>> So let's take a look at "Childbirth".
So the first thing is to look at some different approaches to childbirth.
So depending on preparation and personal preference, there are some different approaches.
Some common approaches that most people have at least heard of the first,
would include the Lamaze Method, the Leboyer Method, and Hypnobirthing,
which would also be referred to as the "Dick-Read Method", or the "Mongan --
" I'm not sure how you say that, Method.
So Lamaze is a lot about relaxing your muscles, breathing through the contractions,
having some sort of focal point and a support person;
and really tries to empower the woman to control the process.
The Leboyer Method is also a method of preparing for childbirth, focusing on giving birth
in a quiet dimly-lit room, having kind of some time just for the baby to kind of transition
to the world, give it time for the umbilical cord, you know, not cut the cord right away,
and kind of, again, having that support person.
And then hypnobirthing has a lot to do with the fact that often fear adds to the pain,
and the tension, and the anxiety behind childbirth.
And so with relaxation, breathing, kind of self-hypnosis, as well as kind of having
that support person can help through -- help a woman through labor.
These aren't the only approaches, and hopefully you get a chance to explore those in the module.
So the actual process of childbirth; so when does it start?
So in the onset of childbirth a few things happen that start the process
of childbirth when it happens naturally.
So one of those things is bloody show, which is when you use --
lose the mucous plug that has kept the cervix safe.
Right, so there's been a plug of mucous in the cervix that's kept everything from --
in the vagina from getting into the womb or the uterus.
And there's also some hormonal changes that kind of play out of each other.
So the mother's pituitary gland secretes oxytocin,
the fetal membrane secrete prostaglandins; that results in contractions,
which then stimulate the fetal pituitary gland
to secrete oxytocin, which stimulates contractions.
So there are some different hormones in both mother and fetus that help start labor.
And then if you have -- if your baby is head-down, that head's sitting on that cervix.
And when you get to the end of a pregnancy, you're kind of out of room.
And so that pressure stretches the cervix, gets the cervix ready,
and can also result in contractions.
So let's look at the three stages of childbirth when you have a vaginal delivery.
So stage one is dilation, right, so the baby's in the womb sitting on top of the cervix,
ideally head-down, and the contractions get the uterus ready to deliver the baby.
The cervix goes from being tight, and closed, and elongated to thinning out and dilating.
So two things have to happen.
So it goes from being maybe four centimeters long and closed, to, you know,
really becoming thin and tensing -- and opening up ten centimeters.
And if you're curious what that looks like, I would encourage you to get
out a rule, because it's pretty remarkable.
That's the first stage; starts when labor starts,
ends when the cervix is dilated to ten centimeters or more.
Stage two is when the baby is actually born.
Right, so the head comes out, ideally facing down because that is --
that puts the head in the ideal position for delivery.
The baby's rotated as the baby's delivered.
And then the baby is fully -- emerges from the wound.
And then stage three is when the placenta or, "afterbirth",
as it's sometimes referred to is delivered.
So it detaches from the uterine wall and is expelled after the baby is born.
And this is a stage that often is kind of overlooked and forgotten
because while the baby's here, it's just kind of something
that tends happens in the background I think often.
So we talked about prepared childbirth.
And all of those methods would be considered natural
in the sense that they don't use medication.
Most women that give birth in a hospital,
which is not the only place you can have a birth, by the way.
Our book doesn't talk about it, but you can give birth at home,
and you can give birth at birth centers.
But most of the women that give birth in hospitals get an epidural,
which is medication given through your spine to numb the lower body.
There are other pain medications that can be used,
and there are risks and benefits to each of those.
But when you put something into the bloodstream, it passes through to the fetus more
so than when it's in the spinal fluid.
And women can choose not to use pain medication.
And there really isn't one that's better than the other;
each mother has to determine what's right for their situation.
And there are situations where not choosing pain medication can actually impede labor,
and there are situations where choosing to have pain medication can impede labor.
So it really is an individual decision that should be made with your medical professional,
so your obstetrician or your midwife.
You can also change the position you're in.
So laying on your back is actually one of the worst positions
for childbirth in terms of just pure anatomy.
So squatting, standing, being up on all fours, are all different positions that can help
with labor and with pain management.
And you can also have a water birth, so give birth or at least labor in a warm tub of water.
And then the last thing I want to touch on are some medical interventions that might happen.
So if labor is not starting on its own, so the baby is, you know, past their due date
or there's some indication that the baby needs to be delivered sooner than just waiting
for labor to start naturally, labor can be induced.
So induction is to stimulate labor before it begins naturally.
And there are different ways to do that, some, you know, on a scale of invasiveness,
some things as simple as sweeping membranes to petocin, which is the --
an artificial hormone that does what oxytocin does, which is a natural hormone.
If there are indications that vaginal delivery might be unsafe for mother or baby,
they can choose to use a Caesarean section or a "c-section", and that's where they actually cut
through the abdomen and remove the baby surgically.
And so this could be the baby isn't -- in the wrong position, so baby might be laying
across the womb, and there's no way you can deliver a baby sideways;
or there could be medical issues that would call for a Caesarean section,
or just the need to get the baby out right away.
And then the last thing that the book talked about is that historically,
if you've had a c-section, all of your later births would be c-sections.
There are more and more doctors that are willing to try a VBAC or a vaginal birth
after Caesarean, because a lot of women would prefer to try to give birth
with a vaginal delivery rather than just having a repeat c-section,
unless it's medically indicated.
And look for the next mini-lecture on "The Newborn".