Normal Childbirth Is A Natural Process, So No Need To Be Afraid

Fear might be pregnant before the birth process. However, pregnant women do not need to worry because actually the process of giving birth normally is not as scary as imagined, really. Let's know and understand the process of giving birth normally so that pregnant women are ready to go through each stage. Normal childbirth or childbirth usually occurs when the gestational age has entered 37-42 weeks. However, this condition is difficult to predict, so no one knows for sure when labor will occur. Approaching the estimated day of birth, the body of pregnant women will prepare themselves to face the normal childbirth process. This begins with hormonal changes marked by a decrease in the hormone progesterone, while levels of other hormones such as oxytocin, estrogen, and prostaglandins increase. These hormones function to trigger contractions in the uterus and make the cervix softer and thinner so that the fetus can easily pass.

Normal Childbirth Process

Normal childbirth experienced by every woman is not the same. There is a long process, some are short, some begin with strong contractions, some even begin with premature rupture of membranes. But certainly, every woman who will give birth will go through three stages of labor and each stage has a different sensation. The following are the stages in the process of giving birth normally:

Stage 1: strong and regular contractions

In the early stages of labor, pregnant women will experience mild to strong contractions that appear regularly. This stage is divided into three phases, namely:

• Initial phase

The initial phase is often called the latent phase. In this phase, contractions have begun. However, the intensity of the contractions that occur is still not too strong and has not appeared routinely. In addition to contractions, pregnant women may experience muscle cramps around the pelvis and uterus, back pain, leakage of amniotic fluid, and mucous discharge with spots of blood from the vagina due to the cervix opening. In this phase, try to do activities that can relax, such as taking a warm bath, breathing regularly, listening to music, getting a massage, or walking.

• Active phase

The contractions that appear will be stronger, regular, and more often felt at this phase. Back pain that is felt is also getting more intense. In addition, you may begin to feel nauseous to vomiting. If the amniotic water is still intact in the initial phase, it will most likely break in this phase.

• Transition phase

In this phase, the contractions have begun to feel very strong and sharp. This is marked by the baby's head that has begun to move down from the uterus into the birth canal. The desire to push has also begun.

Stage 2: The process of pushing and giving birth to a baby

At this stage, you will feel the urge to push every contraction appears. This condition indicates that the baby is ready to be born. The baby's head has also been seen appearing in the mouth of the vagina (crowning). You may experience severe pain during contractions because the baby's head makes the tissue around the vagina stretch. These stretches and straining processes can even be strong enough to cause tears in the vagina. Therefore, at this stage pregnant women need to regulate breathing and follow the guidance of a midwife or doctor in order to push properly. If needed, the midwife or doctor may perform an episiotomy to widen the birth canal. The process of pushing a baby out of the birth canal can take several minutes to several hours. But in general, this process takes about 2 hours for women who are giving birth for the first time. Whereas in women who have given birth, the process of pushing the baby will usually take faster, which is about 1 hour. If the process of giving birth to this baby takes longer than mentioned above, then it can be said that pregnant women experience prolonged labor. Some of the causes are because pregnant women are getting tired or due to getting an epidural anesthetic injection. At the end of this second stage, the struggle of pregnant women will pay off. When Little was born, finally pregnant women can meet directly with the baby who has been waiting for. If your baby is healthy, the doctor or midwife may help the mother to initiate breastfeeding early.

Stage 3: remove the placenta

Feelings of relief may already be felt at this stage. However, the birth process has not been completed, you know. The doctor or midwife who helps with labor still has to remove the placenta from the uterus. In this phase, the contractions will re-emerge to help the process of removing the placenta and stopping bleeding. However, pregnant women do not need to worry. The contractions that appear are mild and do not cause intense pain as before. Every woman's experience during a normal childbirth is not the same. Some women say that contractions feel like cramps during menstruation. Some say that the contraction feels like a squeezed body as hard as possible. Then, are all normal childbirth painful? This is not entirely true, because in fact excessive pain during childbirth can be relieved if pregnant women undergo various preparations before giving birth to mature. Prospective mothers need not be afraid to face a normal delivery. Apart from the pain that will be faced, a woman's body is naturally well prepared to deal with normal childbirth. The pain during normal childbirth will also be paid off with unparalleled happiness when pregnant women pet their beloved baby for the first time. To ensure that the normal childbirth process can run smoothly, it is important to undergo regular pregnancy checks to the obstetrician. When undergoing obstetrical examination, pregnant women can ask the doctor about birth plans that can be done, including whether they can give birth at home.