A birth doula assists parents as they prepare for their baby’s due date, keeping them informed with the birth process and fully prepared to stay as comfortable as possible.Ĭontact Doulas of Austin and meet your birth doula who will provide continuous support throughout active labor, delivery and the early postpartum period. You don’t have to navigate and experience these cardinal movements of labor alone. When the shoulders pass through, the perineum stretches and can sometimes tear. Using a warm compress will relax muscles and help them stretch more gradually as the baby is in the external rotation phase.īecoming familiarized with the labor process and the cardinal movements can help mothers prepare comfort measures for their delivery. Once those little shoulders pass through, the whole baby can be delivered in an upward motion. At this point mom finally has the relief of pushing. The best comfort measure at this point is to keep calm as baby begins his or her exit.Įxpulsion is the movement where the baby’s shoulders pass the pubic bone and delivered. This is when the shoulders are fitting through around and under the pubic arch.īy this phase of labor comfort measures such as music therapy, patterned breathing exercises and aromatherapy have likely been exhausted. The baby’s face needs to move from face down to either the left or right. Once the head is born, external rotation occurs to alleviate strain on their neck and head from the pelvic muscles. This is where your labor doula comes in handy! Once extension occurs, the face and head appear outside the body.Ĭontractions are doing most of the work here and staying comfortable is the best way to keep the mother focused and affirmed through the next few cardinal movements. Once the baby is fully rotated and descended, extension occurs when their head passes through the pelvis at the base of the neck. Standing upright and slightly bending the knees as the baby is rotating toward their optimal position in the pelvis will alleviate stress on the mother’s back and the uncomfortable weight of the baby’s descent. By the time the baby reaches the pelvic floor, their head is almost always fully rotated. This is a good opportunity to use birthing stools and balls to make squatting easier and more effective.Īs the baby’s head reaches the pelvic floor, it’s head will rotate to accommodate changes in the pelvis known as internal rotation. Squatting or sitting may help promote the baby’s descent and flexion and make labor a little more comfortable. This movement is the result of the baby’s head hitting the soft tissues of the pelvis, aligning their head with their chin toward their chest at they reach the depth of the pelvic cavity. Their little body has to begin it’s form to position correctly into the pelvis deep enough for traditional birth.įlexion and the descent go hand and hand. The baby doesn’t just have to get aligned with the mother’s pelvis, their head must descend deep into the pelvic cavity. To speed the engagement process along, sitting on a firm birthing ball moving your hips in a figure-8 motion or performing abdominal lifts during contractions may help. This is the start of the birthing process and the baby getting themselves into the position for birth. This stage is simply the diameter of the baby’s head into the mother’s pelvic cavity from ear to ear. The movements where the baby shifts themselves into position are known as the seven cardinal movements. In order to position correctly, a baby in the womb will try it’s best to shift into a direction that best facilitates birth. A baby’s position is important for birth to proceed naturally, allowing the smallest part of the baby to present first. onset of regular uterine contractions to full dilation of cervix. for a woman w/o complication and fetus in vertex position. baby emerges, 2nd stage of labor is complete. flexing laterally in the direction of the symphysis pubis. The critical distance to keep in mind is a. head shoulders lifted to mothers pubic bone. This distance corresponds with the true conjugate and is approximately 11 cm ( Figure 131-1A). The obstetric conjugate is the distance from the sacral promontory to a point on the inner surface of the pubic symphysis that is a few millimeters from the upper margin of the pubic symphysis ( Figure 131-1A). This distance represents the smallest diameter of the inlet and is normally 11 cm or more ( Figure 131-1A). The true conjugate can be estimated by subtracting 1.5 to 2 cm from the diagonal conjugate. However, this measurement cannot be made clinically. The true conjugate, a radiographic measurement of the pelvic inlet, is the distance from the sacral promontory to the superior aspect of the pubic symphysis ( Figure 131-1A). To measure the diagonal conjugate place the tip of the middle finger at the sacral promontory and note the point on the hand that contacts the pubic symphysis ( Figure 131-1B). A normal diagonal conjugate measures approximately 12.5 cm, with the critical distance being 10 cm. The diagonal conjugate refers to the distance from the inferior border of the pubic symphysis to the sacral promontory ( Figure 131-1A).
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