PSY 223 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Umbilical Cord, Episiotomy, Natural Childbirth
15 Nov 2016
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Just before childbirth occurs, the woman experiences a dropping or lightening in the pelvis, as well as uterine contractions called braxton-hicks contractions, which are the first contractions of childbirth and are relatively painless unlike labor contractions. A (cid:449)o(cid:373)a(cid:374)"s (cid:449)ate(cid:396) (cid:373)a(cid:455) also (cid:271)(cid:396)eak due to pel(cid:448)i(cid:272) p(cid:396)essu(cid:396)e i(cid:374) the fetus, this leads to a (cid:396)ush of a(cid:373)(cid:374)ioti(cid:272) fluid from the vagina and happens to 1 in 10 women. The fetus may actually indicate that is ready to be born via hormone secretion, one example are prostaglandins, hormones that stimulate uterine contractions. The pituitary gland also secretes oxytocin, a hormone which stimulates labor contractions. A neonate is a term for a newborn child. In the first stage of childbirth, uterine contractions efface (thin) and dilate (widen/enlarge) the cervix. Dilation of the cervix accounts for most of the pain during childbirth, in which the passageway needs to widen to about 4 inches for the child to get through.
