How to behave during childbirth and labor?

Birth nine months waiting for. All this time, the woman mentally imagines how this will happen, and even if she has already given birth earlier and has experience, all the same, thoughts about the upcoming process cause excitement.

It is clear that to be calm and calm, going to the maternity hospital is impossible, and no matter how psychologists call for calm, in practice this is impracticable. But certain rules of behavior still need to be observed. This will help give birth easier and faster, without injuries and complications and not cause frustration with their inappropriate behavior of the medical staff or partner, if the birth is planned joint.

We will talk about the rules of behavior in childbirth in the framework of this article.

Watching how the heroines of films with such an exclamation clutching at the stomach and begin to scream and moan heart-rending, the woman may think that this is how the contractions begin, and that screaming from the very beginning is quite natural. This is a misconception. It all starts quite smoothly and gradually, and at the same time you don’t need to shout, because you are not in the cinema and do not aim to dramatize the situation.

Sensing the rhythmic recurring contractions of the uterus (tension and relaxation at regular intervals), calmly arm yourself with a clock or a smartphone with a counter program. Identify two important points: after how long the contractions are repeated and how long the uterus remains tense from the moment the contraction begins until it ends.

If childbirth did not begin with contractions, but with the fact that the waters had diverted, without panic, dial the number "03" and you inform the dispatcher of the gestational period, home address, color of the outgoing waters, wait, lying on your side, the Ambulance Brigade and go to the hospital.

The first contractions are usually not as painful as many think. A woman can easily go with them to the shower, check whether she has collected everything in the hospital, call her husband, mother, friend, drink tea with a small piece of chocolate (to gain strength). There is no hurry - this period is the longest, it can last for several hours.

At this stage it is very important not to strain and not be nervous.. Stress, fear give rise to the production of shock doses of hormones of adrenaline and cortisone, the muscles due to them tense up, opening the cervix becomes difficult, which increases the pain and increases the risk of complications in childbirth.

• Bustle, panic, tantrum and throwing - tune in to good, remember the methods of relaxation, meditation, you can lie down to take a nap to stock up on strength. We take a reminder with a list of things, calmly check for the presence of everything in your bag. If something is not, you should not frantically rush about in search - then relatives will bring everything. If the contractions did not start at home, you should not rush home for your bag - everything you need, including a shirt and a bathrobe, will be given to the hospital, and then you can ask your relatives or friends to bring your belongings.
• Hurry - the period of fights is quite long, and a few hours is enough to wash and get dressed and quietly arrive at the maternity hospital. Hurrying while taking a shower can lead to a fall, trauma, detachment of the placenta, fractures of the arms and legs, and this is now completely untimely.
• Lack of documents - If you can forget things, the policy, exchange card and passport should be with you from the very beginning of the 3rd trimester, especially if you leave the house for a long time. Without these documents in the maternity hospital, you will be assigned to the observational department, where patients with infectious diseases and untested women give birth, because the doctor will not have evidence that you were examined.
• Mindless heroism - Attempts to get to the maternity hospital with contractions or with the diverted water behind the wheel of your own car can lead to sad consequences. Contractions can become more intense at the time of the maneuver on the road, you can provoke an accident, cause harm to yourself and others. It is better to go to give birth to the ambulance. This is a special vehicle equipped with everything necessary in case of unforeseen situations, and the team knows what to do if the birth suddenly becomes swift and the child asks to be outside right in the reanimobile.

This period is the most difficult, and it is in the process of contractions that women often display the most disgusting behavior - they scream, cry, the staff and the entire male genus scold them. If you want to give birth faster, behaving like this during labor is definitely not worth it.. As already mentioned, muscle clamps give rise to weakness of labor forces, the cervix dilates slowly and painfully.

Deep breaths and slow exhalations between contractions and a series of short breaths at the peak of the contraction - this will help the cervix to open more effectively, and the baby will be given the amount of oxygen it needs now.

