29/09/2021
STAGES OF LABOR 💫
explained by midwife bigbirthjunkie from repost via
“Western medicine has taken the rhythm & dance of a pregnant person in labor and created a structured form and language to help care providers and the families they serve a way to communicate this vast unknown.
During the 1rst stage of labor your body is (literally) opening up! The hips are moving and opening to let the baby descend down through the pelvis (known as station) the cervix is getting thinned out (know as effacement) and the cervix opens up (know as dilation). The 1rst stage has been divided into 4 parts: Pre-Labor, Early Labor, Active Labor & Transitional Labor.
The 2nd stage of labor is when the baby is navigate the birth canal: down and under the p***c bone, through the soft tissue of the va**na, stretching your perineum (so it doesn’t tear) and out past your l***a and into this this world! Traditionally this is called: Pushing.
The 3rd stage happens after the cord stops pulsing (about 5-60 minutes) and the placenta has been born, traditionally called: Afterbirth
The 4th stage is all about these three points: the pregnant person (who is no longer pregnant), the child and then the person /child relationship, which includes the feeding of the baby, bonding, cutting of the cord and making sure the pregnant persons and baby’s vitals are stable. Traditionally this is called: Recovery.”- Midwife Elizabeth
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