After ten months of pregnancy, delivery happens in an instant. As the due date approaches, expectant mothers are bound to feel nervous and at a loss, but it's really unnecessary. Mastering some skills can help deliver the baby smoothly.
Firstly, recognize the signs of impending labor. Before formal labor begins, pregnant women often experience some symptoms that indicate the onset of labor, such as irregular uterine contractions, which usually occur at night and disappear during the day. The intervals between each contraction may be long or short, and each contraction lasts no more than 30 seconds. Pregnant women may feel slight lower back soreness and mild abdominal pain. One to two days before formal labor, a small amount of bloody mucus may discharge from the vagina, known as "show." Some pregnant women may experience premature rupture of membranes before formal labor, with amniotic fluid flowing out of the vagina. At this time, the pregnant woman should lie down in bed and immediately seek medical attention, especially for breech-positioned babies, to prevent umbilical cord prolapse.
Due to people's incorrect understanding of childbirth, there is widespread fear of the pain associated with delivery. Fear leads to tension, and tension exacerbates the pain, directly affecting the progress of delivery and impacting the psychological state of the mother. In fact, we can deal with this through the following techniques.
One: During labor, have family members accompany you and follow the guidance of midwives to divert attention. Engage in conversations about topics that interest the mother and explain the process of delivery so that she understands the knowledge of childbirth. This effectively alleviates discomfort during delivery and reduces sensitivity to contractions.
Two: Adjust the frequency and rhythm of breathing. When exercising or feeling tense, the frequency of breathing increases. Actively adjusting the frequency and rhythm of breathing can relieve the stress caused by delivery and enhance the self-control awareness of the mother. If methods to shift attention fail to help the mother alleviate the discomfort of delivery, slow-chest breathing can be chosen, adjusting the frequency of breathing to half of normal. As the frequency and intensity of contractions increase, shallow breathing can be selected, with a frequency twice that of normal breathing. When discomfort reaches its peak, use the puff-blow technique: take four short, shallow breaths followed by one exhale.
Three: Appropriately adopt some relaxation techniques for the mother. For example, family members or midwives can touch the tense areas of the mother and guide her to relax, repeatedly praising and encouraging her while explaining the progress. Nitrous oxide analgesia can be used if necessary. For mothers with some musical appreciation ability, choose soothing music to relax.
When the cervix is fully dilated, the mother's pain will ease somewhat, giving her a feeling similar to needing to defecate. The staff will guide the mother on the correct method of holding her breath and exerting force. At this point, the mother needs to adjust her psychology and physical strength, actively cooperate, and exert force correctly to accelerate the progress of labor. Otherwise, excessive physical exertion may affect the progress of labor, prolonging it and increasing the risk of fetal asphyxia and intracranial bleeding.