hard nine months of pregnancy. It tells many interesting stories and gives some helpful facts on how to go about giving birth in a safe and comforting way.
Poliak, Lisa.(2004.)American Journal of Nursing. Laboring to Ease the Birth Process ,104(6),86-87.