CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION HELPS PARENTS DURING LABOR AND DELIVERY

There are many different types of child births from natural child birth, water birth, vaginal birth with pain medications and cesarean section births. Prenatal education is important for couples so they can understand the options and concerns. The type of birth a couple plans on having is not always the way child birth labor and child birth delivery will go. This is especially the case with natural child birth and water birth as these types of births are un-medicated births without use of drugs or surgery during the delivery. As no two deliveries and labors are the same the child birth plan can often change.

Natural child birth and water birth are popular options for many expecting parents. A natural child birth labor and natural child birth delivery are un-medicated births without the use of drugs or surgery during the delivery. Many people feel that birth is a natural process and should not be viewed as a medical procedure. A natural child birth or water birth can be in a hospital (usually in a tub), birthing center or at home with the help of a doctor or midwife (with the assistance of a doula). The Bradley method of natural child birth is well known stating the three benefits of natural child birth are that it is better for mom, better for baby and better for family. Water birth is a gentle way to give birth with the added benefit of greater comfort and mobility, easier to change positions and because the water supports mother's weight she can save her energy to deal better with contractions.

Whatever choice of birth a couple may be planning, each individual child birth labor will be unique. Some common signs of child birth labor are regular contractions, water breaking and cervix dilating. Child birth options can take place in a home, hospital or birth center with the help of a doctor or midwife. Managing pain during child labor can include intravenous analgesic (pain relieving drugs), epidural (injection blocks pain) and pudenal block (blocks pain from the pudenal nerve between the vagina and the anus and is useful to reduce pain with forcep deliveries and episiotomies).

Just as every child birth labor is unique each child birth delivery will also be different whether it is a natural child birth or water birth. Child birth delivery is the moment when the fetus exits from the mother's body followed by the placenta. It is strongly encouraged for father's and birth partners to be in the room to witness the child birth delivery and help offer support or coaching to mom. Child birth delivery positions can vary from sitting, squatting and semi-sitting (gravity helps mother in pushing baby through). A woman can deliver the baby either vaginally or by cesarean section (planned or emergency).

Regardless of the type of birth a couple plans from natural child birth or water birth there can be labor complications that can arise. The following are some of the labor complications that may happen and include:

• abnormal position of fetus during birth (breech, head down facing mother's front, one shoulder in mother's pelvis);
• abnormal fetal heart rate (if fetus is in distress may need to give mother oxygen, increase fluids and turn mom on left side);
• and fetal meconium, the baby's first stool getting into the amniotic fluid causing fetal distress.

While many couple's plan a birth child natural, natural child birth or water birth the child birth labor and child birth delivery will not always go as planned. When a baby is unable to be born vaginally (due to fetal distress or other labor complications) an emergency cesarean section must be performed. A cesarean section is a surgical process done in an operating room or designated delivery room which uses anesthesia so that an abdominal incision can be made, the amniotic sac opened and the baby then removed. After the surgery a woman is stitched back up and given oxytocin to contract the uterus. Recovery after this surgery does take longer than a vaginal birth but is very routine and safe.

For couple's who plan a natural child birth or water birth they hope and plan that the child birth labor will pose no complications and a vaginal birth will be accomplished. During vaginal delivery the fetus' head and chin come out of the vagina and the physician or midwife rotate the fetus to side and ease shoulders out followed by rest of body. When the vaginal opening does not stretch enough the physician will perform an episiotomy (incision) to extend the opening to help in child birth delivery.

Whatever sort of child birth a couple plan's for from birth child natural, natural child birth, water birth or planned cesarean section the child birth labor and child birth delivery will be unique to every woman. With that said it helps during the first trimester pregnancy, second trimester pregnancy and third trimester pregnancy to get good prenatal care, take prenatal vitamins and receive proper screening and tests to ensure the best possible health for mom and baby.

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