While the contractions are not too strong and frequent, you can lie on your side, stand, including on all fours, with support on a chair, table, window sill, partner, apply free behavior - move, walk. This contributes to faster disclosure.. Treat this as a job - there is a task to survive another battle to help yourself and the baby, and no one can cope with it except you.

The rules of the hospital usually prohibit eating and drinking during contractions. This is a reasonable ban, because a woman may need anesthesia, anesthesia, a full stomach for which is a contraindication. Therefore Do not demand food and drink, complain about the refusal and threaten complaints to the Ministry of Health.

What not to do at this stage of labor.

• Shout - when screaming, the air quickly leaves the lungs in a continuous stream, and inhalations are superficial, shortened. This leads to hypoxia of the fetus, and also takes away the strength of the woman. If there is a need to make sounds, it is better to replace the cry with a moan on the exhale, but the exhalation should be made anyway long and smoothly.
• Drink water - it is permissible only to rinse your mouth with water and spit it out if there is a feeling of dryness.
• Hold urination - go for a small need as much as you want. The bladder should be empty, this will speed up the contractions and reduce the pressure of the bladder on the uterus.
• Strongly refuse anesthesia or other obstetric care measures. Even if you are an ardent supporter of natural childbirth without anesthesia and other assistance, listen carefully to the information that the medical staff delivers to you. There are procedures and manipulations in which the need arises suddenly, and your persistent refusal can cause death or disability of the fetus.

Separately, I want to talk about pain. Require you to numb right away and now is not worth it. Opening the neck in contractions is a natural, painful, necessary process.

Such measures include epidural anesthesia, intravenous administration of analgesics and antispasmodics, sedatives.

Attempts begin with the full disclosure of the cervix and, unlike contractions, a woman can control them, more precisely, regulate their strength at the command of an obstetrician. The main thing at this stage is to trust the staff to the maximum. Doctors during this period are constantly with the woman in labor, they don’t go anywhere.

Feelings of the fetus when passing through the narrow birth canal is also not the most pleasant, and you should not complicate them with unauthorized actions that can cripple a child.

The instructions are very simple: focus on the obstetrician or doctor who is next to you. As soon as the command “push” is given, you need to get air into the chest and hold your breath on the attempt, “squeezing” the child out. To behave correctly during attempts is not to try to sit down, not to try to pinch or reduce hips..

At this stage it is impossible:

• to push "in the head" - in an attempt, direct the effort downward, not upward, otherwise it can lead to hemorrhages in the face, eyes, and the effectiveness of the attempts will be almost zero - the child will not move along the birth canal.
• Shout - as in the period of contractions, the cry at this stage of labor takes away the strength of the mother and deprives the baby of oxygen supply sufficiently. The baby goes through the birth canal, but it is still connected to you by the umbilical cord, through which it continues to receive oxygen with blood.

The biggest mistake of the woman in labor in the final stage of labor is earlier relaxation. After the baby was born, you should not relax ahead of time, because the placenta will also have to give birth. And this period is very important.. The duration of the follow-up period can be short - from 10 minutes, or long - up to an hour. In any case, having rejoiced at the birth of the baby, it is important to continue listening to the requirements of the doctor.

The birth of a “baby place” is accompanied by a feeling of weak contractions, and at the command of the obstetrician it will be necessary to make another effort so that the placenta, which is no longer necessary, can leave the uterine cavity. After that, you can relax and rest - you did it, your baby was born!

To facilitate childbirth and be proud of your exemplary behavior, you need to understand that the medical staff is doing everything possible to help you, and not complicate the task. therefore be patient with vaginal examinations, despite the fact that they deliver not too pleasant sensations.

Even if you have learned about the process of childbirth practically in advance from literature, the Internet, you should not interfere with the work of physicians and prevent them.

You have the right to give or not to give your consent to certain manipulations, but do not be too categorical - there are situations in which you cannot do without the help of medicines.

If in doubt, ask for clarification.. Doctors are obliged to justify all their decisions and actions to the patient.