NURSING 3V03 Chapter 13-21: Care Scenario 1 Anticipation and Baby Makes Five REQUIRED READINGS
31 Jul 2018
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Care scenario #1: anticipation and baby makes 5. Series of processes by which the fetus is expelled from the uterus. One theory suggests that labour is initiated by a change in the estrogen-to-progesterone ratio. During the last trimester of pregnancy, estrogen levels increase and progesterone levels decrease. This change leads to an increase in the number of myometrium gap junctions. The number of oxytocin receptors in the uterus increases at the end of pregnancy. Oxytocin also aids in stimulating prostaglandin synthesis through receptors in the decidua. Prostaglandins lead to additional contractions, cervical softening, gap junction induction, and myometrial sensitization, thereby leading to a progressive cervical dilation. Prostaglandins are produced in the decidua and fetal membranes and have a central role in the initiation of labour. Prostaglandins stimulate smooth muscle contraction of the uterus. An increase in prostaglandins leads to myometrial contractions and a reduction in cervical resistance. Subsequently, the cervix softens, thins out, and dilates during labour.
